Chapter 16 of The Coquette is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Coquette is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TO MISS ELIZA WHARTON. HARTFORD. You desire me to write to you, my friend; but if you had not, I should by no means have refrained. I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy." You are strangely infatuated by them!
Chapter 16 of The Coquette is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
cautionary advice about something imminent (especially imminent danger or other unpleasantness)
From this reading “I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."”
plural of “delusion” — (psychology) an erroneous belief that is held in the face of evidence to the contrary
From this reading “I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."”
the state capital of Connecticut; located in central Connecticut on the Connecticut river; a center of the insurance business
From this reading “HARTFORD.”
marked by foolish or unreasoning fondness
From this reading “You are strangely infatuated by them!”
a very steep cliff
From this reading “I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."”
past form of “refrain” — resist doing something
From this reading “You desire me to write to you, my friend; but if you had not, I should by no means have refrained.”
in keeping with the season
From this reading “I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."”
United States novelist (1862-1937)
From this reading “TO MISS ELIZA WHARTON.”
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.
cautionary advice about something imminent (especially imminent danger or other unpleasantness)
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You are strangely infatuated by them!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
be on one's guard; be cautious or wary about; be alert to
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading You desire me to write to you, my friend; but if you had not, I should by no means have refrained.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading You desire me to write to you, my friend; but if you had not, I should by no means have refrained.
plural of “delusion” — (psychology) an erroneous belief that is held in the face of evidence to the contrary
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading You desire me to write to you, my friend; but if you had not, I should by no means have refrained.
to say again or imitate
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TO MISS ELIZA WHARTON.
very good; of the highest quality
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
something many people believe that is false
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading You desire me to write to you, my friend; but if you had not, I should by no means have refrained.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading You desire me to write to you, my friend; but if you had not, I should by no means have refrained.
the state capital of Connecticut; located in central Connecticut on the Connecticut river; a center of the insurance business
From this reading HARTFORD.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You desire me to write to you, my friend; but if you had not, I should by no means have refrained.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading You desire me to write to you, my friend; but if you had not, I should by no means have refrained.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading You desire me to write to you, my friend; but if you had not, I should by no means have refrained.
marked by foolish or unreasoning fondness
From this reading You are strangely infatuated by them!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading You desire me to write to you, my friend; but if you had not, I should by no means have refrained.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading You desire me to write to you, my friend; but if you had not, I should by no means have refrained.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading TO MISS ELIZA WHARTON.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading You desire me to write to you, my friend; but if you had not, I should by no means have refrained.
not any; not one
From this reading You desire me to write to you, my friend; but if you had not, I should by no means have refrained.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading You desire me to write to you, my friend; but if you had not, I should by no means have refrained.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
a very steep cliff
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
past form of “refrain” — resist doing something
From this reading You desire me to write to you, my friend; but if you had not, I should by no means have refrained.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
in keeping with the season
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading You desire me to write to you, my friend; but if you had not, I should by no means have refrained.
be standing; be upright
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
in a strange manner
From this reading You are strangely infatuated by them!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading You are strangely infatuated by them!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TO MISS ELIZA WHARTON.
move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
United States novelist (1862-1937)
From this reading TO MISS ELIZA WHARTON.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading I tremble at the precipice on which you stand, and must echo and reëcho the seasonable admonition of the excellent Mrs. Richman, "Beware of the delusions of fancy."
produce a literary work
From this reading You desire me to write to you, my friend; but if you had not, I should by no means have refrained.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You desire me to write to you, my friend; but if you had not, I should by no means have refrained.
Chapter 16 of The Coquette by Hannah Webster Foster holds 91 sentences, grouped into 19 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 16 holds 91 sentences of The Coquette, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Coquette by Hannah Webster Foster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 91 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 16 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.
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Yes. All 3063 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12431 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12431, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 255 minutes of reading across 613 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Coquette 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 Coquette, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
