Chapter 40 of Martin Chuzzlewit is here in full — 462 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XL
Chapter 40 of Martin Chuzzlewit is here in full — 462 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
‘I hope he will be glad to hear of it!’ said John, with sparkling eyes. Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face. ‘I am never to leave him, AM I, dear? I could never leave Tom. I am sure you know that.’
Chapter 40 of Martin Chuzzlewit is here in full — 462 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading “Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face.”
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading “‘I hope he will be glad to hear of it!’ said John, with sparkling eyes.”
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “‘I hope he will be glad to hear of it!’ said John, with sparkling eyes.”
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading “Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face.”
in a serious manner
From this reading “Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face.”
shining with brilliant points of light like stars
From this reading “‘I hope he will be glad to hear of it!’ said John, with sparkling eyes.”
comparative of “tight” — closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading “Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face.”
male cat
From this reading “I could never leave Tom.”
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 Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading ‘I am never to leave him, AM I, dear?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading ‘I hope he will be glad to hear of it!’ said John, with sparkling eyes.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I could never leave Tom.
dearly loved
From this reading ‘I am never to leave him, AM I, dear?
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face.
opinion or judgment
From this reading ‘I hope he will be glad to hear of it!’ said John, with sparkling eyes.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading ‘I hope he will be glad to hear of it!’ said John, with sparkling eyes.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ‘I hope he will be glad to hear of it!’ said John, with sparkling eyes.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading ‘I hope he will be glad to hear of it!’ said John, with sparkling eyes.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading ‘I am never to leave him, AM I, dear?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading ‘I hope he will be glad to hear of it!’ said John, with sparkling eyes.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ‘I hope he will be glad to hear of it!’ said John, with sparkling eyes.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading ‘I hope he will be glad to hear of it!’ said John, with sparkling eyes.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading ‘I hope he will be glad to hear of it!’ said John, with sparkling eyes.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I am sure you know that.’
go away from a place
From this reading ‘I am never to leave him, AM I, dear?
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading ‘I am never to leave him, AM I, dear?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ‘I hope he will be glad to hear of it!’ said John, with sparkling eyes.
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘I hope he will be glad to hear of it!’ said John, with sparkling eyes.
in a serious manner
From this reading Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face.
shining with brilliant points of light like stars
From this reading ‘I hope he will be glad to hear of it!’ said John, with sparkling eyes.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading I am sure you know that.’
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I am sure you know that.’
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face.
comparative of “tight” — closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ‘I hope he will be glad to hear of it!’ said John, with sparkling eyes.
male cat
From this reading I could never leave Tom.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face.
at the time that
From this reading Ruth drew the little hands a little tighter when he said it, and looked up seriously into his face.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading ‘I hope he will be glad to hear of it!’ said John, with sparkling eyes.
in the company of; together with
From this reading ‘I hope he will be glad to hear of it!’ said John, with sparkling eyes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I am sure you know that.’
Chapter 40 of Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens holds 462 sentences, grouped into 93 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 40 holds 462 sentences of Martin Chuzzlewit, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 40 of Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 462 sentences, grouped into 93 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 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 93 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 40 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 Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 18057 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #968 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #968, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 3612 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Martin Chuzzlewit section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Martin Chuzzlewit 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 Martin Chuzzlewit, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
