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The Coquette
The Coquette

Chapter XLIX · Chapter 49

Chapter 49 of The Coquette is here in full — 34 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Coquette
Context Illustration Reading 1/6 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
TO MRS.
LUCY SUMNER.
HARTFORD.
Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.
O my friend, I am undone.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Coquette

Chapter XLIX · Chapter 49

Chapter 49 of The Coquette is here in full — 34 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/6 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
TO MRS.
/tuː ˈmɪsɪz/
Line 2
LUCY SUMNER.
/ˈluːsi ˈsʌmnər/
Line 3
HARTFORD.
/ˈhɑːrtfərd/
Line 4
Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.
Line 5
O my friend, I am undone.
/oʊ maɪ frend aɪ æm ənˈdʌn/

Learner Dictionary

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.

capacity noun US /kəˈpæsəti/

capability to perform or produce

From this reading “Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.”

hartford noun US /ˈhɑːrtfərd/

the state capital of Connecticut; located in central Connecticut on the Connecticut river; a center of the insurance business

From this reading “HARTFORD.”

placid adjective US /ˈplæsəd/

(of a body of water) free from disturbance by heavy waves

From this reading “Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.”

serenity noun US /səˈren.ə.t̬i/

The state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled by external storms.

From this reading “Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.”

shoals noun US /ʃoʊlz/

plural of “shoal” — a sandbank in a stretch of water that is visible at low tide

From this reading “Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.”

sumner noun US /ˈsʌmnər/

United States sociologist (1840-1910)

From this reading “LUCY SUMNER.”

tasting noun US /ˈteɪstɪŋ/

a small amount (especially of food or wine)

From this reading “Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.”

undone adjective US /ənˈdʌn/

not done

From this reading “O my friend, I am undone.”

All words in this reading · 42

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.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

capacitynounUS /kəˈpæsəti/

capability to perform or produce

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

despairnounUS /dɪˈsper/

a state in which all hope is lost or absent

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

domesticadjectiveUS /dəˈmestɪk/

of concern to or concerning the internal affairs of a nation

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

follynounUS /ˈfɑːli/

the trait of acting stupidly or rashly

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

friendnounUS /frend/

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

HARTFORDnounUS /ˈhɑːrtfərd/

the state capital of Connecticut; located in central Connecticut on the Connecticut river; a center of the insurance business

From this reading HARTFORD.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

HealthnounUS /helθ/

a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

lotnounUS /lɑːt/

(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

LUCYnounUS /ˈluːsi/

incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974

From this reading LUCY SUMNER.

meansnounUS /miːnz/

thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

MRSnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading TO MRS.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

OnounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading O my friend, I am undone.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

placidadjectiveUS /ˈplæsəd/

(of a body of water) free from disturbance by heavy waves

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

pleasurenounUS /ˈpleʒər/

a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

possessedadjectiveUS /pəˈzest/

influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

serenitynounUS /səˈren.ə.t̬i/

The state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled by external storms.

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

shipwrecked

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

shoalsnounUS /ʃoʊlz/

plural of “shoal” — a sandbank in a stretch of water that is visible at low tide

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

SUMNERnounUS /ˈsʌmnər/

United States sociologist (1840-1910)

From this reading LUCY SUMNER.

tastingnounUS /ˈteɪstɪŋ/

a small amount (especially of food or wine)

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

tillprepositionUS /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

TOparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading TO MRS.

tossedverbUS /tɔːst/

past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

undoneadjectiveUS /ənˈdʌn/

not done

From this reading O my friend, I am undone.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

wavesnounUS /weɪvz/

plural of “wave” — one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Health, placid serenity, and every domestic pleasure are the lot of my friend; while I, who once possessed the means of each, and the capacity of tasting them, have been tossed upon the waves of folly, till I am shipwrecked on the shoals of despair.

Chapter 49 of The Coquette by Hannah Webster Foster holds 34 sentences, grouped into 7 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.

What does chapter 49 of The Coquette contain?

Chapter 49 holds 34 sentences of The Coquette, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 49 of The Coquette by Hannah Webster Foster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 34 sentences, grouped into 7 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.

How do I study chapter 49 of The Coquette?

Work through the 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 7 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.

Can chapter 49 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 49 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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Common questions about reading The Coquette by Hannah Webster Foster on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Coquette?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Coquette is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Coquette

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Coquette, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

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Chapter 3
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