Chapter 29 of The Ambassadors is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIX
Chapter 29 of The Ambassadors is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Because I had it from her as a thing not yet to be spoken of.” Miss Gostrey wondered. “From Madame de Vionnet herself?” “As a probability—not quite a certainty: a good cause in which Chad has been working. So I’ve waited.”
Chapter 29 of The Ambassadors is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading ““As a probability—not quite a certainty: a good cause in which Chad has been working.”
the state of being certain
From this reading ““As a probability—not quite a certainty: a good cause in which Chad has been working.”
a small piece of paper that is supposed to be removed when a hole is punched in a card or paper tape
From this reading ““As a probability—not quite a certainty: a good cause in which Chad has been working.”
a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible
From this reading ““As a probability—not quite a certainty: a good cause in which Chad has been working.”
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading ““Because I had it from her as a thing not yet to be spoken of.””
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “So I’ve waited.””
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading “Miss Gostrey wondered.”
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading ““As a probability—not quite a certainty: a good cause in which Chad has been working.”
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 “Because I had it from her as a thing not yet to be spoken of.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Because I had it from her as a thing not yet to be spoken of.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Because I had it from her as a thing not yet to be spoken of.”
for the reason that
From this reading “Because I had it from her as a thing not yet to be spoken of.”
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “As a probability—not quite a certainty: a good cause in which Chad has been working.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading “As a probability—not quite a certainty: a good cause in which Chad has been working.
the state of being certain
From this reading “As a probability—not quite a certainty: a good cause in which Chad has been working.
a small piece of paper that is supposed to be removed when a hole is punched in a card or paper tape
From this reading “As a probability—not quite a certainty: a good cause in which Chad has been working.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading “From Madame de Vionnet herself?”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “Because I had it from her as a thing not yet to be spoken of.”
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “As a probability—not quite a certainty: a good cause in which Chad has been working.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Miss Gostrey wondered.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “Because I had it from her as a thing not yet to be spoken of.”
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “As a probability—not quite a certainty: a good cause in which Chad has been working.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Because I had it from her as a thing not yet to be spoken of.”
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading “From Madame de Vionnet herself?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Because I had it from her as a thing not yet to be spoken of.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I’ve waited.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “As a probability—not quite a certainty: a good cause in which Chad has been working.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Because I had it from her as a thing not yet to be spoken of.”
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading “From Madame de Vionnet herself?”
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Miss Gostrey wondered.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Because I had it from her as a thing not yet to be spoken of.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Because I had it from her as a thing not yet to be spoken of.”
a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible
From this reading “As a probability—not quite a certainty: a good cause in which Chad has been working.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading “As a probability—not quite a certainty: a good cause in which Chad has been working.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So I’ve waited.”
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “Because I had it from her as a thing not yet to be spoken of.”
a special situation
From this reading “Because I had it from her as a thing not yet to be spoken of.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Because I had it from her as a thing not yet to be spoken of.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “From Madame de Vionnet herself?”
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading So I’ve waited.”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “As a probability—not quite a certainty: a good cause in which Chad has been working.
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading Miss Gostrey wondered.
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading “As a probability—not quite a certainty: a good cause in which Chad has been working.
but in spite of that
From this reading “Because I had it from her as a thing not yet to be spoken of.”
Chapter 29 of The Ambassadors by Henry James holds 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 29 holds 232 sentences of The Ambassadors, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 29 of The Ambassadors by Henry James exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 29 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 Ambassadors by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9031 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #432 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #432, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1807 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ambassadors section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Ambassadors 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 Ambassadors, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
