Chapter 34 of Ruth Hall is here in full — 242 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIV
Chapter 34 of Ruth Hall is here in full — 242 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Hark! Nettie. Go to the door, dear," said Ruth, "some one knocked." "It is a strange gentleman, mamma," whispered Nettie, "and he wants to see you." Ruth bowed as the stranger entered.
Chapter 34 of Ruth Hall is here in full — 242 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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.
of a stringed instrument; sounded by stroking with a bow
From this reading “Ruth bowed as the stranger entered.”
listen; used mostly in the imperative
From this reading “"Hark!”
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading “Go to the door, dear," said Ruth, "some one knocked."”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “"It is a strange gentleman, mamma," whispered Nettie, "and he wants to see you."”
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading “Go to the door, dear," said Ruth, "some one knocked."”
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading “Ruth bowed as the stranger entered.”
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading “"It is a strange gentleman, mamma," whispered Nettie, "and he wants to see you."”
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “"It is a strange gentleman, mamma," whispered Nettie, "and he wants to see you."”
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.
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 "It is a strange gentleman, mamma," whispered Nettie, "and he wants to see you."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "It is a strange gentleman, mamma," whispered Nettie, "and he wants to see you."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Ruth bowed as the stranger entered.
of a stringed instrument; sounded by stroking with a bow
From this reading Ruth bowed as the stranger entered.
dearly loved
From this reading Go to the door, dear," said Ruth, "some one knocked."
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Go to the door, dear," said Ruth, "some one knocked."
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Ruth bowed as the stranger entered.
a man of refinement
From this reading "It is a strange gentleman, mamma," whispered Nettie, "and he wants to see you."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Go to the door, dear," said Ruth, "some one knocked."
listen; used mostly in the imperative
From this reading "Hark!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It is a strange gentleman, mamma," whispered Nettie, "and he wants to see you."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is a strange gentleman, mamma," whispered Nettie, "and he wants to see you."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is a strange gentleman, mamma," whispered Nettie, "and he wants to see you."
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading Go to the door, dear," said Ruth, "some one knocked."
informal terms for a mother
From this reading "It is a strange gentleman, mamma," whispered Nettie, "and he wants to see you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nettie.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Go to the door, dear," said Ruth, "some one knocked."
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading Go to the door, dear," said Ruth, "some one knocked."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Go to the door, dear," said Ruth, "some one knocked."
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "It is a strange gentleman, mamma," whispered Nettie, "and he wants to see you."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Go to the door, dear," said Ruth, "some one knocked."
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading "It is a strange gentleman, mamma," whispered Nettie, "and he wants to see you."
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading Ruth bowed as the stranger entered.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Go to the door, dear," said Ruth, "some one knocked."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Go to the door, dear," said Ruth, "some one knocked."
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading "It is a strange gentleman, mamma," whispered Nettie, "and he wants to see you."
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading "It is a strange gentleman, mamma," whispered Nettie, "and he wants to see you."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "It is a strange gentleman, mamma," whispered Nettie, "and he wants to see you."
Chapter 34 of Ruth Hall by Fanny Fern holds 242 sentences, grouped into 49 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.
Chapter 34 holds 242 sentences of Ruth Hall, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 34 of Ruth Hall by Fanny Fern exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 242 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 34 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 Ruth Hall by Fanny Fern on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3544 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40814 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40814, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 295 minutes of reading across 709 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ruth Hall section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Ruth Hall 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 Ruth Hall, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
