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Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov
Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov is here in full — 1839 sentences across 368 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Anton Pavlovich Chekhov • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov
Context Illustration Reading 1/367 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"But why, why?" asked Nadyezhda Fyodorovna, trembling all over.
"What harm have I done any one?"
"You are a terrible sinner.
You broke the vow you made your husband at the altar.
You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov is here in full — 1839 sentences across 368 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/367 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"But why, why?" asked Nadyezhda Fyodorovna, trembling all over.
Line 2
"What harm have I done any one?"
/wʌt hɑːrm hæv aɪ dʌn ˈeni wʌn/
Line 3
"You are a terrible sinner.
/juː ɑːr ə ˈterəbəl ˈsɪnər/
Line 4
You broke the vow you made your husband at the altar.
/juː broʊk ðə vaʊ juː meɪd jɔːr ˈhʌzbənd æt ðə ˈɔːltər/
Line 5
You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

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.

altar noun US /ˈɔːltər/

the table in Christian churches where communion is given

From this reading “You broke the vow you made your husband at the altar.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
circle noun US /ˈsɜːrkəl/

ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point

From this reading “You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
harm noun US /hɑːrm/

any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.

From this reading “"What harm have I done any one?"”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lawful adjective US /ˈlɔːfəl/

conformable to or allowed by law

From this reading “You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
partner noun US /ˈpɑːrtnər/

a person's partner in marriage

From this reading “You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seduced verb US /sɪˈduːst/

past form of “seduce” — induce to have sex

From this reading “You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sinner noun US /ˈsɪnər/

a person who sins (without repenting)

From this reading “"You are a terrible sinner.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
vow verb US /vaʊ/

make a vow; promise

From this reading “You broke the vow you made your husband at the altar.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

young man adjective + noun

a teenager or a young adult male

In this reading “You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.”

130,774 times in 426,211 chapters
at the altar preposition + article + noun counted as “at … altar”

In this reading “You broke the vow you made your husband at the altar.”

1,696 times in 426,211 chapters
good family adjective + noun

In this reading “You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.”

1,929 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 58

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 "You are a terrible sinner.

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 "But why, why?" asked Nadyezhda Fyodorovna, trembling all over.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
altarnounUS /ˈɔːltər/

the table in Christian churches where communion is given

From this reading You broke the vow you made your husband at the altar.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading "What harm have I done any one?"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading "You are a terrible sinner.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
askedverbUS /æskt/

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

From this reading "But why, why?" asked Nadyezhda Fyodorovna, trembling all over.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading You broke the vow you made your husband at the altar.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
brokeadjectiveUS /broʊk/

lacking funds

From this reading You broke the vow you made your husband at the altar.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "But why, why?" asked Nadyezhda Fyodorovna, trembling all over.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
circlenounUS /ˈsɜːrkəl/

ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading "What harm have I done any one?"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
else

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

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

Pending verification
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
familynounUS /ˈfæməli/

a social unit living together

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fineadjectiveUS /faɪn/

being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Fyodorovna

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

From this reading "But why, why?" asked Nadyezhda Fyodorovna, trembling all over.

Pending verification
goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
harmnounUS /hɑːrm/

any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.

From this reading "What harm have I done any one?"

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

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "What harm have I done any one?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
husbandnounUS /ˈhʌzbənd/

a married man; a woman's partner in marriage

From this reading You broke the vow you made your husband at the altar.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "What harm have I done any one?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
lawfuladjectiveUS /ˈlɔːfəl/

conformable to or allowed by law

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading You broke the vow you made your husband at the altar.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mannounUS /mæn/

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

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
metverbUS /met/

inflected form of “meet” — come together

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Nadyezhda

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

From this reading "But why, why?" asked Nadyezhda Fyodorovna, trembling all over.

Pending verification
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
nowadverbUS /naʊ/

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

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "What harm have I done any one?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading "But why, why?" asked Nadyezhda Fyodorovna, trembling all over.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
partnernounUS /ˈpɑːrtnər/

a person's partner in marriage

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
perhapsadverbUS /pərˈhæps/

by chance

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seducedverbUS /sɪˈduːst/

past form of “seduce” — induce to have sex

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sinnernounUS /ˈsɪnər/

a person who sins (without repenting)

From this reading "You are a terrible sinner.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
terribleadjectiveUS /ˈterəbəl/

causing fear or dread or terror

From this reading "You are a terrible sinner.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading You broke the vow you made your husband at the altar.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
tremblingnounUS /ˈtrembəlɪŋ/

a shaky motion

From this reading "But why, why?" asked Nadyezhda Fyodorovna, trembling all over.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
vowverbUS /vaʊ/

make a vow; promise

From this reading You broke the vow you made your husband at the altar.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading "What harm have I done any one?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading "But why, why?" asked Nadyezhda Fyodorovna, trembling all over.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "You are a terrible sinner.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading You seduced a fine young man, who perhaps had he not met you might have taken a lawful partner for life from a good family in his own circle, and would have been like every one else now.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading You broke the vow you made your husband at the altar.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 18 of Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov holds 1839 sentences, grouped into 368 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 18 of Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov contain?

Chapter 18 holds 1839 sentences of Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov, unabridged, divided into 368 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 18 of Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 1839 sentences, grouped into 368 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 18 of Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov?

Work through the 368 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

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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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Vocabulary met early in Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov

Words and structures a reader meets early in Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Troublesome
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Visitor
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Actor's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Schoolmaster
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.