Dame Care

Chapter XV · Chapter 15

Chapter 15 of Dame Care is here in full — 325 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Hermann Sudermann • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Unspeakable misery had descended on the Haidehof.

The father lay in the parlor, on his sickbed, and groaned and complained and cursed the hour of his birth.

In milder moments he seized his wife’s hand with tearful eyes, and asked her forgiveness for having united her fate to his ruined life, and promised to make her rich and happy in future.

Rich--above all things, rich.

It was too late.

Narrator

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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.

Chapter XV Reading 1/65

Dame Care

Chapter XV · Chapter 15

Chapter 15 of Dame Care is here in full — 325 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/65 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Unspeakable misery had descended on the Haidehof.

Line 2

The father lay in the parlor, on his sickbed, and groaned and complained and cursed the hour of his birth.

Line 3

In milder moments he seized his wife’s hand with tearful eyes, and asked her forgiveness for having united her fate to his ruined life, and promised to make her rich and happy in future.

/ɪn ˈmaɪldər ˈmoʊmənts hiː siːzd hɪz waɪfs hænd wɪð ˈtɪrfəl aɪz ənd æskt hɜːr fərˈɡɪvnəs fɔːr ˈhævɪŋ juːˈnaɪtɪd hɜːr feɪt tuː hɪz ˈruːənd laɪf ənd ˈprɑːməst tuː meɪk hɜːr rɪtʃ ənd ˈhæpi ɪn ˈfjuːtʃər/

Line 4

Rich--above all things, rich.

Line 5

It was too late.

/ɪt wɑːz tuː leɪt/

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.

complained verb US /kəmˈpleɪnd/

past form of “complain” — express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness

From this reading “The father lay in the parlor, on his sickbed, and groaned and complained and cursed the hour of his birth.”

forgiveness noun US /fərˈɡɪvnəs/

compassionate feelings that support a willingness to forgive

From this reading “In milder moments he seized his wife’s hand with tearful eyes, and asked her forgiveness for having united her fate to his ruined life, and promised to make her rich and happy in future.”

groaned verb US /ɡroʊnd/

past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure

From this reading “The father lay in the parlor, on his sickbed, and groaned and complained and cursed the hour of his birth.”

milder adjective US /ˈmaɪldər/

comparative of “mild” — moderate in type or degree or effect or force; far from extreme

parlor noun US /ˈpɑːrlər/

reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received

From this reading “The father lay in the parlor, on his sickbed, and groaned and complained and cursed the hour of his birth.”

tearful adjective US /ˈtɪrfəl/

filled with or marked by tears

Unspeakable adjective US /ənˈspiːkəbəl/

defying expression or description

From this reading “Unspeakable misery had descended on the Haidehof.”

wife's noun US /waɪfs/

possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

All words in this reading · 51

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.

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading Rich--above all things, rich.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Rich--above all things, rich.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The father lay in the parlor, on his sickbed, and groaned and complained and cursed the hour of his birth.

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading In milder moments he seized his wife’s hand with tearful eyes, and asked her forgiveness for having united her fate to his ruined life, and promised to make her rich and happy in future.

birthnounUS /bɜːrθ/

the time when something begins (especially life)

From this reading The father lay in the parlor, on his sickbed, and groaned and complained and cursed the hour of his birth.

complainedverbUS /kəmˈpleɪnd/

past form of “complain” — express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness

From this reading The father lay in the parlor, on his sickbed, and groaned and complained and cursed the hour of his birth.

cursedadjectiveUS /kɜːrst/

deserving a curse; sometimes used as an intensifier

From this reading The father lay in the parlor, on his sickbed, and groaned and complained and cursed the hour of his birth.

descendedverbUS /dɪˈsendəd/

past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way

From this reading Unspeakable misery had descended on the Haidehof.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

fatenounUS /feɪt/

an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading The father lay in the parlor, on his sickbed, and groaned and complained and cursed the hour of his birth.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

forgivenessnounUS /fərˈɡɪvnəs/

compassionate feelings that support a willingness to forgive

futureadjectiveUS /ˈfjuːtʃər/

yet to be or coming

groanedverbUS /ɡroʊnd/

past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure

From this reading The father lay in the parlor, on his sickbed, and groaned and complained and cursed the hour of his birth.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Unspeakable misery had descended on the Haidehof.

Haidehof

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

From this reading Unspeakable misery had descended on the Haidehof.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

happyadjectiveUS /ˈhæpi/

enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure

havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The father lay in the parlor, on his sickbed, and groaned and complained and cursed the hour of his birth.

hournounUS /ˈaʊər/

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading The father lay in the parlor, on his sickbed, and groaned and complained and cursed the hour of his birth.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The father lay in the parlor, on his sickbed, and groaned and complained and cursed the hour of his birth.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was too late.

lateadjectiveUS /leɪt/

being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time

From this reading It was too late.

layverbUS /leɪ/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading The father lay in the parlor, on his sickbed, and groaned and complained and cursed the hour of his birth.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

milderadjectiveUS /ˈmaɪldər/

comparative of “mild” — moderate in type or degree or effect or force; far from extreme

miserynounUS /ˈmɪzəri/

a state of ill-being due to affliction or misfortune

From this reading Unspeakable misery had descended on the Haidehof.

momentsnounUS /ˈmoʊmənts/

plural of “moment” — a particular point in time

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The father lay in the parlor, on his sickbed, and groaned and complained and cursed the hour of his birth.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Unspeakable misery had descended on the Haidehof.

parlornounUS /ˈpɑːrlər/

reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received

From this reading The father lay in the parlor, on his sickbed, and groaned and complained and cursed the hour of his birth.

promisedverbUS /ˈprɑːməst/

past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment

richadjectiveUS /rɪtʃ/

possessing material wealth

ruinedadjectiveUS /ˈruːənd/

destroyed physically or morally

seizedverbUS /siːzd/

past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab

sickbednoun

the bed on which a sick person lies

From this reading The father lay in the parlor, on his sickbed, and groaned and complained and cursed the hour of his birth.

tearfuladjectiveUS /ˈtɪrfəl/

filled with or marked by tears

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Unspeakable misery had descended on the Haidehof.

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading Rich--above all things, rich.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading It was too late.

unitedadjectiveUS /juːˈnaɪtɪd/

characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity

UnspeakableadjectiveUS /ənˈspiːkəbəl/

defying expression or description

From this reading Unspeakable misery had descended on the Haidehof.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was too late.

wife'snounUS /waɪfs/

possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

Chapter 15 of Dame Care by Hermann Sudermann holds 325 sentences, grouped into 65 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 Dame Care contain?

Chapter 15 holds 325 sentences of Dame Care, unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 15 of Dame Care by Hermann Sudermann exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 325 sentences, grouped into 65 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 Dame Care?

Work through the 65 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 65 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 Dame Care

Common questions about reading Dame Care by Hermann Sudermann on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Dame Care?

Yes. All 3997 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8487 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Dame Care is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #8487, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Dame Care take to read?

About 333 minutes of reading across 800 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Dame Care section by section

How to work through Dame Care section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 23 chapters of Dame Care to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Dame Care

Words and structures a reader meets early in Dame Care, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Meyerhofer: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dame Care; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Estate: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dame Care; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Auction: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dame Care; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Third: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dame Care; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XV · Chapter 15

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