Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Good Old Anna
Good Old Anna

Chapter XVI · Chapter 16

Chapter 16 of Good Old Anna is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Good Old Anna
Context Illustration Reading 1/20 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Sunday, the 30th of August.
But oh, what a different Sunday from that of a week ago!
The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.
Both the post and the Sunday papers were late.
They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Good Old Anna

Chapter XVI · Chapter 16

Chapter 16 of Good Old Anna is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Sunday, the 30th of August.
Line 2
But oh, what a different Sunday from that of a week ago!
/bʌt oʊ wʌt ə ˈdɪfərənt ˈsʌndeɪ frʌm ðæt ʌv ə wiːk əˈɡoʊ/
Line 3
The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.
Line 4
Both the post and the Sunday papers were late.
/boʊθ ðə poʊst ənd ðə ˈsʌndeɪ ˈpeɪpərz wɜːr leɪt/
Line 5
They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.
/ðeɪ hæd nɑːt ˈiːvɪn bɪn dɪˈlɪvərd baɪ tʃɜːrtʃ taɪm ənd ðæt ˈædəd ˈɡreɪtli wɪð sʌm ʌv ðoʊz huː wɜːr ˈɡæðərd ðer tuː ðə ˈdʒenərəl ˈfiːlɪŋ ʌv æŋˈzaɪəti ənd əˈniːz/

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.

August noun US /ˈɑːɡəst/

the month following July and preceding September

From this reading “Sunday, the 30th of August.”

Cathedral noun US /kəˈθiːdrəl/

any large and important church

From this reading “The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.”

congregation noun US /ˌkɑːŋɡrəˈɡeɪʃən/

a group of people who adhere to a common faith and habitually attend a given church

From this reading “The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.”

delivered verb US /dɪˈlɪvərd/

past form of “deliver” — deliver (a speech, oration, or idea)

From this reading “They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.”

morrow noun US /ˈmɑːroʊ/

the next day

From this reading “The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.”

pall verb US /pɑːl/

become less interesting or attractive

From this reading “The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.”

suspense noun US /səˈspens/

apprehension about what is going to happen

From this reading “The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.”

unease noun US /əˈniːz/

physical discomfort (as mild sickness or depression)

From this reading “They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.”

All words in this reading · 69

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.

30th

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

From this reading Sunday, the 30th of August.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading But oh, what a different Sunday from that of a week ago!

addedverbUS /ˈædəd/

past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of

From this reading They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.

agoadverbUS /əˈɡoʊ/

in the past

From this reading But oh, what a different Sunday from that of a week ago!

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

anxietynounUS /æŋˈzaɪəti/

(psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic

From this reading They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

AugustnounUS /ˈɑːɡəst/

the month following July and preceding September

From this reading Sunday, the 30th of August.

awfuladjectiveUS /ˈɑːfəl/

exceptionally bad or displeasing

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

BothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading Both the post and the Sunday papers were late.

bringverbUS /brɪŋ/

take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But oh, what a different Sunday from that of a week ago!

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.

CathedralnounUS /kəˈθiːdrəl/

any large and important church

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

churchnounUS /tʃɜːrtʃ/

one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship

From this reading They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.

congregationnounUS /ˌkɑːŋɡrəˈɡeɪʃən/

a group of people who adhere to a common faith and habitually attend a given church

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

deliveredverbUS /dɪˈlɪvərd/

past form of “deliver” — deliver (a speech, oration, or idea)

From this reading They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.

differentadjectiveUS /ˈdɪfərənt/

unlike in nature or quality or form or degree

From this reading But oh, what a different Sunday from that of a week ago!

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

fearverbUS /fɪr/

be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

feelingnounUS /ˈfiːlɪŋ/

the experiencing of affective and emotional states

From this reading They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.

forthadverbUS /fɔːrθ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading But oh, what a different Sunday from that of a week ago!

gatheredadjectiveUS /ˈɡæðərd/

brought together in one place

From this reading They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.

generaladjectiveUS /ˈdʒenərəl/

applying to all or most members of a category or group

From this reading They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.

greatlyadverbUS /ˈɡreɪtli/

to an extraordinary extent or degree

From this reading They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

hungverbUS /hʌŋ/

inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

largeradjectiveUS /ˈlɑːrdʒər/

large or big relative to something else

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

lateadjectiveUS /leɪt/

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

From this reading Both the post and the Sunday papers were late.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

morrownounUS /ˈmɑːroʊ/

the next day

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Sunday, the 30th of August.

ohnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading But oh, what a different Sunday from that of a week ago!

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

pallverbUS /pɑːl/

become less interesting or attractive

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

papersnounUS /ˈpeɪpərz/

writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)

From this reading Both the post and the Sunday papers were late.

postverbUS /poʊst/

affix in a public place or for public notice

From this reading Both the post and the Sunday papers were late.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.

SundaynounUS /ˈsʌndeɪ/

first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians

From this reading Sunday, the 30th of August.

suspensenounUS /səˈspens/

apprehension about what is going to happen

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading But oh, what a different Sunday from that of a week ago!

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Sunday, the 30th of August.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

uneasenounUS /əˈniːz/

physical discomfort (as mild sickness or depression)

From this reading They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

weeknounUS /wiːk/

any period of seven consecutive days

From this reading But oh, what a different Sunday from that of a week ago!

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Both the post and the Sunday papers were late.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading But oh, what a different Sunday from that of a week ago!

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.

Witanbury

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

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading They had not even been delivered by church time, and that added greatly, with some of those who were gathered there, to the general feeling of anxiety and unease.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

yesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading The morning congregation in Witanbury Cathedral was larger than it had ever been before, and over every man and woman there hung an awful pall of suspense, and yes, of fear, as to what the morrow might bring forth.

Chapter 16 of Good Old Anna by Marie Belloc Lowndes holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 16 of Good Old Anna contain?

Chapter 16 holds 103 sentences of Good Old Anna, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of Good Old Anna by Marie Belloc Lowndes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 16 of Good Old Anna?

Work through the 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 21 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 16 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Good Old Anna

Common questions about reading Good Old Anna by Marie Belloc Lowndes on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Good Old Anna?

Yes. All 5279 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22144 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Good Old Anna is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #22144, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Good Old Anna take to read?

About 439 minutes of reading across 1056 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Good Old Anna section by section

How to work through Good Old Anna section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 34 chapters of Good Old Anna to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in Good Old Anna

Words and structures a reader meets early in Good Old Anna, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Otway
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Good Old Anna; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Walked
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Good Old Anna; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Slowly
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Good Old Anna; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Telling
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Good Old Anna; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.