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Northanger Abbey
Northanger Abbey

Chapter XXVI · Chapter 26

Chapter 26 of Northanger Abbey is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Northanger Abbey
Context Illustration Reading 1/28 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The visions of romance were over.
Catherine was completely awakened.
Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.
Most grievously was she humbled.
Most bitterly did she cry.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Northanger Abbey

Chapter XXVI · Chapter 26

Chapter 26 of Northanger Abbey is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The visions of romance were over.
/ðə ˈvɪʒənz ʌv roʊˈmæns wɜːr ˈoʊvər/
Line 2
Catherine was completely awakened.
/ˈkæθərən wɑːz kəmˈpliːtli əˈweɪkənd/
Line 3
Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.
/ˈhenriz ˈædres ʃɔːrt æz ɪt hæd bɪn hæd mɔːr ˈθɜːroʊli ˈoʊpənd hɜːr aɪz tuː ðə ekˈstrævəɡəns ʌv hɜːr leɪt ˈfænsiz ðæn ɔːl ðer ˈsevrəl dɪsəˈpɔɪntmənts hæd dʌn/
Line 4
Most grievously was she humbled.
/moʊst ˈɡriːvəsli wɑːz ʃiː ˈhʌmbəld/
Line 5
Most bitterly did she cry.
/moʊst ˈbɪtərli dɪd ʃiː kraɪ/

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.

Catherine noun US /ˈkæθərən/

first wife of Henry VIII; Henry VIII's divorce from her was the initial step of the Reformation in England (1485-1536)

From this reading “Catherine was completely awakened.”

disappointments noun US /dɪsəˈpɔɪntmənts/

plural of “disappointment” — a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized

From this reading “Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.”

extravagance noun US /ekˈstrævəɡəns/

the quality of exceeding the appropriate limits of decorum or probability or truth

From this reading “Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.”

fancies noun US /ˈfænsiz/

plural of “fancy” — something many people believe that is false

From this reading “Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.”

grievously adverb US /ˈɡriːvəsli/

in a grievous manner

From this reading “Most grievously was she humbled.”

Henry's noun US /ˈhenriz/

possessive form of “henry” — a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second

humbled adjective US /ˈhʌmbəld/

subdued or brought low in condition or status

From this reading “Most grievously was she humbled.”

visions noun US /ˈvɪʒənz/

plural of “vision” — a vivid mental image

From this reading “The visions of romance were over.”

All words in this reading · 39

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.

addressverbUS /ˈædres/

speak to

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

awakenedadjectiveUS /əˈweɪkənd/

aroused or activated

From this reading Catherine was completely awakened.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

bitterlyadverbUS /ˈbɪtərli/

with bitterness; in a resentful manner

From this reading Most bitterly did she cry.

CatherinenounUS /ˈkæθərən/

first wife of Henry VIII; Henry VIII's divorce from her was the initial step of the Reformation in England (1485-1536)

From this reading Catherine was completely awakened.

completelyadverbUS /kəmˈpliːtli/

to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)

From this reading Catherine was completely awakened.

cryverbUS /kraɪ/

utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading Most bitterly did she cry.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading Most bitterly did she cry.

disappointmentsnounUS /dɪsəˈpɔɪntmənts/

plural of “disappointment” — a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

extravagancenounUS /ekˈstrævəɡəns/

the quality of exceeding the appropriate limits of decorum or probability or truth

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

fanciesnounUS /ˈfænsiz/

plural of “fancy” — something many people believe that is false

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

grievouslyadverbUS /ˈɡriːvəsli/

in a grievous manner

From this reading Most grievously was she humbled.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

Henry'snounUS /ˈhenriz/

possessive form of “henry” — a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

humbledadjectiveUS /ˈhʌmbəld/

subdued or brought low in condition or status

From this reading Most grievously was she humbled.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

lateadjectiveUS /leɪt/

being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

MostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading Most grievously was she humbled.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The visions of romance were over.

openedadjectiveUS /ˈoʊpənd/

used of mouth or eyes

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading The visions of romance were over.

romancenounUS /roʊˈmæns/

a relationship between two lovers

From this reading The visions of romance were over.

severaladjectiveUS /ˈsevrəl/

(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading Most grievously was she humbled.

shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔːrt/

primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The visions of romance were over.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

thoroughlyadverbUS /ˈθɜːroʊli/

in an exhaustive manner

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Henry’s address, short as it had been, had more thoroughly opened her eyes to the extravagance of her late fancies than all their several disappointments had done.

visionsnounUS /ˈvɪʒənz/

plural of “vision” — a vivid mental image

From this reading The visions of romance were over.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Catherine was completely awakened.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The visions of romance were over.

Chapter 26 of Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen holds 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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.

What does chapter 26 of Northanger Abbey contain?

Chapter 26 holds 140 sentences of Northanger Abbey, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 26 of Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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 26 of Northanger Abbey?

Work through the 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 28 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 26 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 26 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 Northanger Abbey

Common questions about reading Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Northanger Abbey?

Yes. All 3218 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #121 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Northanger Abbey is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #121, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Northanger Abbey take to read?

About 268 minutes of reading across 644 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Northanger Abbey section by section

How to work through Northanger Abbey section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 32 chapters of Northanger Abbey to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Northanger Abbey

Words and structures a reader meets early in Northanger Abbey, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Little
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Northanger Abbey; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Finished
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Northanger Abbey; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Intended
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Northanger Abbey; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Immediate
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Northanger Abbey; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.