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Gretchen: A Novel
Gretchen: A Novel

Chapter XIII

Chapter 13 of Gretchen: A Novel is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Gretchen: A Novel
Context Illustration Reading 1/23 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"MR.
CRAZYMAN, DO YOU WANT SOME CHERRIES?"
More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.
Not a word had been heard concerning her, and her story was gradually being forgotten by the people of Shannondale.
Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.
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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.

Gretchen: A Novel

Chapter XIII

Chapter 13 of Gretchen: A Novel is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/23 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"MR.
/ˈmɪstər/
Line 2
CRAZYMAN, DO YOU WANT SOME CHERRIES?"
Line 3
More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.
/mɔːr ðæn tuː jɪrz hæd pæst əˈweɪ sɪns ðə ˈterəbəl mɑːrtʃ naɪt wen ðə streɪndʒ ˈwʊmən wɑːz ˈfroʊzən tuː deθ ɪn ðə træmp haʊs ənd hɜːr ˈhɪstəri wɑːz stɪl ˈʃraʊdɪd ɪn ˈmɪstəri/
Line 4
Not a word had been heard concerning her, and her story was gradually being forgotten by the people of Shannondale.
Line 5
Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.

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.

cherries noun US /ˈtʃeriz/

plural of “cherry” — wood of any of various cherry trees especially the black cherry

From this reading “CRAZYMAN, DO YOU WANT SOME CHERRIES?"”

concerning verb US /kənˈsɜːrnɪŋ/

-ing form of “concern” — be relevant to

From this reading “Not a word had been heard concerning her, and her story was gradually being forgotten by the people of Shannondale.”

frozen adjective US /ˈfroʊzən/

turned into ice; affected by freezing or by long and severe cold

From this reading “More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.”

gradually adverb US /ˈɡrædʒuːəli/

in a gradual manner

From this reading “Not a word had been heard concerning her, and her story was gradually being forgotten by the people of Shannondale.”

mystery noun US /ˈmɪstəri/

something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained

From this reading “More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.”

Saturday noun US /ˈsætərdi/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading “Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.”

shrouded verb US /ˈʃraʊdɪd/

past form of “shroud” — cover as if with a shroud

From this reading “More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.”

Tramp noun US /træmp/

a vagrant

From this reading “More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

two years noun + noun

In this reading “More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.”

passed away verb + particle counted as “pass away”

pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

In this reading “More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.”

shrouded in verb + particle counted as “shroud in”

In this reading “More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.”

put upon verb + particle

In this reading “Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.”

WANT SOME verb + adjective

In this reading “CRAZYMAN, DO YOU WANT SOME CHERRIES?"”

All words in this reading · 65

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading Not a word had been heard concerning her, and her story was gradually being forgotten by the people of Shannondale.

afternoonnounUS /ˌæftərˈnuːn/

the part of the day between noon and evening

From this reading Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

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

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Not a word had been heard concerning her, and her story was gradually being forgotten by the people of Shannondale.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading Not a word had been heard concerning her, and her story was gradually being forgotten by the people of Shannondale.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Not a word had been heard concerning her, and her story was gradually being forgotten by the people of Shannondale.

CHERRIESnounUS /ˈtʃeriz/

plural of “cherry” — wood of any of various cherry trees especially the black cherry

From this reading CRAZYMAN, DO YOU WANT SOME CHERRIES?"

concerningverbUS /kənˈsɜːrnɪŋ/

-ing form of “concern” — be relevant to

From this reading Not a word had been heard concerning her, and her story was gradually being forgotten by the people of Shannondale.

CRAZYMAN

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

From this reading CRAZYMAN, DO YOU WANT SOME CHERRIES?"

deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

DOauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading CRAZYMAN, DO YOU WANT SOME CHERRIES?"

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.

flowersnounUS /ˈflaʊərz/

plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms

From this reading Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.

forgottenadjectiveUS /fərˈɡɑːt.n̩/

Not remembered; lapsed from memory.

From this reading Not a word had been heard concerning her, and her story was gradually being forgotten by the people of Shannondale.

frozenadjectiveUS /ˈfroʊzən/

turned into ice; affected by freezing or by long and severe cold

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

graduallyadverbUS /ˈɡrædʒuːəli/

in a gradual manner

From this reading Not a word had been heard concerning her, and her story was gradually being forgotten by the people of Shannondale.

gravenounUS /ɡreɪv/

death of a person

From this reading Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

Harold

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

From this reading Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading Not a word had been heard concerning her, and her story was gradually being forgotten by the people of Shannondale.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

historynounUS /ˈhɪstəri/

the aggregate of past events

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

HousenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.

keptadjectiveUS /kept/

(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded

From this reading Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.

MarchverbUS /mɑːrtʃ/

march in a procession

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

MoreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

MRnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading "MR.

mysterynounUS /ˈmɪstəri/

something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

NotadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Not a word had been heard concerning her, and her story was gradually being forgotten by the people of Shannondale.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Not a word had been heard concerning her, and her story was gradually being forgotten by the people of Shannondale.

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading Not a word had been heard concerning her, and her story was gradually being forgotten by the people of Shannondale.

putverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.

SaturdaynounUS /ˈsætərdi/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.

Shannondale

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

From this reading Not a word had been heard concerning her, and her story was gradually being forgotten by the people of Shannondale.

shroudedverbUS /ˈʃraʊdɪd/

past form of “shroud” — cover as if with a shroud

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

SOMEadjectiveUS /sʌm/

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

From this reading CRAZYMAN, DO YOU WANT SOME CHERRIES?"

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

storynounUS /ˈstɔːri/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading Not a word had been heard concerning her, and her story was gradually being forgotten by the people of Shannondale.

strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

summer-time

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

From this reading Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.

terribleadjectiveUS /ˈterəbəl/

causing fear or dread or terror

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

tolerablyadverb

in an acceptable (but not outstanding) manner

From this reading Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.

TrampnounUS /træmp/

a vagrant

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.

WANTverbUS /wɑːnt/

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

From this reading CRAZYMAN, DO YOU WANT SOME CHERRIES?"

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Her grave, however, was tolerably well kept, and every Saturday afternoon, in summer-time, a few flowers were put upon it by Harold.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

wordnounUS /wɜːrd/

a unit of language that native speakers can identify

From this reading Not a word had been heard concerning her, and her story was gradually being forgotten by the people of Shannondale.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading More than two years had passed away since the terrible March night when the strange woman was frozen to death in the Tramp House, and her history was still shrouded in mystery.

YOUpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading CRAZYMAN, DO YOU WANT SOME CHERRIES?"

Chapter 13 of Gretchen: A Novel by Mary Jane Holmes holds 118 sentences, grouped into 24 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 13 of Gretchen: A Novel contain?

Chapter 13 holds 118 sentences of Gretchen: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 13 of Gretchen: A Novel by Mary Jane Holmes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 118 sentences, grouped into 24 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 13 of Gretchen: A Novel?

Work through the 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 24 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 13 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 13 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 Gretchen: A Novel

Common questions about reading Gretchen: A Novel by Mary Jane Holmes on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Gretchen: A Novel?

Yes. All 7422 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40702 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Gretchen: A Novel is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #40702, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Gretchen: A Novel take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1485 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in Gretchen: A Novel

Words and structures a reader meets early in Gretchen: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Popular
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Gretchen: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Novels
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Gretchen: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Holmes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Gretchen: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Tempest
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Gretchen: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.