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Hilda: A Story of Calcutta
Hilda: A Story of Calcutta

Chapter XIX · Chapter 19

Chapter 19 of Hilda: A Story of Calcutta is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Hilda: A Story of Calcutta
Context Illustration Reading 1/31 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Not long ago," said Hilda, "I had a chat with him.
We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"
"What were your impressions?
No!"
Alicia cried.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Hilda: A Story of Calcutta

Chapter XIX · Chapter 19

Chapter 19 of Hilda: A Story of Calcutta is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"Not long ago," said Hilda, "I had a chat with him.
Line 2
We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"
Line 3
"What were your impressions?
/wʌt wɜːr jɔːr ˌɪmˈpreʃənz/
Line 4
No!"
/noʊ/
Line 5
Alicia cried.

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.

ago adverb US /əˈɡoʊ/

in the past

From this reading “"Not long ago," said Hilda, "I had a chat with him.”

chat verb US /tʃæt/

talk socially without exchanging too much information

From this reading “"Not long ago," said Hilda, "I had a chat with him.”

cried verb US /kraɪd/

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading “Alicia cried.”

grass verb US /ɡræs/

shoot down, of birds

From this reading “We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"”

impressions noun US /ˌɪmˈpreʃənz/

plural of “impression” — a vague idea in which some confidence is placed

From this reading “We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"”

interfere verb US /ˌɪntərˈfɪr/

come between so as to be hindrance or obstacle

From this reading “We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"”

middle noun US /ˈmɪdəl/

an area that is approximately central within some larger region

From this reading “We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"”

sat noun US /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading “We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"”

All words in this reading · 34

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 "Not long ago," said Hilda, "I had a chat with him.

agoadverbUS /əˈɡoʊ/

in the past

From this reading "Not long ago," said Hilda, "I had a chat with him.

Alicia

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

From this reading Alicia cried.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"

chatverbUS /tʃæt/

talk socially without exchanging too much information

From this reading "Not long ago," said Hilda, "I had a chat with him.

criedverbUS /kraɪd/

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading Alicia cried.

grassverbUS /ɡræs/

shoot down, of birds

From this reading We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading "Not long ago," said Hilda, "I had a chat with him.

Hilda

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

From this reading "Not long ago," said Hilda, "I had a chat with him.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading "Not long ago," said Hilda, "I had a chat with him.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "Not long ago," said Hilda, "I had a chat with him.

impressionsnounUS /ˌɪmˈpreʃənz/

plural of “impression” — a vague idea in which some confidence is placed

From this reading We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"

interfereverbUS /ˌɪntərˈfɪr/

come between so as to be hindrance or obstacle

From this reading We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"

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 "Not long ago," said Hilda, "I had a chat with him.

Maidan

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

From this reading We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"

middlenounUS /ˈmɪdəl/

an area that is approximately central within some larger region

From this reading We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading No!"

NotadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "Not long ago," said Hilda, "I had a chat with him.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Not long ago," said Hilda, "I had a chat with him.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We sat on the grass in the middle of the Maidan, and there was nothing to interfere with my impressions?"

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading "What were your impressions?

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading "What were your impressions?

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading "Not long ago," said Hilda, "I had a chat with him.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "What were your impressions?

Chapter 19 of Hilda: A Story of Calcutta by Sara Jeannette Duncan holds 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 19 of Hilda: A Story of Calcutta contain?

Chapter 19 holds 158 sentences of Hilda: A Story of Calcutta, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 19 of Hilda: A Story of Calcutta by Sara Jeannette Duncan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 19 of Hilda: A Story of Calcutta?

Work through the 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 32 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 19 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 19 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 Hilda: A Story of Calcutta

Common questions about reading Hilda: A Story of Calcutta by Sara Jeannette Duncan on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Hilda: A Story of Calcutta?

Yes. All 4799 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18051 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Hilda: A Story of Calcutta is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #18051, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Hilda: A Story of Calcutta take to read?

About 399 minutes of reading across 960 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Hilda: A Story of Calcutta section by section

How to work through Hilda: A Story of Calcutta section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 30 chapters of Hilda: A Story of Calcutta to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Hilda: A Story of Calcutta

Words and structures a reader meets early in Hilda: A Story of Calcutta, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Pushed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Hilda: A Story of Calcutta; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Portiere
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Hilda: A Story of Calcutta; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Aside
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Hilda: A Story of Calcutta; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Curved
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Hilda: A Story of Calcutta; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.