Chapter 19 of The Age of Innocence is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of The Age of Innocence is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He sat down by her again. "What were the conditions?" "Oh, they were not onerous: just to sit at the head of his table now and then." There was another interval of silence. Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.
Chapter 19 of The Age of Innocence is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
possessive form of “archer” — a person who is expert in the use of a bow and arrow
From this reading “Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.”
the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process
From this reading “"What were the conditions?"”
acting with uncertainty or hesitance or lack of confidence
From this reading “Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.”
a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading “There was another interval of silence.”
not easily borne; wearing
From this reading “"Oh, they were not onerous: just to sit at the head of his table now and then."”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.”
inflected form of “slam” — close violently
From this reading “Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.”
to no avail
From this reading “Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.”
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 Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.
anew
From this reading He sat down by her again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Oh, they were not onerous: just to sit at the head of his table now and then."
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading There was another interval of silence.
possessive form of “archer” — a person who is expert in the use of a bow and arrow
From this reading Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Oh, they were not onerous: just to sit at the head of his table now and then."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He sat down by her again.
the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process
From this reading "What were the conditions?"
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He sat down by her again.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.
acting with uncertainty or hesitance or lack of confidence
From this reading Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He sat down by her again.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading "Oh, they were not onerous: just to sit at the head of his table now and then."
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He sat down by her again.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Oh, they were not onerous: just to sit at the head of his table now and then."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.
a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading There was another interval of silence.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.
and nothing more
From this reading "Oh, they were not onerous: just to sit at the head of his table now and then."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Oh, they were not onerous: just to sit at the head of his table now and then."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Oh, they were not onerous: just to sit at the head of his table now and then."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Oh, they were not onerous: just to sit at the head of his table now and then."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, they were not onerous: just to sit at the head of his table now and then."
not easily borne; wearing
From this reading "Oh, they were not onerous: just to sit at the head of his table now and then."
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He sat down by her again.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading There was another interval of silence.
be seated
From this reading "Oh, they were not onerous: just to sit at the head of his table now and then."
inflected form of “slam” — close violently
From this reading Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading "Oh, they were not onerous: just to sit at the head of his table now and then."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "What were the conditions?"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Oh, they were not onerous: just to sit at the head of his table now and then."
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was another interval of silence.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Oh, they were not onerous: just to sit at the head of his table now and then."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Oh, they were not onerous: just to sit at the head of his table now and then."
to no avail
From this reading Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was another interval of silence.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "What were the conditions?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What were the conditions?"
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Archer's heart had slammed itself shut in the queer way it had, and he sat vainly groping for a word.
Chapter 19 of The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton holds 163 sentences, grouped into 33 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 19 holds 163 sentences of The Age of Innocence, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 163 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 19 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 The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4855 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #541 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #541, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 404 minutes of reading across 971 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Age of Innocence section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Age of Innocence 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 The Age of Innocence, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
