Chapter 13 of A Modern Instance is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of A Modern Instance is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Halleck flushed, ashamed of the wrong his thoughts, or rather his emotions, had done. “No, I don't,” he answered. “I was at your church.” “I ought to have been there myself,” he returned, gravely, “and then I should have known.” She took his self-reproach literally.
Chapter 13 of A Modern Instance is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse
From this reading “Halleck flushed, ashamed of the wrong his thoughts, or rather his emotions, had done.”
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading ““I was at your church.””
plural of “emotion” — any strong feeling
From this reading “Halleck flushed, ashamed of the wrong his thoughts, or rather his emotions, had done.”
having the pinkish flush of health
From this reading “Halleck flushed, ashamed of the wrong his thoughts, or rather his emotions, had done.”
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading ““I ought to have been there myself,” he returned, gravely, “and then I should have known.””
in a literal sense
From this reading “She took his self-reproach literally.”
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “Halleck flushed, ashamed of the wrong his thoughts, or rather his emotions, had done.”
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading “Halleck flushed, ashamed of the wrong his thoughts, or rather his emotions, had done.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I ought to have been there myself,” he returned, gravely, “and then I should have known.”
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “No, I don't,” he answered.
feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse
From this reading Halleck flushed, ashamed of the wrong his thoughts, or rather his emotions, had done.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “I was at your church.”
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “I ought to have been there myself,” he returned, gravely, “and then I should have known.”
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading “I was at your church.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No, I don't,” he answered.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Halleck flushed, ashamed of the wrong his thoughts, or rather his emotions, had done.
plural of “emotion” — any strong feeling
From this reading Halleck flushed, ashamed of the wrong his thoughts, or rather his emotions, had done.
having the pinkish flush of health
From this reading Halleck flushed, ashamed of the wrong his thoughts, or rather his emotions, had done.
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading “I ought to have been there myself,” he returned, gravely, “and then I should have known.”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Halleck flushed, ashamed of the wrong his thoughts, or rather his emotions, had done.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Halleck flushed, ashamed of the wrong his thoughts, or rather his emotions, had done.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I ought to have been there myself,” he returned, gravely, “and then I should have known.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “No, I don't,” he answered.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Halleck flushed, ashamed of the wrong his thoughts, or rather his emotions, had done.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “No, I don't,” he answered.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading “I ought to have been there myself,” he returned, gravely, “and then I should have known.”
in a literal sense
From this reading She took his self-reproach literally.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading “I ought to have been there myself,” he returned, gravely, “and then I should have known.”
not any; not one
From this reading “No, I don't,” he answered.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Halleck flushed, ashamed of the wrong his thoughts, or rather his emotions, had done.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Halleck flushed, ashamed of the wrong his thoughts, or rather his emotions, had done.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading “I ought to have been there myself,” he returned, gravely, “and then I should have known.”
on the contrary
From this reading Halleck flushed, ashamed of the wrong his thoughts, or rather his emotions, had done.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “I ought to have been there myself,” he returned, gravely, “and then I should have known.”
a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)
From this reading She took his self-reproach literally.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She took his self-reproach literally.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “I ought to have been there myself,” he returned, gravely, “and then I should have known.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Halleck flushed, ashamed of the wrong his thoughts, or rather his emotions, had done.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “I ought to have been there myself,” he returned, gravely, “and then I should have known.”
in or at that place or location
From this reading “I ought to have been there myself,” he returned, gravely, “and then I should have known.”
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Halleck flushed, ashamed of the wrong his thoughts, or rather his emotions, had done.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I ought to have been there myself,” he returned, gravely, “and then I should have known.”
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading She took his self-reproach literally.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I was at your church.”
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading Halleck flushed, ashamed of the wrong his thoughts, or rather his emotions, had done.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I was at your church.”
Chapter 13 of A Modern Instance by William Dean Howells holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 13 holds 414 sentences of A Modern Instance, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of A Modern Instance by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 13 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
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Yes. All 8969 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8203 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8203, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1794 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Modern Instance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of A Modern Instance to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Modern Instance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
