Humbug

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of Humbug is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By E. M. Delafield • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

He was looking full at her with ardent and yet kindly eyes.

Lily nodded faintly.

As he bent over her she raised her head a little and turned her face sideways to him, closing her eyes.

For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.

She wondered why, as he straightened himself again, he laughed--this time very low and gently.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter VII Reading 1/87

Humbug

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of Humbug is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/87 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

He was looking full at her with ardent and yet kindly eyes.

/hiː wɑːz ˈlʊkɪŋ fʊl æt hɜːr wɪð ˈɑːrdənt ənd jet ˈkaɪndli aɪz/

Line 2

Lily nodded faintly.

/ˈlɪli ˈnɑːdəd ˈfeɪntli/

Line 3

As he bent over her she raised her head a little and turned her face sideways to him, closing her eyes.

/æz hiː bent ˈoʊvər hɜːr ʃiː reɪzd hɜːr hed ə ˈlɪtəl ənd tɜːrnd hɜːr feɪs ˈsaɪdweɪz tuː hɪm ˈkloʊzɪŋ hɜːr aɪz/

Line 4

For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.

Line 5

She wondered why, as he straightened himself again, he laughed--this time very low and gently.

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.

ardent adjective US /ˈɑːrdənt/

characterized by intense emotion

From this reading “He was looking full at her with ardent and yet kindly eyes.”

closing noun US /ˈkloʊzɪŋ/

the act of closing something

From this reading “As he bent over her she raised her head a little and turned her face sideways to him, closing her eyes.”

fraction noun US /ˈfrækʃən/

a component of a mixture that has been separated by a fractional process

From this reading “For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.”

Lily noun US /ˈlɪli/

any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers

From this reading “Lily nodded faintly.”

Nicholas noun US /ˈnɪkələs/

a bishop in Asia Minor who is associated with Santa Claus (4th century)

From this reading “For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.”

sideways adverb US /ˈsaɪdweɪz/

with one side forward or to the front

From this reading “As he bent over her she raised her head a little and turned her face sideways to him, closing her eyes.”

stooped adjective US /stuːpt/

having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect

From this reading “For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.”

straightened verb US /ˈstreɪtənd/

past form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight

From this reading “She wondered why, as he straightened himself again, he laughed--this time very low and gently.”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

wondered why noun + noun counted as “wonder why”

In this reading “She wondered why, as he straightened himself again, he laughed--this time very low and gently.”

For the fraction preposition + article + noun counted as “for … fraction”

In this reading “For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.”

All words in this reading · 54

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 As he bent over her she raised her head a little and turned her face sideways to him, closing her eyes.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading She wondered why, as he straightened himself again, he laughed--this time very low and gently.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He was looking full at her with ardent and yet kindly eyes.

ardentadjectiveUS /ˈɑːrdənt/

characterized by intense emotion

From this reading He was looking full at her with ardent and yet kindly eyes.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading As he bent over her she raised her head a little and turned her face sideways to him, closing her eyes.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He was looking full at her with ardent and yet kindly eyes.

Aubray

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

From this reading For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.

bentnounUS /bent/

a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way

From this reading As he bent over her she raised her head a little and turned her face sideways to him, closing her eyes.

cheeknounUS /tʃiːk/

either side of the face below the eyes

From this reading For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.

closingnounUS /ˈkloʊzɪŋ/

the act of closing something

From this reading As he bent over her she raised her head a little and turned her face sideways to him, closing her eyes.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading He was looking full at her with ardent and yet kindly eyes.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading As he bent over her she raised her head a little and turned her face sideways to him, closing her eyes.

faintlyadverbUS /ˈfeɪntli/

to a faint degree or weakly perceived

From this reading Lily nodded faintly.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.

fractionnounUS /ˈfrækʃən/

a component of a mixture that has been separated by a fractional process

From this reading For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.

fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading He was looking full at her with ardent and yet kindly eyes.

gentlyadverbUS /ˈdʒentli/

in a gradual manner

From this reading She wondered why, as he straightened himself again, he laughed--this time very low and gently.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He was looking full at her with ardent and yet kindly eyes.

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading As he bent over her she raised her head a little and turned her face sideways to him, closing her eyes.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading He was looking full at her with ardent and yet kindly eyes.

hesitatedverbUS /ˈhezɪteɪtɪd/

past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness

From this reading For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading As he bent over her she raised her head a little and turned her face sideways to him, closing her eyes.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading She wondered why, as he straightened himself again, he laughed--this time very low and gently.

kindlyadjectiveUS /ˈkaɪndli/

showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity

From this reading He was looking full at her with ardent and yet kindly eyes.

kissedverbUS /kɪst/

past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.

From this reading For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.

laughedverbUS /læft/

past form of “laugh” — produce laughter

From this reading She wondered why, as he straightened himself again, he laughed--this time very low and gently.

LilynounUS /ˈlɪli/

any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers

From this reading Lily nodded faintly.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading As he bent over her she raised her head a little and turned her face sideways to him, closing her eyes.

lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading He was looking full at her with ardent and yet kindly eyes.

lowadjectiveUS /loʊ/

less than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading She wondered why, as he straightened himself again, he laughed--this time very low and gently.

NicholasnounUS /ˈnɪkələs/

a bishop in Asia Minor who is associated with Santa Claus (4th century)

From this reading For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.

noddedverbUS /ˈnɑːdəd/

inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding

From this reading Lily nodded faintly.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading As he bent over her she raised her head a little and turned her face sideways to him, closing her eyes.

raisedadjectiveUS /reɪzd/

located or moved above the surround or above the normal position

From this reading As he bent over her she raised her head a little and turned her face sideways to him, closing her eyes.

secondnounUS /ˈsekənd/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading As he bent over her she raised her head a little and turned her face sideways to him, closing her eyes.

sidewaysadverbUS /ˈsaɪdweɪz/

with one side forward or to the front

From this reading As he bent over her she raised her head a little and turned her face sideways to him, closing her eyes.

softlyadverbUS /ˈsɔːftli/

with low volume

From this reading For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.

stoopedadjectiveUS /stuːpt/

having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect

From this reading For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.

straightenedverbUS /ˈstreɪtənd/

past form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight

From this reading She wondered why, as he straightened himself again, he laughed--this time very low and gently.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading She wondered why, as he straightened himself again, he laughed--this time very low and gently.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading She wondered why, as he straightened himself again, he laughed--this time very low and gently.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading As he bent over her she raised her head a little and turned her face sideways to him, closing her eyes.

turnedadjectiveUS /tɜːrnd/

moved around an axis or center

From this reading As he bent over her she raised her head a little and turned her face sideways to him, closing her eyes.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading For the fraction of a second Nicholas Aubray hesitated, and then stooped and kissed her very softly on the cheek.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He was looking full at her with ardent and yet kindly eyes.

whynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading She wondered why, as he straightened himself again, he laughed--this time very low and gently.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He was looking full at her with ardent and yet kindly eyes.

wonderedverbUS /ˈwʌndərd/

past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something

From this reading She wondered why, as he straightened himself again, he laughed--this time very low and gently.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading He was looking full at her with ardent and yet kindly eyes.

Chapter 7 of Humbug by E. M. Delafield holds 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 7 of Humbug contain?

Chapter 7 holds 437 sentences of Humbug, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of Humbug by E. M. Delafield exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 7 of Humbug?

Work through the 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 88 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 7 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 7 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.

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Is this the complete text of Humbug?

Yes. All 5539 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #74452 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #74452, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 461 minutes of reading across 1108 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Printed: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Humbug; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Chapter VII

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