Chapter 31 of Howards End is here in full — 282 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Howards End is here in full — 282 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was not unexpected entirely. Aunt Juley’s health had been bad all the winter. She had had a long series of colds and coughs, and had been too busy to get rid of them. She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia. Margaret and Tibby went down to Swanage.
Chapter 31 of Howards End is here in full — 282 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/56 · 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.
having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course
From this reading “She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.”
coldness due to a cold environment
From this reading “She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.”
plural of “cold” — a mild viral infection involving the nose and respiratory passages (but not the lungs)
From this reading “She had had a long series of colds and coughs, and had been too busy to get rid of them.”
plural of “cough” — a sudden noisy expulsion of air from the lungs that clears the air passages; a common symptom of upper respiratory infection or bronchitis or pneumonia or tuberculosis
From this reading “She had had a long series of colds and coughs, and had been too busy to get rid of them.”
being changed over time so as to be e.g. stronger or more complete or more useful
From this reading “She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.”
a daughter of your brother or sister
From this reading “She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.”
respiratory disease characterized by inflammation of the lung parenchyma (excluding the bronchi) with congestion caused by viruses or bacteria or irritants
From this reading “She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.”
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading “She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.”
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 She had had a long series of colds and coughs, and had been too busy to get rid of them.
having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course
From this reading She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Aunt Juley’s health had been bad all the winter.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She had had a long series of colds and coughs, and had been too busy to get rid of them.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading Aunt Juley’s health had been bad all the winter.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading Aunt Juley’s health had been bad all the winter.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Aunt Juley’s health had been bad all the winter.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading She had had a long series of colds and coughs, and had been too busy to get rid of them.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.
coldness due to a cold environment
From this reading She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.
plural of “cold” — a mild viral infection involving the nose and respiratory passages (but not the lungs)
From this reading She had had a long series of colds and coughs, and had been too busy to get rid of them.
plural of “cough” — a sudden noisy expulsion of air from the lungs that clears the air passages; a common symptom of upper respiratory infection or bronchitis or pneumonia or tuberculosis
From this reading She had had a long series of colds and coughs, and had been too busy to get rid of them.
being changed over time so as to be e.g. stronger or more complete or more useful
From this reading She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Margaret and Tibby went down to Swanage.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading It was not unexpected entirely.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading She had had a long series of colds and coughs, and had been too busy to get rid of them.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Aunt Juley’s health had been bad all the winter.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.
a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease
From this reading Aunt Juley’s health had been bad all the winter.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was not unexpected entirely.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Aunt Juley’s health had been bad all the winter.
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 She had had a long series of colds and coughs, and had been too busy to get rid of them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Margaret and Tibby went down to Swanage.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.
a daughter of your brother or sister
From this reading She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was not unexpected entirely.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She had had a long series of colds and coughs, and had been too busy to get rid of them.
respiratory disease characterized by inflammation of the lung parenchyma (excluding the bronchi) with congestion caused by viruses or bacteria or irritants
From this reading She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.
relieve from
From this reading She had had a long series of colds and coughs, and had been too busy to get rid of them.
only a very short time before
From this reading She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading She had had a long series of colds and coughs, and had been too busy to get rid of them.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had had a long series of colds and coughs, and had been too busy to get rid of them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Margaret and Tibby went down to Swanage.
carry out
From this reading She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Aunt Juley’s health had been bad all the winter.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading She had had a long series of colds and coughs, and had been too busy to get rid of them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Margaret and Tibby went down to Swanage.
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She had had a long series of colds and coughs, and had been too busy to get rid of them.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading She had had a long series of colds and coughs, and had been too busy to get rid of them.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading It was not unexpected entirely.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was not unexpected entirely.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Margaret and Tibby went down to Swanage.
at the time that
From this reading She had scarcely promised her niece “to really take my tiresome chest in hand,” when she caught a chill and developed acute pneumonia.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading Aunt Juley’s health had been bad all the winter.
Chapter 31 of Howards End by E. M. (Edward Morgan) Forster holds 282 sentences, grouped into 57 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 31 holds 282 sentences of Howards End, unabridged, divided into 57 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Howards End by E. M. (Edward Morgan) Forster exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 282 sentences, grouped into 57 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 57 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 57 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 31 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 Howards End by E. M. (Edward Morgan) Forster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8538 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2891 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2891, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1708 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Howards End section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of Howards End 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 Howards End, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
