Helena Brett's Career

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21 of Helena Brett's Career is here in full — 130 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Desmond Coke • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Helena Brett's Career

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

She held out on a silver tray, the wedding gift of Kenneth Boyd, two letters.

One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

"Ah, a press cutting!" ejaculated Hubert.

"Splendid.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXI Reading 1/26

Helena Brett's Career

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21 of Helena Brett's Career is here in full — 130 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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

Line 1

EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

Line 2

She held out on a silver tray, the wedding gift of Kenneth Boyd, two letters.

Line 3

One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

Line 4

"Ah, a press cutting!" ejaculated Hubert.

Line 5

"Splendid.

/ˈsplendɪd/

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.

cutting noun US /ˈkʌtɪŋ/

the activity of selecting the scenes to be shown and putting them together to create a film

From this reading “"Ah, a press cutting!" ejaculated Hubert.”

evenings noun US /ˈiːvnɪŋz/

plural of “evening” — the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading “EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.”

exposure noun US /ɪkˈspoʊʒər/

vulnerability to the elements; to the action of heat or cold or wind or rain

From this reading “EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.”

lain verb US /leɪn/

inflected form of “lie” — be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position

From this reading “One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.”

Lily noun US /ˈlɪli/

any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers

From this reading “EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.”

pantry noun US /ˈpæntri/

a small storeroom for storing foods or wines

From this reading “One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.”

postman noun US /ˈpoʊstmən/

a man who delivers the mail

From this reading “One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.”

tray noun US /treɪ/

an open receptacle for holding or displaying or serving articles or food

From this reading “She held out on a silver tray, the wedding gift of Kenneth Boyd, two letters.”

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.

silver tray noun + noun

In this reading “She held out on a silver tray, the wedding gift of Kenneth Boyd, two letters.”

wedding gift noun + noun

a present given to someone getting married

In this reading “She held out on a silver tray, the wedding gift of Kenneth Boyd, two letters.”

old friend adjective + noun

In this reading “EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.”

two letters noun + noun

In this reading “She held out on a silver tray, the wedding gift of Kenneth Boyd, two letters.”

at nine preposition + noun

In this reading “EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.”

with the air preposition + article + noun counted as “with … air”

In this reading “EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.”

lain in verb + particle counted as “lie in”

originate (in)

In this reading “One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.”

All words in this reading · 62

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 She held out on a silver tray, the wedding gift of Kenneth Boyd, two letters.

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

From this reading "Ah, a press cutting!" ejaculated Hubert.

airnounUS /er/

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

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

BothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

Boyd

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

From this reading She held out on a silver tray, the wedding gift of Kenneth Boyd, two letters.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

cuttingnounUS /ˈkʌtɪŋ/

the activity of selecting the scenes to be shown and putting them together to create a film

From this reading "Ah, a press cutting!" ejaculated Hubert.

drawing-room

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

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

ejaculated

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

From this reading "Ah, a press cutting!" ejaculated Hubert.

enteringnounUS /ˈentərɪŋ/

a movement into or inward

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

eveningsnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋz/

plural of “evening” — the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

EXPOSUREnounUS /ɪkˈspoʊʒər/

vulnerability to the elements; to the action of heat or cold or wind or rain

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

familiaradjectiveUS /fəˈmɪljər/

well known or easily recognized

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

friendnounUS /frend/

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

giftnounUS /ɡɪft/

something acquired without compensation

From this reading She held out on a silver tray, the wedding gift of Kenneth Boyd, two letters.

greennounUS /ɡriːn/

green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

heldadjectiveUS /held/

occupied or in the control of; often used in combination

From this reading She held out on a silver tray, the wedding gift of Kenneth Boyd, two letters.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

Hubert

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

From this reading "Ah, a press cutting!" ejaculated Hubert.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

Kenneth

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

From this reading She held out on a silver tray, the wedding gift of Kenneth Boyd, two letters.

lainverbUS /leɪn/

inflected form of “lie” — be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

lateradverbUS /ˈleɪtər/

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

lettersnounUS /ˈletərz/

the literary culture

From this reading She held out on a silver tray, the wedding gift of Kenneth Boyd, two letters.

LilynounUS /ˈlɪli/

any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

ninenounUS /naɪn/

the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/

according to the clock

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading She held out on a silver tray, the wedding gift of Kenneth Boyd, two letters.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading She held out on a silver tray, the wedding gift of Kenneth Boyd, two letters.

pantrynounUS /ˈpæntri/

a small storeroom for storing foods or wines

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

postverbUS /poʊst/

affix in a public place or for public notice

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

postmannounUS /ˈpoʊstmən/

a man who delivers the mail

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

pressverbUS /pres/

exert pressure or force to or upon

From this reading "Ah, a press cutting!" ejaculated Hubert.

press-cutter

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

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

RuthnounUS /ruːθ/

United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She held out on a silver tray, the wedding gift of Kenneth Boyd, two letters.

silvernounUS /ˈsɪlvər/

a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography

From this reading She held out on a silver tray, the wedding gift of Kenneth Boyd, two letters.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

sirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

SplendidadjectiveUS /ˈsplendɪd/

having great beauty and splendor

From this reading "Splendid.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

traynounUS /treɪ/

an open receptacle for holding or displaying or serving articles or food

From this reading She held out on a silver tray, the wedding gift of Kenneth Boyd, two letters.

twonounUS /tuː/

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

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading One was from Ruth and had been left, now, by the postman; the other, in the familiar green of the press-cutter, had lain in her pantry since the early post.

weddingnounUS /ˈwedɪŋ/

the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed

From this reading She held out on a silver tray, the wedding gift of Kenneth Boyd, two letters.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading EXPOSURE "Both for you, sir!" said Lily with the air of an old friend, entering the drawing-room at nine o'clock two evenings later.

Chapter 21 of Helena Brett's Career by Desmond Coke holds 130 sentences, grouped into 26 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 21 of Helena Brett's Career contain?

Chapter 21 holds 130 sentences of Helena Brett's Career, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of Helena Brett's Career by Desmond Coke exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 130 sentences, grouped into 26 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 21 of Helena Brett's Career?

Work through the 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 26 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 21 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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Yes. All 4179 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33103 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #33103, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 348 minutes of reading across 836 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Helena Brett's Career

Words and structures a reader meets early in Helena Brett's Career, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Dutton: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Helena Brett's Career; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Gratitude: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Helena Brett's Career; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
These: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Helena Brett's Career; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Thin-skinned: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Helena Brett's Career; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XXI

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