Probation

Chapter XXVIII

Chapter 28 of Probation is here in full — 354 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Jessie Fothergill • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

HUGO.

The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

Sebastian, after his interview with Adrienne, came home, and looking into the drawing-room found his mother alone.

She did not deign to notice him, but he, coming in, said to her, ‘Mother, I want to speak to you.’

‘Well?’

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXVIII Reading 1/70

Probation

Chapter XXVIII

Chapter 28 of Probation is here in full — 354 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/70 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

HUGO.

/ˈhjuːɡoʊ/

Line 2

The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

Line 3

Sebastian, after his interview with Adrienne, came home, and looking into the drawing-room found his mother alone.

Line 4

She did not deign to notice him, but he, coming in, said to her, ‘Mother, I want to speak to you.’

/ʃiː dɪd nɑːt deɪn tuː ˈnoʊtəs hɪm bʌt hiː ˈkʌmɪŋ ɪn sed tuː hɜːr ˈmʌðər aɪ wɑːnt tuː spiːk tuː juː/

Line 5

‘Well?’

/wel/

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.

ball noun US /bɔːl/

round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games

From this reading “The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.”

deign verb US /deɪn/

do something that one considers to be below one's dignity

From this reading “She did not deign to notice him, but he, coming in, said to her, ‘Mother, I want to speak to you.’”

dispute verb US /dɪsˈpjuːt/

take exception to

From this reading “The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.”

hugo noun US /ˈhjuːɡoʊ/

French poet and novelist and dramatist; leader of the romantic movement in France (1802-1885)

From this reading “HUGO.”

intervening adjective US /ˌɪntərˈviːnɪŋ/

occurring or falling between events or points in time

From this reading “The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.”

interview verb US /ˈɪntərvjuː/

conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting

From this reading “Sebastian, after his interview with Adrienne, came home, and looking into the drawing-room found his mother alone.”

particularly adverb US /ˌpɑːrˈtɪkjələrli/

to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common

From this reading “The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.”

supposed adjective US /səˈpoʊzd/

required or under orders

From this reading “The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.”

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.

few days adjective + noun

In this reading “The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.”

interview with verb + particle

In this reading “Sebastian, after his interview with Adrienne, came home, and looking into the drawing-room found his mother alone.”

particularly pleasant adverb + adjective

In this reading “The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.”

came home verb + noun counted as “come home”

become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions

In this reading “Sebastian, after his interview with Adrienne, came home, and looking into the drawing-room found his mother alone.”

dispute with verb + particle

In this reading “The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.”

All words in this reading · 53

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.

Adrienne

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sebastian, after his interview with Adrienne, came home, and looking into the drawing-room found his mother alone.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading Sebastian, after his interview with Adrienne, came home, and looking into the drawing-room found his mother alone.

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading Sebastian, after his interview with Adrienne, came home, and looking into the drawing-room found his mother alone.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

ballnounUS /bɔːl/

round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading She did not deign to notice him, but he, coming in, said to her, ‘Mother, I want to speak to you.’

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Sebastian, after his interview with Adrienne, came home, and looking into the drawing-room found his mother alone.

comingnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋ/

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

From this reading She did not deign to notice him, but he, coming in, said to her, ‘Mother, I want to speak to you.’

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

deignverbUS /deɪn/

do something that one considers to be below one's dignity

From this reading She did not deign to notice him, but he, coming in, said to her, ‘Mother, I want to speak to you.’

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading She did not deign to notice him, but he, coming in, said to her, ‘Mother, I want to speak to you.’

disputeverbUS /dɪsˈpjuːt/

take exception to

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

drawing-room

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sebastian, after his interview with Adrienne, came home, and looking into the drawing-room found his mother alone.

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading Sebastian, after his interview with Adrienne, came home, and looking into the drawing-room found his mother alone.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading She did not deign to notice him, but he, coming in, said to her, ‘Mother, I want to speak to you.’

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading She did not deign to notice him, but he, coming in, said to her, ‘Mother, I want to speak to you.’

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Sebastian, after his interview with Adrienne, came home, and looking into the drawing-room found his mother alone.

homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading Sebastian, after his interview with Adrienne, came home, and looking into the drawing-room found his mother alone.

HUGOnounUS /ˈhjuːɡoʊ/

French poet and novelist and dramatist; leader of the romantic movement in France (1802-1885)

From this reading HUGO.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading She did not deign to notice him, but he, coming in, said to her, ‘Mother, I want to speak to you.’

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading She did not deign to notice him, but he, coming in, said to her, ‘Mother, I want to speak to you.’

interveningadjectiveUS /ˌɪntərˈviːnɪŋ/

occurring or falling between events or points in time

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

interviewverbUS /ˈɪntərvjuː/

conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting

From this reading Sebastian, after his interview with Adrienne, came home, and looking into the drawing-room found his mother alone.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Sebastian, after his interview with Adrienne, came home, and looking into the drawing-room found his mother alone.

lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading Sebastian, after his interview with Adrienne, came home, and looking into the drawing-room found his mother alone.

Mallory

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading Sebastian, after his interview with Adrienne, came home, and looking into the drawing-room found his mother alone.

MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

noticenounUS /ˈnoʊtəs/

an announcement containing information about an event

From this reading She did not deign to notice him, but he, coming in, said to her, ‘Mother, I want to speak to you.’

onesnounUS /wʌnz/

plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

particularlyadverbUS /ˌpɑːrˈtɪkjələrli/

to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

pleasantadjectiveUS /ˈplezənt/

affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading She did not deign to notice him, but he, coming in, said to her, ‘Mother, I want to speak to you.’

Sebastian

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sebastian, after his interview with Adrienne, came home, and looking into the drawing-room found his mother alone.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She did not deign to notice him, but he, coming in, said to her, ‘Mother, I want to speak to you.’

sonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading She did not deign to notice him, but he, coming in, said to her, ‘Mother, I want to speak to you.’

Spenceleys

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

supposedadjectiveUS /səˈpoʊzd/

required or under orders

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

wantverbUS /wɑːnt/

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

From this reading She did not deign to notice him, but he, coming in, said to her, ‘Mother, I want to speak to you.’

WelladverbUS /wel/

(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 ‘Well?’

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The few days intervening between her dispute with her son and the Spenceleys’ ball were, as may be supposed, not particularly pleasant ones to Mrs. Mallory.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading She did not deign to notice him, but he, coming in, said to her, ‘Mother, I want to speak to you.’

Chapter 28 of Probation by Jessie Fothergill holds 354 sentences, grouped into 71 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 Probation contain?

Chapter 28 holds 354 sentences of Probation, unabridged, divided into 71 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 28 of Probation by Jessie Fothergill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 354 sentences, grouped into 71 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 Probation?

Work through the 71 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 71 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.

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Is this the complete text of Probation?

Yes. All 8288 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76077 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #76077, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Probation take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1658 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Open a chapter

Choose one of the 38 chapters of Probation to begin.
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Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in Probation

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

Pride: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Probation; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Plenty: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Probation; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Absentee: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Probation; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Employer: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Probation; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XXVIII

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Can chapter 28 be read aloud to me?

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Vocabulary met early in Probation