Chapter 39 of Domitia is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of Domitia is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN ECSTASY. “I have come, dear Domitia, with a petition,” said the widow of Flavius Clemens. “And it is one you will wound me if you refuse.” “But who would wound so gentle a breast?” answered Domitia, kissing her visitor. “He must be heartless who draws a bow against a dove.”
Chapter 39 of Domitia is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
United States writer and humorist best known for his novels about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (1835-1910)
From this reading ““I have come, dear Domitia, with a petition,” said the widow of Flavius Clemens.”
any of numerous small pigeons
From this reading ““He must be heartless who draws a bow against a dove.””
plural of “draw” — a gully that is shallower than a ravine
From this reading ““He must be heartless who draws a bow against a dove.””
a state of being carried away by overwhelming emotion
From this reading “AN ECSTASY.”
lacking in feeling or pity or warmth
From this reading ““He must be heartless who draws a bow against a dove.””
affectionate play (or foreplay without contact with the genital organs)
From this reading ““But who would wound so gentle a breast?” answered Domitia, kissing her visitor.”
a formal message requesting something that is submitted to an authority
From this reading ““I have come, dear Domitia, with a petition,” said the widow of Flavius Clemens.”
someone who visits
From this reading ““But who would wound so gentle a breast?” answered Domitia, kissing her visitor.”
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.
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 “I have come, dear Domitia, with a petition,” said the widow of Flavius Clemens.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading “He must be heartless who draws a bow against a dove.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN ECSTASY.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And it is one you will wound me if you refuse.”
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “But who would wound so gentle a breast?” answered Domitia, kissing her visitor.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “He must be heartless who draws a bow against a dove.”
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading “He must be heartless who draws a bow against a dove.”
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading “But who would wound so gentle a breast?” answered Domitia, kissing her visitor.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But who would wound so gentle a breast?” answered Domitia, kissing her visitor.
United States writer and humorist best known for his novels about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (1835-1910)
From this reading “I have come, dear Domitia, with a petition,” said the widow of Flavius Clemens.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “I have come, dear Domitia, with a petition,” said the widow of Flavius Clemens.
dearly loved
From this reading “I have come, dear Domitia, with a petition,” said the widow of Flavius Clemens.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I have come, dear Domitia, with a petition,” said the widow of Flavius Clemens.
any of numerous small pigeons
From this reading “He must be heartless who draws a bow against a dove.”
plural of “draw” — a gully that is shallower than a ravine
From this reading “He must be heartless who draws a bow against a dove.”
a state of being carried away by overwhelming emotion
From this reading AN ECSTASY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I have come, dear Domitia, with a petition,” said the widow of Flavius Clemens.
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading “But who would wound so gentle a breast?” answered Domitia, kissing her visitor.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have come, dear Domitia, with a petition,” said the widow of Flavius Clemens.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “He must be heartless who draws a bow against a dove.”
lacking in feeling or pity or warmth
From this reading “He must be heartless who draws a bow against a dove.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “But who would wound so gentle a breast?” answered Domitia, kissing her visitor.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I have come, dear Domitia, with a petition,” said the widow of Flavius Clemens.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “And it is one you will wound me if you refuse.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “And it is one you will wound me if you refuse.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “And it is one you will wound me if you refuse.”
affectionate play (or foreplay without contact with the genital organs)
From this reading “But who would wound so gentle a breast?” answered Domitia, kissing her visitor.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “And it is one you will wound me if you refuse.”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “He must be heartless who draws a bow against a dove.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I have come, dear Domitia, with a petition,” said the widow of Flavius Clemens.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “And it is one you will wound me if you refuse.”
a formal message requesting something that is submitted to an authority
From this reading “I have come, dear Domitia, with a petition,” said the widow of Flavius Clemens.
show unwillingness towards
From this reading “And it is one you will wound me if you refuse.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I have come, dear Domitia, with a petition,” said the widow of Flavius Clemens.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “But who would wound so gentle a breast?” answered Domitia, kissing her visitor.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I have come, dear Domitia, with a petition,” said the widow of Flavius Clemens.
someone who visits
From this reading “But who would wound so gentle a breast?” answered Domitia, kissing her visitor.
which person or people
From this reading “But who would wound so gentle a breast?” answered Domitia, kissing her visitor.
a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
From this reading “I have come, dear Domitia, with a petition,” said the widow of Flavius Clemens.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “And it is one you will wound me if you refuse.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “I have come, dear Domitia, with a petition,” said the widow of Flavius Clemens.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “But who would wound so gentle a breast?” answered Domitia, kissing her visitor.
an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading “And it is one you will wound me if you refuse.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “And it is one you will wound me if you refuse.”
Chapter 39 of Domitia by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould holds 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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 39 holds 165 sentences of Domitia, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of Domitia by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 39 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 Domitia by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5715 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43985 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43985, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 476 minutes of reading across 1143 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Domitia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Domitia 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 Domitia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
