Guy Deverell, V. 1 of 2

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of Guy Deverell, V. 1 of 2 is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu • Curated US English Learning Edition

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M. Varbarriere converses with his Nephew.

Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

The elder man nodded to Jacque, and moved the tips of his fingers towards the door--a silent intimation which the adroit valet perfectly understood; so, with a cheerful bow, he withdrew.

There was a gay little spluttering fire in the grate, which the sharpness of the night made very pleasant.

The clumsy door was shut, and the room had an air of comfortable secrecy which invited a talk.

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Chapter XV Reading 1/26

Guy Deverell, V. 1 of 2 Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of Guy Deverell, V. 1 of 2 is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

M. Varbarriere converses with his Nephew. Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment. The elder man nodded to Jacque, and moved the tips of his fingers towards the door--a silent intimation which the adroit valet perfectly understood; so, with a cheerful bow, he withdrew. There was a gay little spluttering fire in the grate, which the sharpness of the night made very pleasant. The clumsy door was shut, and the room had an air of comfortable secrecy which invited a talk.

Guy Deverell, V. 1 of 2

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of Guy Deverell, V. 1 of 2 is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

M. Varbarriere converses with his Nephew.

Line 2

Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

Line 3

The elder man nodded to Jacque, and moved the tips of his fingers towards the door--a silent intimation which the adroit valet perfectly understood; so, with a cheerful bow, he withdrew.

Line 4

There was a gay little spluttering fire in the grate, which the sharpness of the night made very pleasant.

Line 5

The clumsy door was shut, and the room had an air of comfortable secrecy which invited a talk.

/ðə ˈklʌmzi dɔːr wɑːz ʃʌt ənd ðə ruːm hæd æn er ʌv ˈkʌmfərtəbəl ˈsiːkrəsi wɪtʃ ˌɪnˈvaɪtəd ə tɔːk/

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.

adroit adjective US /əˈdrɔɪt/

quick or skillful or adept in action or thought

From this reading “The elder man nodded to Jacque, and moved the tips of his fingers towards the door--a silent intimation which the adroit valet perfectly understood; so, with a cheerful bow, he withdrew.”

converses noun US /ˈkɑːnvərsəz/

plural of “converse” — a proposition obtained by conversion

From this reading “M. Varbarriere converses with his Nephew.”

grate noun US /ɡreɪt/

a frame of iron bars to hold a fire

From this reading “There was a gay little spluttering fire in the grate, which the sharpness of the night made very pleasant.”

intimation noun US /ˌɪntəˈmeɪʃən/

an indirect suggestion

navigated verb US /ˈnævəɡeɪtɪd/

past form of “navigate” — travel on water propelled by wind or by other means

From this reading “Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.”

secrecy noun US /ˈsiːkrəsi/

the trait of keeping things secret

From this reading “The clumsy door was shut, and the room had an air of comfortable secrecy which invited a talk.”

sharpness noun US /ˈʃɑːrpnəs/

a quick and penetrating intelligence

From this reading “There was a gay little spluttering fire in the grate, which the sharpness of the night made very pleasant.”

tips noun US /tɪps/

plural of “tip” — the extreme end of something; especially something pointed

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.

perfectly understood adverb + adjective

In this reading “The elder man nodded to Jacque, and moved the tips of his fingers towards the door--a silent intimation which the adroit valet perfectly understood; so, with a cheerful bow, he withdrew.”

converses with verb + particle counted as “converse with”

In this reading “M. Varbarriere converses with his Nephew.”

great staircase adjective + noun

In this reading “Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.”

long line adjective + noun

In this reading “Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.”

elder man noun + noun

All words in this reading · 76

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 The elder man nodded to Jacque, and moved the tips of his fingers towards the door--a silent intimation which the adroit valet perfectly understood; so, with a cheerful bow, he withdrew.

adroitadjectiveUS /əˈdrɔɪt/

quick or skillful or adept in action or thought

airnounUS /er/

a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of

From this reading The clumsy door was shut, and the room had an air of comfortable secrecy which invited a talk.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading The clumsy door was shut, and the room had an air of comfortable secrecy which invited a talk.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

apartmentnounUS /əˈpɑːrtmənt/

a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

bidverbUS /bɪd/

propose a payment

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

bownounUS /baʊ/

a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces

cheerfuladjectiveUS /ˈtʃɪrfəl/

being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits

clumsyadjectiveUS /ˈklʌmzi/

lacking grace in movement or posture

From this reading The clumsy door was shut, and the room had an air of comfortable secrecy which invited a talk.

comfortableadjectiveUS /ˈkʌmfərtəbəl/

providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)

From this reading The clumsy door was shut, and the room had an air of comfortable secrecy which invited a talk.

conversesnounUS /ˈkɑːnvərsəz/

plural of “converse” — a proposition obtained by conversion

From this reading M. Varbarriere converses with his Nephew.

descendedverbUS /dɪˈsendəd/

past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

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

eldernounUS /ˈeldər/

a person who is older than you are

fingersnounUS /ˈfɪŋɡərz/

plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)

fireverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

From this reading There was a gay little spluttering fire in the grate, which the sharpness of the night made very pleasant.

gayadjectiveUS /ɡeɪ/

bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer

From this reading There was a gay little spluttering fire in the grate, which the sharpness of the night made very pleasant.

good-night

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

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

gratenounUS /ɡreɪt/

a frame of iron bars to hold a fire

From this reading There was a gay little spluttering fire in the grate, which the sharpness of the night made very pleasant.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The clumsy door was shut, and the room had an air of comfortable secrecy which invited a talk.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

HereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading M. Varbarriere converses with his Nephew.

homelyadjectiveUS /ˈhoʊmli/

lacking in physical beauty or proportion

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading There was a gay little spluttering fire in the grate, which the sharpness of the night made very pleasant.

intimationnounUS /ˌɪntəˈmeɪʃən/

an indirect suggestion

invitedverbUS /ˌɪnˈvaɪtəd/

past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of

From this reading The clumsy door was shut, and the room had an air of comfortable secrecy which invited a talk.

Jacque

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

Jekyl

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

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

leadingadjectiveUS /ˈliːdɪŋ/

indicating the most important performer or role

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

linenounUS /laɪn/

a formation of people or things one beside another

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading There was a gay little spluttering fire in the grate, which the sharpness of the night made very pleasant.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

MnounUS /em/

the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)

From this reading M. Varbarriere converses with his Nephew.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading There was a gay little spluttering fire in the grate, which the sharpness of the night made very pleasant.

mannounUS /mæn/

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

movedadjectiveUS /muːvd/

being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion

navigatedverbUS /ˈnævəɡeɪtɪd/

past form of “navigate” — travel on water propelled by wind or by other means

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

NephewnounUS /ˈnefjuː/

a son of your brother or sister

From this reading M. Varbarriere converses with his Nephew.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

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

From this reading There was a gay little spluttering fire in the grate, which the sharpness of the night made very pleasant.

noddedverbUS /ˈnɑːdəd/

inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

passagenounUS /ˈpæsədʒ/

the act of passing from one state or place to the next

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

perfectlyadverbUS /ˈpɜːrfəktli/

completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers

pleasantadjectiveUS /ˈplezənt/

affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings

From this reading There was a gay little spluttering fire in the grate, which the sharpness of the night made very pleasant.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading The clumsy door was shut, and the room had an air of comfortable secrecy which invited a talk.

secrecynounUS /ˈsiːkrəsi/

the trait of keeping things secret

From this reading The clumsy door was shut, and the room had an air of comfortable secrecy which invited a talk.

sharpnessnounUS /ˈʃɑːrpnəs/

a quick and penetrating intelligence

From this reading There was a gay little spluttering fire in the grate, which the sharpness of the night made very pleasant.

shutverbUS /ʃʌt/

move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut

From this reading The clumsy door was shut, and the room had an air of comfortable secrecy which invited a talk.

silentadjectiveUS /ˈsaɪlənt/

marked by absence of sound

SirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

spluttering

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

From this reading There was a gay little spluttering fire in the grate, which the sharpness of the night made very pleasant.

staircasenounUS /ˈsterkeɪs/

a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

stairsnounUS /sterz/

a flight of stairs or a flight of steps

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

talkverbUS /tɔːk/

exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading The clumsy door was shut, and the room had an air of comfortable secrecy which invited a talk.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There was a gay little spluttering fire in the grate, which the sharpness of the night made very pleasant.

tipsnounUS /tɪps/

plural of “tip” — the extreme end of something; especially something pointed

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

understoodadjectiveUS /ˌʌndərˈstʊd/

fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

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

From this reading Here then Sir Jekyl bid them good-night, and descended the great staircase, and navigated the long line of passage to the back stairs leading up to his own homely apartment.

valetnounUS /væˈleɪ/

a manservant who acts as a personal attendant to his employer

Varbarriere

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

From this reading M. Varbarriere converses with his Nephew.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading There was a gay little spluttering fire in the grate, which the sharpness of the night made very pleasant.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading There was a gay little spluttering fire in the grate, which the sharpness of the night made very pleasant.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading M. Varbarriere converses with his Nephew.

withdrewverbUS /wɪθˈdruː/

inflected form of “withdraw” — pull back or move away or backward

Chapter 15 of Guy Deverell, V. 1 of 2 by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu holds 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 15 of Guy Deverell, V. 1 of 2 contain?

Chapter 15 holds 133 sentences of Guy Deverell, V. 1 of 2, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 15 of Guy Deverell, V. 1 of 2 by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 15 of Guy Deverell, V. 1 of 2?

Work through the 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 27 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.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 15 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.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #41228, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 316 minutes of reading across 761 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Guy Deverell, V. 1 of 2

Words and structures a reader meets early in Guy Deverell, V. 1 of 2, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Jekyl: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Guy Deverell, V. 1 of 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Marlowe: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Guy Deverell, V. 1 of 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Plough: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Guy Deverell, V. 1 of 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pretty: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Guy Deverell, V. 1 of 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XV

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