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Sir Tom
Sir Tom

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of Sir Tom is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Sir Tom
Context Illustration Reading 1/39 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE VISITORS.
Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.
He came in, and looked at her dress with an air of dissatisfaction.
It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.
He looked at her from head to foot, and gave a little pull to her skirt with a doubtful air.
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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.

Sir Tom

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of Sir Tom is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE VISITORS.
/ðə ˈvɪzɪtərz/
Line 2
Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.
Line 3
He came in, and looked at her dress with an air of dissatisfaction.
/hiː keɪm ɪn ənd lʊkt æt hɜːr dres wɪð æn er ʌv ˌdɪsætɪˈsfækʃən/
Line 4
It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.
/ɪt wɑːz ə waɪt dres ʌv ə kaɪnd wɪtʃ ˈsuːtɪd ˈluːsi ˈveri wel ənd wɪtʃ ʃiː wɑːz ɪn ðə ˈhæbət ʌv ˈwerɪŋ fɔːr smɔːl hoʊm ˈpɑːrtiz æt wɪtʃ fʊl dres wɑːz ənˈnesəseri/
Line 5
He looked at her from head to foot, and gave a little pull to her skirt with a doubtful air.
/hiː lʊkt æt hɜːr frʌm hed tuː fʊt ənd ɡeɪv ə ˈlɪtəl pʊl tuː hɜːr skɜːrt wɪð ə ˈdaʊtfəl er/

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.

dissatisfaction noun US /ˌdɪsætɪˈsfækʃən/

the feeling of being displeased and discontent

From this reading “He came in, and looked at her dress with an air of dissatisfaction.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
doubtful adjective US /ˈdaʊtfəl/

open to doubt or suspicion

From this reading “He looked at her from head to foot, and gave a little pull to her skirt with a doubtful air.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
parties noun US /ˈpɑːrtiz/

plural of “party” — an organization to gain political power

From this reading “It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
skirt noun US /skɜːrt/

cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist

From this reading “He looked at her from head to foot, and gave a little pull to her skirt with a doubtful air.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
suited adjective US /ˈsuːtɪd/

meant or adapted for an occasion or use

From this reading “It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
unnecessary adjective US /ənˈnesəseri/

not necessary

From this reading “It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
visitors noun US /ˈvɪzɪtərz/

plural of “visitor” — someone who visits

From this reading “THE VISITORS.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wearing noun US /ˈwerɪŋ/

(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)

From this reading “It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.”

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.

in the midst preposition + article + noun counted as “in … midst”

the middle or central part or point

In this reading “Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.”

42,254 times in 225,867 chapters
looked at verb + particle counted as “look at”

take into consideration for exemplifying purposes

In this reading “He came in, and looked at her dress with an air of dissatisfaction.”

296,767 times in 225,867 chapters
for dinner preposition + noun

In this reading “Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.”

11,288 times in 225,867 chapters
with an air preposition + article + noun counted as “with … air”

In this reading “He came in, and looked at her dress with an air of dissatisfaction.”

21,576 times in 225,867 chapters
in the habit preposition + article + noun counted as “in … habit”

In this reading “It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.”

10,567 times in 225,867 chapters
came in verb + particle counted as “come in”

to come or go into

In this reading “He came in, and looked at her dress with an air of dissatisfaction.”

147,741 times in 225,867 chapters

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
airnounUS /er/

a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of

From this reading He came in, and looked at her dress with an air of dissatisfaction.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading He came in, and looked at her dress with an air of dissatisfaction.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He came in, and looked at her dress with an air of dissatisfaction.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He came in, and looked at her dress with an air of dissatisfaction.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
cameverbUS /keɪm/

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

From this reading He came in, and looked at her dress with an air of dissatisfaction.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dinnernounUS /ˈdɪnər/

the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday

From this reading Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dissatisfactionnounUS /ˌdɪsætɪˈsfækʃən/

the feeling of being displeased and discontent

From this reading He came in, and looked at her dress with an air of dissatisfaction.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
doubtfuladjectiveUS /ˈdaʊtfəl/

open to doubt or suspicion

From this reading He looked at her from head to foot, and gave a little pull to her skirt with a doubtful air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dressverbUS /dres/

put on clothes

From this reading He came in, and looked at her dress with an air of dissatisfaction.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
footnounUS /fʊt/

the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading He looked at her from head to foot, and gave a little pull to her skirt with a doubtful air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading He looked at her from head to foot, and gave a little pull to her skirt with a doubtful air.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gaveverbUS /ɡeɪv/

inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading He looked at her from head to foot, and gave a little pull to her skirt with a doubtful air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
habitnounUS /ˈhæbət/

an established custom

From this reading It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He came in, and looked at her dress with an air of dissatisfaction.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading He looked at her from head to foot, and gave a little pull to her skirt with a doubtful air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
kindadjectiveUS /kaɪnd/

having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior

From this reading It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading He looked at her from head to foot, and gave a little pull to her skirt with a doubtful air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading He came in, and looked at her dress with an air of dissatisfaction.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LucynounUS /ˈluːsi/

incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974

From this reading It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
midstnounUS /mɪdst/

the location of something surrounded by other things

From this reading Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
paidadjectiveUS /peɪd/

marked by the reception of pay

From this reading Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
partiesnounUS /ˈpɑːrtiz/

plural of “party” — an organization to gain political power

From this reading It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pullverbUS /pʊl/

cause to move by pulling

From this reading He looked at her from head to foot, and gave a little pull to her skirt with a doubtful air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
SirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
skirtnounUS /skɜːrt/

cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist

From this reading He looked at her from head to foot, and gave a little pull to her skirt with a doubtful air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
suitedadjectiveUS /ˈsuːtɪd/

meant or adapted for an occasion or use

From this reading It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.

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 THE VISITORS.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He looked at her from head to foot, and gave a little pull to her skirt with a doubtful air.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toilettenoun

the act of dressing and preparing yourself

From this reading Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TomnounUS /tɑːm/

male cat

From this reading Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
unnecessaryadjectiveUS /ənˈnesəseri/

not necessary

From this reading It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
visitverbUS /ˈvɪzɪt/

go to see a place, as for entertainment

From this reading Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
VISITORSnounUS /ˈvɪzɪtərz/

plural of “visitor” — someone who visits

From this reading THE VISITORS.

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 Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wearingnounUS /ˈwerɪŋ/

(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)

From this reading It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
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 It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whitenounUS /waɪt/

a Caucasian

From this reading It was a white dress, of a kind which suited Lucy very well, and which she was in the habit of wearing for small home parties, at which full dress was unnecessary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading Sir Tom paid his wife a visit when she was in the midst of her toilette for dinner.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He came in, and looked at her dress with an air of dissatisfaction.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 14 of Sir Tom by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant holds 195 sentences, grouped into 39 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 Sir Tom contain?

Chapter 14 holds 195 sentences of Sir Tom, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 14 of Sir Tom by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 195 sentences, grouped into 39 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 Sir Tom?

Work through the 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 39 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.

Questions about reading Sir Tom

Common questions about reading Sir Tom by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Sir Tom?

Yes. All 9204 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30692 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Sir Tom is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #30692, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Sir Tom take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1841 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Sir Tom section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of Sir Tom 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 Sir Tom

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

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Sir Tom; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Wizard's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Sir Tom; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hester
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Sir Tom; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Macmillan
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Sir Tom; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.