Chapter 22 of December Love is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXII
Chapter 22 of December Love is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Miss Van Tuyn was in Garstin’s studio on that day. Although apparently calm and self-possessed she was in a condition of acute nervous excitement. Craven’s mention of Glebe Place through the telephone had startled her. At once she had understood. People had begun to gossip, and the gossip had reached Craven’s ears.
Chapter 22 of December Love is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 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.
having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course
From this reading “Although apparently calm and self-possessed she was in a condition of acute nervous excitement.”
possessive form of “craven” — an abject coward
light informal conversation for social occasions
From this reading “People had begun to gossip, and the gossip had reached Craven’s ears.”
easily agitated
From this reading “Although apparently calm and self-possessed she was in a condition of acute nervous excitement.”
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading “Craven’s mention of Glebe Place through the telephone had startled her.”
workplace for the teaching or practice of an art
From this reading “Miss Van Tuyn was in Garstin’s studio on that day.”
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “Craven’s mention of Glebe Place through the telephone had startled her.”
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading “Miss Van Tuyn was in Garstin’s studio on that day.”
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 Although apparently calm and self-possessed she was in a condition of acute nervous excitement.
having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course
From this reading Although apparently calm and self-possessed she was in a condition of acute nervous excitement.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Although apparently calm and self-possessed she was in a condition of acute nervous excitement.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Although apparently calm and self-possessed she was in a condition of acute nervous excitement.
from appearances alone
From this reading Although apparently calm and self-possessed she was in a condition of acute nervous excitement.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At once she had understood.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading People had begun to gossip, and the gossip had reached Craven’s ears.
make calm or still
From this reading Although apparently calm and self-possessed she was in a condition of acute nervous excitement.
a state at a particular time
From this reading Although apparently calm and self-possessed she was in a condition of acute nervous excitement.
possessive form of “craven” — an abject coward
From this reading Craven’s mention of Glebe Place through the telephone had startled her.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Miss Van Tuyn was in Garstin’s studio on that day.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading People had begun to gossip, and the gossip had reached Craven’s ears.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading Although apparently calm and self-possessed she was in a condition of acute nervous excitement.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Miss Van Tuyn was in Garstin’s studio on that day.
plot of land belonging to an English parish church or an ecclesiastical office
From this reading Craven’s mention of Glebe Place through the telephone had startled her.
light informal conversation for social occasions
From this reading People had begun to gossip, and the gossip had reached Craven’s ears.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Craven’s mention of Glebe Place through the telephone had startled her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Craven’s mention of Glebe Place through the telephone had startled her.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Miss Van Tuyn was in Garstin’s studio on that day.
make reference to
From this reading Craven’s mention of Glebe Place through the telephone had startled her.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Miss Van Tuyn was in Garstin’s studio on that day.
easily agitated
From this reading Although apparently calm and self-possessed she was in a condition of acute nervous excitement.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Although apparently calm and self-possessed she was in a condition of acute nervous excitement.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Miss Van Tuyn was in Garstin’s studio on that day.
on one occasion
From this reading At once she had understood.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading People had begun to gossip, and the gossip had reached Craven’s ears.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Craven’s mention of Glebe Place through the telephone had startled her.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading People had begun to gossip, and the gossip had reached Craven’s ears.
in full control of your faculties
From this reading Although apparently calm and self-possessed she was in a condition of acute nervous excitement.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Although apparently calm and self-possessed she was in a condition of acute nervous excitement.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading Craven’s mention of Glebe Place through the telephone had startled her.
workplace for the teaching or practice of an art
From this reading Miss Van Tuyn was in Garstin’s studio on that day.
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading Craven’s mention of Glebe Place through the telephone had startled her.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Miss Van Tuyn was in Garstin’s studio on that day.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Craven’s mention of Glebe Place through the telephone had startled her.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Craven’s mention of Glebe Place through the telephone had startled her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading People had begun to gossip, and the gossip had reached Craven’s ears.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Miss Van Tuyn was in Garstin’s studio on that day.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading At once she had understood.
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading Miss Van Tuyn was in Garstin’s studio on that day.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Miss Van Tuyn was in Garstin’s studio on that day.
Chapter 22 of December Love by Robert Hichens holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 22 holds 410 sentences of December Love, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 22 of December Love by Robert Hichens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 22 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 December Love by Robert Hichens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 15739 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6616 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6616, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 3148 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through December Love section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of December Love 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 December Love, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
