Chapter 39 of Henry Dunbar: A Novel is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of Henry Dunbar: A Novel is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CLEMENT'S STORY.—BEFORE THE DAWN. "I went back to my mother's house a broken and a disappointed man. I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved. "Was there any hope that she would ever be my wife? Reason told me that there was none.
Chapter 39 of Henry Dunbar: A Novel is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
a structure or object that impedes free movement
From this reading “I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved.”
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading “"I went back to my mother's house a broken and a disappointed man.”
direct the course of; manage or control
From this reading “I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved.”
the first light of day
From this reading “CLEMENT'S STORY.—BEFORE THE DAWN.”
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading “"I went back to my mother's house a broken and a disappointed man.”
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “"I went back to my mother's house a broken and a disappointed man.”
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading “I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved.”
explained or answered
From this reading “I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "I went back to my mother's house a broken and a disappointed man.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I went back to my mother's house a broken and a disappointed man.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Was there any hope that she would ever be my wife?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "I went back to my mother's house a broken and a disappointed man.
a structure or object that impedes free movement
From this reading I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Was there any hope that she would ever be my wife?
earlier than; in front of
From this reading CLEMENT'S STORY.—BEFORE THE DAWN.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading "I went back to my mother's house a broken and a disappointed man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CLEMENT'S STORY.—BEFORE THE DAWN.
direct the course of; manage or control
From this reading I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved.
the first light of day
From this reading CLEMENT'S STORY.—BEFORE THE DAWN.
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading "I went back to my mother's house a broken and a disappointed man.
at any time
From this reading "Was there any hope that she would ever be my wife?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading "Was there any hope that she would ever be my wife?
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "I went back to my mother's house a broken and a disappointed man.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I went back to my mother's house a broken and a disappointed man.
held dear
From this reading I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "I went back to my mother's house a broken and a disappointed man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Reason told me that there was none.
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "I went back to my mother's house a broken and a disappointed man.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I went back to my mother's house a broken and a disappointed man.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved.
not one, and not any
From this reading Reason told me that there was none.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading Reason told me that there was none.
Identical; not different.
From this reading I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Was there any hope that she would ever be my wife?
explained or answered
From this reading I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved.
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 CLEMENT'S STORY.—BEFORE THE DAWN.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Was there any hope that she would ever be my wife?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading CLEMENT'S STORY.—BEFORE THE DAWN.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Was there any hope that she would ever be my wife?
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I went back to my mother's house a broken and a disappointed man.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Reason told me that there was none.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Was there any hope that she would ever be my wife?
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "I went back to my mother's house a broken and a disappointed man.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "Was there any hope that she would ever be my wife?
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading I had solved the mystery of Margaret's conduct, and at the same time had set a barrier between myself and the woman I loved.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Was there any hope that she would ever be my wife?
Chapter 39 of Henry Dunbar: A Novel by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon holds 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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.
Chapter 39 holds 197 sentences of Henry Dunbar: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of Henry Dunbar: A Novel by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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.
Work through the 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 39 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.
Common questions about reading Henry Dunbar: A Novel by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7133 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9189 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9189, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 594 minutes of reading across 1427 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Henry Dunbar: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Henry Dunbar: A Novel to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Henry Dunbar: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
