Chapter 40 of A True Friend: A Novel is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XL
Chapter 40 of A True Friend: A Novel is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MY FAITHFUL JANET. "Good blood," they say, "does not lie." Margaret was true to her traditions. She did not faint, she did not weep, over what was complete ruin to her expectations, if not of her hopes. She held her head a little more erect than usual, and looked Sir Philip quietly in the face.
Chapter 40 of A True Friend: A Novel is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading “She did not faint, she did not weep, over what was complete ruin to her expectations, if not of her hopes.”
construct, build, or erect
From this reading “She held her head a little more erect than usual, and looked Sir Philip quietly in the face.”
plural of “expectation” — belief about (or mental picture of) the future
From this reading “She did not faint, she did not weep, over what was complete ruin to her expectations, if not of her hopes.”
steadfast in affection or allegiance
From this reading “MY FAITHFUL JANET.”
plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading “She did not faint, she did not weep, over what was complete ruin to her expectations, if not of her hopes.”
an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading “She did not faint, she did not weep, over what was complete ruin to her expectations, if not of her hopes.”
plural of “tradition” — an inherited pattern of thought or action
From this reading “Margaret was true to her traditions.”
shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading “She did not faint, she did not weep, over what was complete ruin to her expectations, if not of her hopes.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She held her head a little more erect than usual, and looked Sir Philip quietly in the face.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She held her head a little more erect than usual, and looked Sir Philip quietly in the face.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading "Good blood," they say, "does not lie."
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading She did not faint, she did not weep, over what was complete ruin to her expectations, if not of her hopes.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She did not faint, she did not weep, over what was complete ruin to her expectations, if not of her hopes.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Good blood," they say, "does not lie."
construct, build, or erect
From this reading She held her head a little more erect than usual, and looked Sir Philip quietly in the face.
plural of “expectation” — belief about (or mental picture of) the future
From this reading She did not faint, she did not weep, over what was complete ruin to her expectations, if not of her hopes.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading She held her head a little more erect than usual, and looked Sir Philip quietly in the face.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading She did not faint, she did not weep, over what was complete ruin to her expectations, if not of her hopes.
steadfast in affection or allegiance
From this reading MY FAITHFUL JANET.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Good blood," they say, "does not lie."
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading She held her head a little more erect than usual, and looked Sir Philip quietly in the face.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading She held her head a little more erect than usual, and looked Sir Philip quietly in the face.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Margaret was true to her traditions.
plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading She did not faint, she did not weep, over what was complete ruin to her expectations, if not of her hopes.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading She did not faint, she did not weep, over what was complete ruin to her expectations, if not of her hopes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She held her head a little more erect than usual, and looked Sir Philip quietly in the face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MY FAITHFUL JANET.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading "Good blood," they say, "does not lie."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She held her head a little more erect than usual, and looked Sir Philip quietly in the face.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She held her head a little more erect than usual, and looked Sir Philip quietly in the face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Margaret was true to her traditions.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading She held her head a little more erect than usual, and looked Sir Philip quietly in the face.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading MY FAITHFUL JANET.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Good blood," they say, "does not lie."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She did not faint, she did not weep, over what was complete ruin to her expectations, if not of her hopes.
above and across; more than
From this reading She did not faint, she did not weep, over what was complete ruin to her expectations, if not of her hopes.
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading She held her head a little more erect than usual, and looked Sir Philip quietly in the face.
with low volume
From this reading She held her head a little more erect than usual, and looked Sir Philip quietly in the face.
an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading She did not faint, she did not weep, over what was complete ruin to her expectations, if not of her hopes.
express in words
From this reading "Good blood," they say, "does not lie."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She did not faint, she did not weep, over what was complete ruin to her expectations, if not of her hopes.
term of address for a man
From this reading She held her head a little more erect than usual, and looked Sir Philip quietly in the face.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading She held her head a little more erect than usual, and looked Sir Philip quietly in the face.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She held her head a little more erect than usual, and looked Sir Philip quietly in the face.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Good blood," they say, "does not lie."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Margaret was true to her traditions.
plural of “tradition” — an inherited pattern of thought or action
From this reading Margaret was true to her traditions.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading Margaret was true to her traditions.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading She held her head a little more erect than usual, and looked Sir Philip quietly in the face.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Margaret was true to her traditions.
shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading She did not faint, she did not weep, over what was complete ruin to her expectations, if not of her hopes.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading She did not faint, she did not weep, over what was complete ruin to her expectations, if not of her hopes.
Chapter 40 of A True Friend: A Novel by Adeline Sergeant holds 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 holds 196 sentences of A True Friend: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 40 of A True Friend: A Novel by Adeline Sergeant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 40 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.
Common questions about reading A True Friend: A Novel by Adeline Sergeant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6831 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23797 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23797, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 569 minutes of reading across 1367 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A True Friend: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of A True Friend: A Novel 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 True Friend: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
