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Pierre
Pierre

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of Pierre is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Herman Melville • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Pierre
Context Illustration Reading 1/32 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE JOURNEY AND THE PAMPHLET.
I.
All profound things, and emotions of things are preceded and attended by Silence.
What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.
Yea, in silence the child Christ was born into the world.
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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.

Pierre

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of Pierre is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE JOURNEY AND THE PAMPHLET.
/ðə ˈdʒɜːrni ənd ðə ˈpæmflət/
Line 2
I.
/aɪ/
Line 3
All profound things, and emotions of things are preceded and attended by Silence.
/ɔːl proʊˈfaʊnd θɪŋz ənd ɪˈmoʊʃənz ʌv θɪŋz ɑːr prɪˈsiːdɪd ənd əˈtendɪd baɪ ˈsaɪ.ləns/
Line 4
What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.
/wʌt ə ˈsaɪ.ləns ɪz ðæt wɪð wɪtʃ ðə peɪl braɪd prɪˈsiːdz ðə rɪˈspɑːnsɪv aɪ wɪl tuː ðə priːsts ˈsɑːləm ˈkwestʃən wɪlt ðaʊ hæv ðɪs mæn fɔːr ðaɪ ˈhʌzbənd ɪn ˈsaɪ.ləns tuː ðə ˈwedɪd hændz ɑːr klæspt/
Line 5
Yea, in silence the child Christ was born into the world.
/jeɪ ɪn ˈsaɪ.ləns ðə tʃaɪld kraɪst wɑːz bɔːrn ˈɪntuː ðə wɜːrld/

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.

pamphlet noun US /ˈpæmflət/

a small book usually having a paper cover

From this reading “THE JOURNEY AND THE PAMPHLET.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
preceded verb US /prɪˈsiːdɪd/

past form of “precede” — be earlier in time; go back further

From this reading “All profound things, and emotions of things are preceded and attended by Silence.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
precedes verb US /prɪˈsiːdz/

third-person singular of “precede” — be earlier in time; go back further

From this reading “What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
priest's noun US /priːsts/

possessive form of “priest” — a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders

From this reading “What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
responsive adjective US /rɪˈspɑːnsɪv/

containing or using responses; alternating

From this reading “What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wedded adjective US /ˈwedɪd/

having been taken in marriage

From this reading “What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Wilt modal verb US /wɪlt/

an old form of “will”, used with “thou”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Yea exclamation US /jeɪ/

an old word for “yes”

From this reading “Yea, in silence the child Christ was born into the world.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

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.

In silence preposition + noun

In this reading “What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.”

37,829 times in 426,211 chapters
into the world preposition + article + noun counted as “into … world”

In this reading “Yea, in silence the child Christ was born into the world.”

9,829 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 50

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 What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
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 All profound things, and emotions of things are preceded and attended by Silence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading THE JOURNEY AND THE PAMPHLET.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading All profound things, and emotions of things are preceded and attended by Silence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
attendedadjectiveUS /əˈtendɪd/

playing or singing with instrumental or vocal accompaniment

From this reading All profound things, and emotions of things are preceded and attended by Silence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bornadjectiveUS /bɔːrn/

brought into existence

From this reading Yea, in silence the child Christ was born into the world.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bridenounUS /braɪd/

a woman who has recently been married

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading All profound things, and emotions of things are preceded and attended by Silence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
childnounUS /tʃaɪld/

a young person of either sex

From this reading Yea, in silence the child Christ was born into the world.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ChristnounUS /kraɪst/

a teacher and prophet born in Bethlehem and active in Nazareth; his life and sermons form the basis for Christianity (circa 4 BC - AD 29)

From this reading Yea, in silence the child Christ was born into the world.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
claspedverbUS /klæspt/

past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
emotionsnounUS /ɪˈmoʊʃənz/

plural of “emotion” — any strong feeling

From this reading All profound things, and emotions of things are preceded and attended by Silence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
husbandnounUS /ˈhʌzbənd/

a married man; a woman's partner in marriage

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Yea, in silence the child Christ was born into the world.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
JOURNEYverbUS /ˈdʒɜːrni/

undertake a journey or trip

From this reading THE JOURNEY AND THE PAMPHLET.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading All profound things, and emotions of things are preceded and attended by Silence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
paleadjectiveUS /peɪl/

very light colored; highly diluted with white

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PAMPHLETnounUS /ˈpæmflət/

a small book usually having a paper cover

From this reading THE JOURNEY AND THE PAMPHLET.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
precededverbUS /prɪˈsiːdɪd/

past form of “precede” — be earlier in time; go back further

From this reading All profound things, and emotions of things are preceded and attended by Silence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
precedesverbUS /prɪˈsiːdz/

third-person singular of “precede” — be earlier in time; go back further

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
priest'snounUS /priːsts/

possessive form of “priest” — a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
profoundadjectiveUS /proʊˈfaʊnd/

showing intellectual penetration or emotional depth

From this reading All profound things, and emotions of things are preceded and attended by Silence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
questionverbUS /ˈkwestʃən/

challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
responsiveadjectiveUS /rɪˈspɑːnsɪv/

containing or using responses; alternating

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SilencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading All profound things, and emotions of things are preceded and attended by Silence.

Velmora curated lexicon
solemnadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːləm/

dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE JOURNEY AND THE PAMPHLET.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading All profound things, and emotions of things are preceded and attended by Silence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thydeterminerUS /ðaɪ/

an old word for “your”, speaking to one person

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Yea, in silence the child Christ was born into the world.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
weddedadjectiveUS /ˈwedɪd/

having been taken in marriage

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Wiltmodal verbUS /wɪlt/

an old form of “will”, used with “thou”

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading What a silence is that with which the pale bride precedes the responsive _I will_, to the priest's solemn question, _Wilt thou have this man for thy husband?_ In silence, too, the wedded hands are clasped.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading Yea, in silence the child Christ was born into the world.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
YeaexclamationUS /jeɪ/

an old word for “yes”

From this reading Yea, in silence the child Christ was born into the world.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 14 of Pierre by Herman Melville holds 161 sentences, grouped into 33 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 14 of Pierre contain?

Chapter 14 holds 161 sentences of Pierre, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 14 of Pierre by Herman Melville exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 161 sentences, grouped into 33 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 14 of Pierre?

Work through the 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 33 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 14 be read aloud to me?

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.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #34970, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 503 minutes of reading across 1210 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Pierre

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

Pierre
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Pierre; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ambiguities
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Pierre; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Herman
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Pierre; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Melville
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Pierre; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.