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Comedies of Courtship
Comedies of Courtship

Chapter XV · Chapter 15

Chapter 15 of Comedies of Courtship is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Anthony Hope • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Comedies of Courtship
Context Illustration Reading 1/33 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MISS WALLACE'S FRIEND In old days the Mercerons had been great folk.
They had held the earldom of Langbury and the barony of Warmley.
A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.
On her death that title passed to her cousin, and continued in that branch till the early days of the present century.
Then came another break.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Comedies of Courtship

Chapter XV · Chapter 15

Chapter 15 of Comedies of Courtship is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/33 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
MISS WALLACE'S FRIEND In old days the Mercerons had been great folk.
Line 2
They had held the earldom of Langbury and the barony of Warmley.
Line 3
A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.
Line 4
On her death that title passed to her cousin, and continued in that branch till the early days of the present century.
/ɑːn hɜːr deθ ðæt ˈtaɪtəl pæst tuː hɜːr ˈkʌzən ənd kənˈtɪnjuːd ɪn ðæt bræntʃ tɪl ðə ˈɜːrli deɪz ʌv ðə ˈprezənt ˈsentʃəri/
Line 5
Then came another break.
/ðen keɪm əˈnʌðər breɪk/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Baroness noun US /ˈberənɪs/

a noblewoman who holds the rank of baron or who is the wife or widow of a baron

From this reading “A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
branch noun US /bræntʃ/

a division of some larger or more complex organization

From this reading “On her death that title passed to her cousin, and continued in that branch till the early days of the present century.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
descent noun US /dɪˈsent/

An action of moving downward, dropping, or falling into a deeper place.

From this reading “A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.”

Velmora curated lexicon
earldom noun US /ˈɜːrldəm/

the dignity or rank or position of an earl or countess

From this reading “They had held the earldom of Langbury and the barony of Warmley.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
extinguished adjective US /ɪkˈstɪŋɡwɪʃt/

of a conditioned response; caused to die out because of the absence or withdrawal of reinforcement

From this reading “A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
failure noun US /ˈfeɪljər/

an act that fails

From this reading “A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
male noun US /meɪl/

an animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes

From this reading “A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wallace's noun US /ˈwɔːləsəz/

possessive form of “wallace” — Scottish insurgent who led the resistance to Edward I; in 1297 he gained control of Scotland briefly until Edward invaded Scotland again and defeated Wallace and subsequently executed him (1270-1305)

From this reading “MISS WALLACE'S FRIEND In old days the Mercerons had been great folk.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 56

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Agatha

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.

Pending verification
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading They had held the earldom of Langbury and the barony of Warmley.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading Then came another break.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
BaronessnounUS /ˈberənɪs/

a noblewoman who holds the rank of baron or who is the wife or widow of a baron

From this reading A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
baronynoun

the estate of a baron

From this reading They had held the earldom of Langbury and the barony of Warmley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading MISS WALLACE'S FRIEND In old days the Mercerons had been great folk.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
branchnounUS /bræntʃ/

a division of some larger or more complex organization

From this reading On her death that title passed to her cousin, and continued in that branch till the early days of the present century.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
breakverbUS /breɪk/

terminate

From this reading Then came another break.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Then came another break.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
centurynounUS /ˈsentʃəri/

a period of 100 years

From this reading On her death that title passed to her cousin, and continued in that branch till the early days of the present century.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
continuedadjectiveUS /kənˈtɪnjuːd/

without stop or interruption

From this reading On her death that title passed to her cousin, and continued in that branch till the early days of the present century.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cousinnounUS /ˈkʌzən/

the child of your aunt or uncle

From this reading On her death that title passed to her cousin, and continued in that branch till the early days of the present century.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
daughternounUS /ˈdɔːtər/

a female human offspring

From this reading A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading MISS WALLACE'S FRIEND In old days the Mercerons had been great folk.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading On her death that title passed to her cousin, and continued in that branch till the early days of the present century.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
descentnounUS /dɪˈsent/

An action of moving downward, dropping, or falling into a deeper place.

From this reading A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.

Velmora curated lexicon
directverbUS /dərˈekt/

command with authority

From this reading A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
earlnounUS /ɜːrl/

a British peer ranking below a marquess and above a viscount

From this reading A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
earldomnounUS /ˈɜːrldəm/

the dignity or rank or position of an earl or countess

From this reading They had held the earldom of Langbury and the barony of Warmley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

From this reading On her death that title passed to her cousin, and continued in that branch till the early days of the present century.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
extinguishedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈstɪŋɡwɪʃt/

of a conditioned response; caused to die out because of the absence or withdrawal of reinforcement

From this reading A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
failurenounUS /ˈfeɪljər/

an act that fails

From this reading A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
folknounUS /foʊk/

people in general (often used in the plural)

From this reading MISS WALLACE'S FRIEND In old days the Mercerons had been great folk.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FRIENDnounUS /frend/

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading MISS WALLACE'S FRIEND In old days the Mercerons had been great folk.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading MISS WALLACE'S FRIEND In old days the Mercerons had been great folk.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading MISS WALLACE'S FRIEND In old days the Mercerons had been great folk.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
heldadjectiveUS /held/

occupied or in the control of; often used in combination

From this reading They had held the earldom of Langbury and the barony of Warmley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading On her death that title passed to her cousin, and continued in that branch till the early days of the present century.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
InprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading MISS WALLACE'S FRIEND In old days the Mercerons had been great folk.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
LadynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

From this reading A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Langbury

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They had held the earldom of Langbury and the barony of Warmley.

Pending verification
lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
linenounUS /laɪn/

a formation of people or things one beside another

From this reading A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
livedverbUS /lɪvd/

past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in

From this reading A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
malenounUS /meɪl/

an animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes

From this reading A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Mercerons

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading MISS WALLACE'S FRIEND In old days the Mercerons had been great folk.

Pending verification
MISSverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading MISS WALLACE'S FRIEND In old days the Mercerons had been great folk.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading They had held the earldom of Langbury and the barony of Warmley.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading MISS WALLACE'S FRIEND In old days the Mercerons had been great folk.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On her death that title passed to her cousin, and continued in that branch till the early days of the present century.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading On her death that title passed to her cousin, and continued in that branch till the early days of the present century.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
presentverbUS /ˈprezənt/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading On her death that title passed to her cousin, and continued in that branch till the early days of the present century.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading On her death that title passed to her cousin, and continued in that branch till the early days of the present century.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading MISS WALLACE'S FRIEND In old days the Mercerons had been great folk.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then came another break.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They had held the earldom of Langbury and the barony of Warmley.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
tillprepositionUS /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading On her death that title passed to her cousin, and continued in that branch till the early days of the present century.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
titlenounUS /ˈtaɪtəl/

a heading that names a statute or legislative bill; may give a brief summary of the matters it deals with

From this reading On her death that title passed to her cousin, and continued in that branch till the early days of the present century.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading On her death that title passed to her cousin, and continued in that branch till the early days of the present century.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WALLACE'SnounUS /ˈwɔːləsəz/

possessive form of “wallace” — Scottish insurgent who led the resistance to Edward I; in 1297 he gained control of Scotland briefly until Edward invaded Scotland again and defeated Wallace and subsequently executed him (1270-1305)

From this reading MISS WALLACE'S FRIEND In old days the Mercerons had been great folk.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Warmley

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They had held the earldom of Langbury and the barony of Warmley.

Pending verification
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading A failure of direct descent in the male line extinguished the earldom; the Lady Agatha was the daughter of the last earl, and would have been Baroness Warmley had she lived.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 15 of Comedies of Courtship by Anthony Hope holds 169 sentences, grouped into 34 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.

What does chapter 15 of Comedies of Courtship contain?

Chapter 15 holds 169 sentences of Comedies of Courtship, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 15 of Comedies of Courtship by Anthony Hope exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 169 sentences, grouped into 34 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.

How do I study chapter 15 of Comedies of Courtship?

Work through the 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 34 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.

Can chapter 15 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 15 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.

Questions about reading Comedies of Courtship

Common questions about reading Comedies of Courtship by Anthony Hope on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Comedies of Courtship?

Yes. All 4808 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24985 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Comedies of Courtship is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #24985, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Comedies of Courtship take to read?

About 400 minutes of reading across 962 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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  1. Open a chapter

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Vocabulary met early in Comedies of Courtship

Words and structures a reader meets early in Comedies of Courtship, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Familiar
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Comedies of Courtship; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Intensity
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Comedies of Courtship; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Passion
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Comedies of Courtship; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Varies
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Comedies of Courtship; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.