Chapter 14 of Man and Wife is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Man and Wife is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him. The satellites followed, and listened (as well they might) in wonder. “You will lay any odds, Sir,” said Geoffrey “against me taking my Degree? You’re quite right. I sha’n’t take my Degree.
Chapter 14 of Man and Wife is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading “Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.”
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading ““You will lay any odds, Sir,” said Geoffrey “against me taking my Degree?”
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading “The satellites followed, and listened (as well they might) in wonder.”
the likelihood of a thing occurring rather than not occurring
From this reading ““You will lay any odds, Sir,” said Geoffrey “against me taking my Degree?”
possessive form of “patrick” — Apostle and patron saint of Ireland; an English missionary to Ireland in the 5th century
as yourself
From this reading “Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.”
plural of “person” — a human being
From this reading “Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.”
plural of “satellite” — man-made equipment that orbits around the earth or the moon
From this reading “The satellites followed, and listened (as well they might) in wonder.”
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 Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading “You will lay any odds, Sir,” said Geoffrey “against me taking my Degree?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The satellites followed, and listened (as well they might) in wonder.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading “You will lay any odds, Sir,” said Geoffrey “against me taking my Degree?
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading The satellites followed, and listened (as well they might) in wonder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I sha’n’t take my Degree.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The satellites followed, and listened (as well they might) in wonder.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “You will lay any odds, Sir,” said Geoffrey “against me taking my Degree?
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading The satellites followed, and listened (as well they might) in wonder.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You will lay any odds, Sir,” said Geoffrey “against me taking my Degree?
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading The satellites followed, and listened (as well they might) in wonder.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “You will lay any odds, Sir,” said Geoffrey “against me taking my Degree?
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
the likelihood of a thing occurring rather than not occurring
From this reading “You will lay any odds, Sir,” said Geoffrey “against me taking my Degree?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
possessive form of “patrick” — Apostle and patron saint of Ireland; an English missionary to Ireland in the 5th century
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
as yourself
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
plural of “person” — a human being
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading You’re quite right.
precisely, exactly
From this reading You’re quite right.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You will lay any odds, Sir,” said Geoffrey “against me taking my Degree?
plural of “satellite” — man-made equipment that orbits around the earth or the moon
From this reading The satellites followed, and listened (as well they might) in wonder.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I sha’n’t take my Degree.
term of address for a man
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
having a supporting base
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
successive (without a break)
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
carry out
From this reading I sha’n’t take my Degree.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading “You will lay any odds, Sir,” said Geoffrey “against me taking my Degree?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The satellites followed, and listened (as well they might) in wonder.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading The satellites followed, and listened (as well they might) in wonder.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “You will lay any odds, Sir,” said Geoffrey “against me taking my Degree?
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading The satellites followed, and listened (as well they might) in wonder.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Without saying a word more to any of the persons standing near him, Geoffrey walked straight up to Sir Patrick’s arm-chair, and personally addressed him.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You will lay any odds, Sir,” said Geoffrey “against me taking my Degree?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You’re quite right.
Chapter 14 of Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins holds 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 14 holds 390 sentences of Man and Wife, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 14 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 Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 16495 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1586 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1586, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 3299 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Man and Wife section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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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 Man and Wife, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
