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Marguerite Verne
Marguerite Verne

Chapter XXVIII · Chapter 28

Chapter 28 of Marguerite Verne is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/29 · 5 lines
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FINANCIAL EMBARRASSMENT.
And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.
The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.
Mr. Verne had shut himself in his private apartments and asked that he might be left alone.
But ere long he was besieged by interviewers.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Marguerite Verne

Chapter XXVIII · Chapter 28

Chapter 28 of Marguerite Verne is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
FINANCIAL EMBARRASSMENT.
/fəˈnænʃəl ɪmˈberəsmənt/
Line 2
And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.
/ənd naʊ let ʌs tɜːrn tuː ˈmɪstər vɜːrn huː ɪz ɪn ə sæd steɪt ʌv ˈfɪzɪkəl prɑːˈstreɪʃən/
Line 3
The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.
/ðə fəˈnænʃəl stɔːrm wɪtʃ oʊvərˈhʌŋ hɪz ˈdeɪli ˈprɑːspekt hæz æt læst swuːpt daʊn əˈpɑːn hɪm ɪn ˈmɜːrsələs ˈfjʊri ˈhɜːrlɪŋ daʊn ˈevəri hoʊp ðæt ˈhɪðɜːrˈtuː ˈbuːid hɪm ʌp ənd ˈwɪspərd enˈkɜːrɪdʒɪŋ wɜːrdz æz hiː ˈstrʌɡəld ɑːn/
Line 4
Mr. Verne had shut himself in his private apartments and asked that he might be left alone.
/ˈmɪstər vɜːrn hæd ʃʌt hɪmˈself ɪn hɪz ˈpraɪvət əˈpɑːrtmənts ənd æskt ðæt hiː maɪt biː left əˈloʊn/
Line 5
But ere long he was besieged by interviewers.
/bʌt er lɔːŋ hiː wɑːz bɪˈsiːdʒd baɪ ˈɪntərvjuːərz/

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.

besieged adjective US /bɪˈsiːdʒd/

surrounded by hostile forces

From this reading “But ere long he was besieged by interviewers.”

buoyed verb US /ˈbuːid/

past form of “buoy” — float on the surface of water

From this reading “The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.”

hurling noun US /ˈhɜːrlɪŋ/

a traditional Irish game resembling hockey; played by two teams of 15 players each

From this reading “The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.”

interviewers noun US /ˈɪntərvjuːərz/

plural of “interviewer” — a person who conducts an interview

From this reading “But ere long he was besieged by interviewers.”

overhung verb US /oʊvərˈhʌŋ/

inflected form of “overhang” — project over

From this reading “The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.”

prostration noun US /prɑːˈstreɪʃən/

an abrupt failure of function or complete physical exhaustion

From this reading “And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.”

swooped verb US /swuːpt/

past form of “swoop” — move down on as if in an attack

From this reading “The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.”

Verne noun US /vɜːrn/

French writer who is considered the father of science fiction (1828-1905)

From this reading “And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.”

All words in this reading · 66

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 And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading Mr. Verne had shut himself in his private apartments and asked that he might be left alone.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.

apartmentsnounUS /əˈpɑːrtmənts/

plural of “apartment” — a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house

From this reading Mr. Verne had shut himself in his private apartments and asked that he might be left alone.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading Mr. Verne had shut himself in his private apartments and asked that he might be left alone.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Mr. Verne had shut himself in his private apartments and asked that he might be left alone.

besiegedadjectiveUS /bɪˈsiːdʒd/

surrounded by hostile forces

From this reading But ere long he was besieged by interviewers.

buoyedverbUS /ˈbuːid/

past form of “buoy” — float on the surface of water

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But ere long he was besieged by interviewers.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading But ere long he was besieged by interviewers.

dailyadverbUS /ˈdeɪli/

every day; without missing a day

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

EMBARRASSMENTnounUS /ɪmˈberəsmənt/

the shame you feel when your inadequacy or guilt is made public

From this reading FINANCIAL EMBARRASSMENT.

encouragingadjectiveUS /enˈkɜːrɪdʒɪŋ/

giving courage or confidence or hope

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

ereconjunctionUS /er/

an old word for “before”

From this reading But ere long he was besieged by interviewers.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

FINANCIALadjectiveUS /fəˈnænʃəl/

involving financial matters

From this reading FINANCIAL EMBARRASSMENT.

furynounUS /ˈfjʊri/

a feeling of intense anger

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Mr. Verne had shut himself in his private apartments and asked that he might be left alone.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading Mr. Verne had shut himself in his private apartments and asked that he might be left alone.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

hithertoadverbUS /ˈhɪðɜːrˈtuː/

used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

hopenounUS /hoʊp/

a specific instance of feeling hopeful

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

hurlingnounUS /ˈhɜːrlɪŋ/

a traditional Irish game resembling hockey; played by two teams of 15 players each

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.

interviewersnounUS /ˈɪntərvjuːərz/

plural of “interviewer” — a person who conducts an interview

From this reading But ere long he was besieged by interviewers.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading Mr. Verne had shut himself in his private apartments and asked that he might be left alone.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.

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 But ere long he was besieged by interviewers.

mercilessadjectiveUS /ˈmɜːrsələs/

having or showing no mercy

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading Mr. Verne had shut himself in his private apartments and asked that he might be left alone.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

overhungverbUS /oʊvərˈhʌŋ/

inflected form of “overhang” — project over

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

physicaladjectiveUS /ˈfɪzɪkəl/

involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit

From this reading And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.

privateadjectiveUS /ˈpraɪvət/

confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy

From this reading Mr. Verne had shut himself in his private apartments and asked that he might be left alone.

prospectnounUS /ˈprɑːspekt/

the possibility of future success

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

prostrationnounUS /prɑːˈstreɪʃən/

an abrupt failure of function or complete physical exhaustion

From this reading And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.

sadadjectiveUS /sæd/

experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness

From this reading And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.

shutverbUS /ʃʌt/

move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut

From this reading Mr. Verne had shut himself in his private apartments and asked that he might be left alone.

statenounUS /steɪt/

the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

From this reading And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.

stormverbUS /stɔːrm/

behave violently, as if in state of a great anger

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

struggledverbUS /ˈstrʌɡəld/

past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

swoopedverbUS /swuːpt/

past form of “swoop” — move down on as if in an attack

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.

turnverbUS /tɜːrn/

change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense

From this reading And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.

VernenounUS /vɜːrn/

French writer who is considered the father of science fiction (1828-1905)

From this reading And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading But ere long he was besieged by interviewers.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

whisperedadjectiveUS /ˈwɪspərd/

spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading And now let us turn to Mr. Verne, who is in a sad state of physical prostration.

wordsnounUS /wɜːrdz/

the words that are spoken

From this reading The financial storm which overhung his daily prospect has at last swooped down upon him in merciless fury, hurling down every hope that hitherto buoyed him up and whispered encouraging words as he struggled on.

Chapter 28 of Marguerite Verne by Rebecca Agatha Armour holds 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 28 of Marguerite Verne contain?

Chapter 28 holds 147 sentences of Marguerite Verne, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 28 of Marguerite Verne by Rebecca Agatha Armour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 28 of Marguerite Verne?

Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 30 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 28 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 28 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 Marguerite Verne

Common questions about reading Marguerite Verne by Rebecca Agatha Armour on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Marguerite Verne?

Yes. All 5381 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6945 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Marguerite Verne is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #6945, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Marguerite Verne take to read?

About 448 minutes of reading across 1077 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Marguerite Verne

Words and structures a reader meets early in Marguerite Verne, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Year's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Marguerite Verne; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Every
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Marguerite Verne; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Night
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Marguerite Verne; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Starry
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Marguerite Verne; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.