Chapter 32 of Hilda Lessways is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXII
Chapter 32 of Hilda Lessways is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room. The house was still. The men were either theoretically or practically at business. Alicia was at school. Mrs. Orgreave lay upstairs.
Chapter 32 of Hilda Lessways is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading “THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.”
a city in East Sussex in southern England that is a popular resort; site of the University of Sussex
From this reading “THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.”
one or the other of two
From this reading “The men were either theoretically or practically at business.”
almost; nearly
From this reading “The men were either theoretically or practically at business.”
an educational institution
From this reading “Alicia was at school.”
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading “THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.”
in theory; according to the assumed facts
From this reading “The men were either theoretically or practically at business.”
on a floor above
From this reading “Mrs. Orgreave lay upstairs.”
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 THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alicia was at school.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
a city in East Sussex in southern England that is a popular resort; site of the University of Sussex
From this reading THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading The men were either theoretically or practically at business.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
one or the other of two
From this reading The men were either theoretically or practically at business.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The house was still.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Mrs. Orgreave lay upstairs.
the force of workers available
From this reading The men were either theoretically or practically at business.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Orgreave lay upstairs.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The men were either theoretically or practically at business.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Orgreave lay upstairs.
almost; nearly
From this reading The men were either theoretically or practically at business.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
an educational institution
From this reading Alicia was at school.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
not in physical motion
From this reading The house was still.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
in theory; according to the assumed facts
From this reading The men were either theoretically or practically at business.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
on a floor above
From this reading Mrs. Orgreave lay upstairs.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The house was still.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading THE CALL FROM BRIGHTON I On the next afternoon, at a quarter-past two, Hilda and Janet were sitting together in the breakfast-room.
Chapter 32 of Hilda Lessways by Arnold Bennett holds 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 32 holds 194 sentences of Hilda Lessways, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 32 of Hilda Lessways by Arnold Bennett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 32 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 Hilda Lessways by Arnold Bennett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7594 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10658 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10658, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1519 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Hilda Lessways section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Hilda Lessways 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 Hilda Lessways, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
