Chapter 40 of Henry Esmond is here in full — 5193 sentences across 1039 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XL
Chapter 40 of Henry Esmond is here in full — 5193 sentences across 1039 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Does my mistress know of this?” Esmond asked of Frank, as they walked along. “My mother found the letter in the book, on the toilet-table. She had writ it ere she had left home,” Frank said. “Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.
Chapter 40 of Henry Esmond is here in full — 5193 sentences across 1039 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/1038 · 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 written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading ““My mother found the letter in the book, on the toilet-table.”
to come or go into
From this reading ““Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.”
an old word for “before”
From this reading “She had writ it ere she had left home,” Frank said.”
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading “Esmond asked of Frank, as they walked along.”
an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
From this reading ““Does my mistress know of this?””
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading ““Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.”
hard to endure
From this reading ““Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.”
(law) a legal document issued by a court or judicial officer
From this reading “She had writ it ere she had left home,” Frank said.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading “Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Esmond asked of Frank, as they walked along.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Esmond asked of Frank, as they walked along.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Esmond asked of Frank, as they walked along.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading “My mother found the letter in the book, on the toilet-table.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Does my mistress know of this?”
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading “Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.
to come or go into
From this reading “Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.
an old word for “before”
From this reading She had writ it ere she had left home,” Frank said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Esmond asked of Frank, as they walked along.
set up or found
From this reading “My mother found the letter in the book, on the toilet-table.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Esmond asked of Frank, as they walked along.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had writ it ere she had left home,” Frank said.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading “Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading She had writ it ere she had left home,” Frank said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “My mother found the letter in the book, on the toilet-table.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She had writ it ere she had left home,” Frank said.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Does my mistress know of this?”
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 She had writ it ere she had left home,” Frank said.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading “My mother found the letter in the book, on the toilet-table.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading “Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.
an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
From this reading “Does my mistress know of this?”
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “My mother found the letter in the book, on the toilet-table.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Does my mistress know of this?”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Does my mistress know of this?”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “My mother found the letter in the book, on the toilet-table.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading She had writ it ere she had left home,” Frank said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had writ it ere she had left home,” Frank said.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “My mother found the letter in the book, on the toilet-table.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Esmond asked of Frank, as they walked along.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Does my mistress know of this?”
up to a particular time
From this reading “Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “My mother found the letter in the book, on the toilet-table.
hard to endure
From this reading “Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Esmond asked of Frank, as they walked along.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away.
(law) a legal document issued by a court or judicial officer
From this reading She had writ it ere she had left home,” Frank said.
Chapter 40 of Henry Esmond by William Makepeace Thackeray holds 5193 sentences, grouped into 1039 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 40 holds 5193 sentences of Henry Esmond, unabridged, divided into 1039 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 40 of Henry Esmond by William Makepeace Thackeray exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 5193 sentences, grouped into 1039 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 1039 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 1039 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 40 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 Esmond by William Makepeace Thackeray on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11456 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29363 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29363, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2292 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Henry Esmond section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Henry Esmond 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 Esmond, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
