Chapter 32 of Sylvia's Lovers — Complete is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXII
Chapter 32 of Sylvia's Lovers — Complete is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MYSTERIOUS TIDINGS That very evening Kester came, humbly knocking at the kitchen-door. Phoebe opened it. He asked to see Sylvia. 'A know not if she'll see thee,' said Phoebe. 'There's no makin' her out; sometimes she's for one thing, sometimes she's for another.'
Chapter 32 of Sylvia's Lovers — Complete is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
in a humble manner
From this reading “MYSTERIOUS TIDINGS That very evening Kester came, humbly knocking at the kitchen-door.”
the sound of knocking (as on a door or in an engine or bearing)
From this reading “MYSTERIOUS TIDINGS That very evening Kester came, humbly knocking at the kitchen-door.”
battles in World War II in the Pacific (November 1943); United States Marines took the islands from the Japanese after bitter fighting
From this reading “'There's no makin' her out; sometimes she's for one thing, sometimes she's for another.'”
of an obscure nature
From this reading “MYSTERIOUS TIDINGS That very evening Kester came, humbly knocking at the kitchen-door.”
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading “Phoebe opened it.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading “Phoebe opened it.”
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading “'There's no makin' her out; sometimes she's for one thing, sometimes she's for another.'”
information about recent and important events
From this reading “MYSTERIOUS TIDINGS That very evening Kester came, humbly knocking at the kitchen-door.”
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 'A know not if she'll see thee,' said Phoebe.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading 'There's no makin' her out; sometimes she's for one thing, sometimes she's for another.'
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading He asked to see Sylvia.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading MYSTERIOUS TIDINGS That very evening Kester came, humbly knocking at the kitchen-door.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading MYSTERIOUS TIDINGS That very evening Kester came, humbly knocking at the kitchen-door.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading MYSTERIOUS TIDINGS That very evening Kester came, humbly knocking at the kitchen-door.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading 'There's no makin' her out; sometimes she's for one thing, sometimes she's for another.'
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He asked to see Sylvia.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading 'There's no makin' her out; sometimes she's for one thing, sometimes she's for another.'
in a humble manner
From this reading MYSTERIOUS TIDINGS That very evening Kester came, humbly knocking at the kitchen-door.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading 'A know not if she'll see thee,' said Phoebe.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Phoebe opened it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MYSTERIOUS TIDINGS That very evening Kester came, humbly knocking at the kitchen-door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MYSTERIOUS TIDINGS That very evening Kester came, humbly knocking at the kitchen-door.
the sound of knocking (as on a door or in an engine or bearing)
From this reading MYSTERIOUS TIDINGS That very evening Kester came, humbly knocking at the kitchen-door.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading 'A know not if she'll see thee,' said Phoebe.
battles in World War II in the Pacific (November 1943); United States Marines took the islands from the Japanese after bitter fighting
From this reading 'There's no makin' her out; sometimes she's for one thing, sometimes she's for another.'
of an obscure nature
From this reading MYSTERIOUS TIDINGS That very evening Kester came, humbly knocking at the kitchen-door.
not any; not one
From this reading 'There's no makin' her out; sometimes she's for one thing, sometimes she's for another.'
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading 'A know not if she'll see thee,' said Phoebe.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading 'There's no makin' her out; sometimes she's for one thing, sometimes she's for another.'
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Phoebe opened it.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading 'There's no makin' her out; sometimes she's for one thing, sometimes she's for another.'
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading Phoebe opened it.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'A know not if she'll see thee,' said Phoebe.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He asked to see Sylvia.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'A know not if she'll see thee,' said Phoebe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'There's no makin' her out; sometimes she's for one thing, sometimes she's for another.'
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading 'There's no makin' her out; sometimes she's for one thing, sometimes she's for another.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He asked to see Sylvia.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading MYSTERIOUS TIDINGS That very evening Kester came, humbly knocking at the kitchen-door.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading MYSTERIOUS TIDINGS That very evening Kester came, humbly knocking at the kitchen-door.
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading 'A know not if she'll see thee,' said Phoebe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'There's no makin' her out; sometimes she's for one thing, sometimes she's for another.'
a special situation
From this reading 'There's no makin' her out; sometimes she's for one thing, sometimes she's for another.'
information about recent and important events
From this reading MYSTERIOUS TIDINGS That very evening Kester came, humbly knocking at the kitchen-door.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He asked to see Sylvia.
precisely as stated
From this reading MYSTERIOUS TIDINGS That very evening Kester came, humbly knocking at the kitchen-door.
Chapter 32 of Sylvia's Lovers — Complete by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell holds 266 sentences, grouped into 54 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 32 holds 266 sentences of Sylvia's Lovers — Complete, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 32 of Sylvia's Lovers — Complete by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 266 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 32 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 Sylvia's Lovers — Complete by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7382 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4537 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4537, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1477 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sylvia's Lovers — Complete section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Sylvia's Lovers — Complete 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 Sylvia's Lovers — Complete, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
