Chapter 25 of The Age of Innocence is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXV
Chapter 25 of The Age of Innocence is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right. Shall we go together this afternoon?" His wife's face brightened, but she instantly answered: "Oh, you'd much better go alone. It bores Granny to see the same people too often." Archer's heart was beating violently when he rang old Mrs. Mingott's bell.
Chapter 25 of The Age of Innocence is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 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.
a person who is expert in the use of a bow and arrow
From this reading “There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.”
possessive form of “archer” — a person who is expert in the use of a bow and arrow
From this reading “Archer's heart was beating violently when he rang old Mrs. Mingott's bell.”
plural of “bore” — a person who evokes boredom
From this reading “It bores Granny to see the same people too often."”
past form of “brighten” — make more cheerful through the use of color
From this reading “His wife's face brightened, but she instantly answered: "Oh, you'd much better go alone.”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “It bores Granny to see the same people too often."”
lying or leaning on something else
From this reading “There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.”
possessive form of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading “There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.”
possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “His wife's face brightened, but she instantly answered: "Oh, you'd much better go alone.”
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 There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading Shall we go together this afternoon?"
(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 There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.
Having no one else present.
From this reading His wife's face brightened, but she instantly answered: "Oh, you'd much better go alone.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading His wife's face brightened, but she instantly answered: "Oh, you'd much better go alone.
a person who is expert in the use of a bow and arrow
From this reading There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.
possessive form of “archer” — a person who is expert in the use of a bow and arrow
From this reading Archer's heart was beating violently when he rang old Mrs. Mingott's bell.
the act of overcoming or outdoing
From this reading Archer's heart was beating violently when he rang old Mrs. Mingott's bell.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading Archer's heart was beating violently when he rang old Mrs. Mingott's bell.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading His wife's face brightened, but she instantly answered: "Oh, you'd much better go alone.
plural of “bore” — a person who evokes boredom
From this reading It bores Granny to see the same people too often."
past form of “brighten” — make more cheerful through the use of color
From this reading His wife's face brightened, but she instantly answered: "Oh, you'd much better go alone.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading His wife's face brightened, but she instantly answered: "Oh, you'd much better go alone.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His wife's face brightened, but she instantly answered: "Oh, you'd much better go alone.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Shall we go together this afternoon?"
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading It bores Granny to see the same people too often."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Archer's heart was beating violently when he rang old Mrs. Mingott's bell.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Archer's heart was beating violently when he rang old Mrs. Mingott's bell.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His wife's face brightened, but she instantly answered: "Oh, you'd much better go alone.
lying or leaning on something else
From this reading There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading His wife's face brightened, but she instantly answered: "Oh, you'd much better go alone.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Archer's heart was beating violently when he rang old Mrs. Mingott's bell.
possessive form of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Archer's heart was beating violently when he rang old Mrs. Mingott's bell.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading His wife's face brightened, but she instantly answered: "Oh, you'd much better go alone.
many times at short intervals
From this reading It bores Granny to see the same people too often."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading His wife's face brightened, but she instantly answered: "Oh, you'd much better go alone.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Archer's heart was beating violently when he rang old Mrs. Mingott's bell.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading It bores Granny to see the same people too often."
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading Archer's heart was beating violently when he rang old Mrs. Mingott's bell.
precisely, exactly
From this reading There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.
Identical; not different.
From this reading It bores Granny to see the same people too often."
express in words
From this reading There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading It bores Granny to see the same people too often."
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Shall we go together this afternoon?"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His wife's face brightened, but she instantly answered: "Oh, you'd much better go alone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It bores Granny to see the same people too often."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Shall we go together this afternoon?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Shall we go together this afternoon?"
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading It bores Granny to see the same people too often."
in a violent manner
From this reading Archer's heart was beating violently when he rang old Mrs. Mingott's bell.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a moment's pause, and then Archer felt it incumbent on him to say: "All right.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Shall we go together this afternoon?"
at the time that
From this reading Archer's heart was beating violently when he rang old Mrs. Mingott's bell.
possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading His wife's face brightened, but she instantly answered: "Oh, you'd much better go alone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His wife's face brightened, but she instantly answered: "Oh, you'd much better go alone.
Chapter 25 of The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton holds 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 25 holds 160 sentences of The Age of Innocence, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 25 of The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 25 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.
