Chapter 16 of Countess Vera is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Countess Vera is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Imagine Lady Clive's delight when she learns that her brother is to marry her favorite, Lady Vera. "It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire. You never acted much like lovers, you two." "You see I never intended to marry, so I did not encourage lovers, then," Lady Vera explains. "And _now_?"
Chapter 16 of Countess Vera is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading “You never acted much like lovers, you two."”
past form of “despair” — abandon hope; give up hope; lose heart
From this reading “"It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.”
contribute to the progress or growth of
From this reading “"You see I never intended to marry, so I did not encourage lovers, then," Lady Vera explains.”
third-person singular of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “"You see I never intended to marry, so I did not encourage lovers, then," Lady Vera explains.”
something regarded with special favor or liking
From this reading “Imagine Lady Clive's delight when she learns that her brother is to marry her favorite, Lady Vera.”
possessive form of “heart” — the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading “"It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.”
third-person singular of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills
From this reading “Imagine Lady Clive's delight when she learns that her brother is to marry her favorite, Lady Vera.”
plural of “lover” — a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
From this reading “You never acted much like lovers, you two."”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “"It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.”
In this reading “"You see I never intended to marry, so I did not encourage lovers, then," Lady Vera explains.”
In this reading “"It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.”
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.
past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading You never acted much like lovers, you two."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And _now_?"
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading Imagine Lady Clive's delight when she learns that her brother is to marry her favorite, Lady Vera.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Imagine Lady Clive's delight when she learns that her brother is to marry her favorite, Lady Vera.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading Imagine Lady Clive's delight when she learns that her brother is to marry her favorite, Lady Vera.
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading "It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.
past form of “despair” — abandon hope; give up hope; lose heart
From this reading "It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "You see I never intended to marry, so I did not encourage lovers, then," Lady Vera explains.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading "It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.
contribute to the progress or growth of
From this reading "You see I never intended to marry, so I did not encourage lovers, then," Lady Vera explains.
at any time
From this reading "It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.
third-person singular of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading "You see I never intended to marry, so I did not encourage lovers, then," Lady Vera explains.
something regarded with special favor or liking
From this reading Imagine Lady Clive's delight when she learns that her brother is to marry her favorite, Lady Vera.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading "It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.
possessive form of “heart” — the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading "It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Imagine Lady Clive's delight when she learns that her brother is to marry her favorite, Lady Vera.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.
form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading Imagine Lady Clive's delight when she learns that her brother is to marry her favorite, Lady Vera.
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading "You see I never intended to marry, so I did not encourage lovers, then," Lady Vera explains.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Imagine Lady Clive's delight when she learns that her brother is to marry her favorite, Lady Vera.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading Imagine Lady Clive's delight when she learns that her brother is to marry her favorite, Lady Vera.
third-person singular of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills
From this reading Imagine Lady Clive's delight when she learns that her brother is to marry her favorite, Lady Vera.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading You never acted much like lovers, you two."
plural of “lover” — a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
From this reading You never acted much like lovers, you two."
take in marriage
From this reading Imagine Lady Clive's delight when she learns that her brother is to marry her favorite, Lady Vera.
used to form the superlative
From this reading "It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading You never acted much like lovers, you two."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading You never acted much like lovers, you two."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "You see I never intended to marry, so I did not encourage lovers, then," Lady Vera explains.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "And _now_?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "You see I never intended to marry, so I did not encourage lovers, then," Lady Vera explains.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Imagine Lady Clive's delight when she learns that her brother is to marry her favorite, Lady Vera.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "You see I never intended to marry, so I did not encourage lovers, then," Lady Vera explains.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Imagine Lady Clive's delight when she learns that her brother is to marry her favorite, Lady Vera.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "You see I never intended to marry, so I did not encourage lovers, then," Lady Vera explains.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Imagine Lady Clive's delight when she learns that her brother is to marry her favorite, Lady Vera.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading You never acted much like lovers, you two."
a formal word for “on”
From this reading "It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Imagine Lady Clive's delight when she learns that her brother is to marry her favorite, Lady Vera.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.
at the time that
From this reading Imagine Lady Clive's delight when she learns that her brother is to marry her favorite, Lady Vera.
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading "It is what I most wished upon earth," she says, "but I had despaired of ever having my heart's desire.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You never acted much like lovers, you two."
Chapter 16 of Countess Vera by Alex. McVeigh, Mrs. Miller holds 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 16 holds 151 sentences of Countess Vera, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Countess Vera by Alex. McVeigh, Mrs. Miller exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 16 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 Countess Vera by Alex. McVeigh, Mrs. Miller on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4963 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48824 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48824, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 413 minutes of reading across 993 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Countess Vera section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Countess Vera 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 Countess Vera, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
