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Gretchen: A Novel
Gretchen: A Novel

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of Gretchen: A Novel is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Gretchen: A Novel
Context Illustration Reading 1/91 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
ARTHUR AND JERRY.
Arthur had passed a restless night.
Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.
He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.
He had never seen her since, and had never mentioned her of his own accord.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Gretchen: A Novel

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of Gretchen: A Novel is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/91 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
ARTHUR AND JERRY.
/ˈɑːrθər ənd ˈdʒeri/
Line 2
Arthur had passed a restless night.
/ˈɑːrθər hæd pæst ə ˈrestləs naɪt/
Line 3
Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.
Line 4
He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.
/hiː hæd driːmd ˈɔːlsoʊ ʌv ðə bluː hʊd siːn ðæt deɪ ʌv ðə ˈfjuːnərəl ənd ʌv ðə tʃaɪld huː hæd kʌm ˈnɑːkɪŋ æt hɪz dɔːr huːm hiː hæd rəˈfjuːzd tuː ədˈmɪt/
Line 5
He had never seen her since, and had never mentioned her of his own accord.
/hiː hæd ˈnevər siːn hɜːr sɪns ənd hæd ˈnevər ˈmenʃənd hɜːr ʌv hɪz oʊn əˈkɔːrd/

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.

accord verb US /əˈkɔːrd/

go together

From this reading “He had never seen her since, and had never mentioned her of his own accord.”

dreamed adjective US /driːmd/

conceived of or imagined or hoped for

From this reading “He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.”

funeral noun US /ˈfjuːnərəl/

a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated

From this reading “He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.”

hood noun US /hʊd/

an aggressive and violent young criminal

From this reading “He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.”

jerry noun US /ˈdʒeri/

offensive term for a person of German descent

From this reading “ARTHUR AND JERRY.”

knocking noun US /ˈnɑːkɪŋ/

the sound of knocking (as on a door or in an engine or bearing)

From this reading “He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.”

restless adjective US /ˈrestləs/

worried and uneasy

From this reading “Arthur had passed a restless night.”

troubled adjective US /ˈtrʌbəld/

characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need

From this reading “Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.”

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.

three times noun + noun

by a factor of three

In this reading “Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.”

restless night adjective + noun

In this reading “Arthur had passed a restless night.”

started up verb + adjective counted as “start up”

get going or set in motion

In this reading “Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.”

from a distance preposition + article + noun counted as “from … distance”

In this reading “Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.”

All words in this reading · 52

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 Arthur had passed a restless night.

accordverbUS /əˈkɔːrd/

go together

From this reading He had never seen her since, and had never mentioned her of his own accord.

admitverbUS /ədˈmɪt/

declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of

From this reading He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.

alsoadverbUS /ˈɔːlsoʊ/

in addition

From this reading He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading ARTHUR AND JERRY.

ARTHURnounUS /ˈɑːrθər/

elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)

From this reading ARTHUR AND JERRY.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.

blueadjectiveUS /bluː/

of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky

From this reading He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.

callingnounUS /ˈkɔːlɪŋ/

the particular occupation for which you are trained

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

childnounUS /tʃaɪld/

a young person of either sex

From this reading He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.

distancenounUS /ˈdɪstəns/

the property created by the space between two objects or points

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.

dreamedadjectiveUS /driːmd/

conceived of or imagined or hoped for

From this reading He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

funeralnounUS /ˈfjuːnərəl/

a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated

From this reading He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.

Gretchen

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

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Arthur had passed a restless night.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.

hoodnounUS /hʊd/

an aggressive and violent young criminal

From this reading He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.

JERRYnounUS /ˈdʒeri/

offensive term for a person of German descent

From this reading ARTHUR AND JERRY.

knockingnounUS /ˈnɑːkɪŋ/

the sound of knocking (as on a door or in an engine or bearing)

From this reading He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.

listenverbUS /ˈlɪsən/

hear with intention

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

mentionedverbUS /ˈmenʃənd/

past form of “mention” — make reference to

From this reading He had never seen her since, and had never mentioned her of his own accord.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading He had never seen her since, and had never mentioned her of his own accord.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

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

From this reading Arthur had passed a restless night.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading He had never seen her since, and had never mentioned her of his own accord.

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading Arthur had passed a restless night.

refusedverbUS /rəˈfjuːzd/

past form of “refuse” — show unwillingness towards

From this reading He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.

restlessadjectiveUS /ˈrestləs/

worried and uneasy

From this reading Arthur had passed a restless night.

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading He had never seen her since, and had never mentioned her of his own accord.

startedverbUS /ˈstɑːrtɪd/

past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.

thinkingnounUS /ˈθɪŋkɪŋ/

the process of using your mind to consider something carefully

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

ThoughtsnounUS /θɔːts/

plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

timesnounUS /taɪmz/

a more or less definite period of time now or previously present

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

troubledadjectiveUS /ˈtrʌbəld/

characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

twonounUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Thoughts of Gretchen had troubled him and two or three times he had started up to listen, thinking that he heard her calling to him from a distance.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading He had dreamed also of the blue hood seen that day of the funeral, and of the child who had come knocking at his door whom he had refused to admit.

Chapter 14 of Gretchen: A Novel by Mary Jane Holmes holds 457 sentences, grouped into 92 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 14 of Gretchen: A Novel contain?

Chapter 14 holds 457 sentences of Gretchen: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 14 of Gretchen: A Novel by Mary Jane Holmes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 457 sentences, grouped into 92 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 14 of Gretchen: A Novel?

Work through the 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 92 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 14 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 14 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

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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.