Chapter 34 of The Cottage of Delight: A Novel is here in full — 42 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIV
Chapter 34 of The Cottage of Delight: A Novel is here in full — 42 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter. Since I got home I declare everything here seems awfully tame. That was a wonderful visit I had as I look back on it. I wish it could have gone on forever. I am glad I saw you, for a lot of reasons.
Chapter 34 of The Cottage of Delight: A Novel is here in full — 42 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/8 · 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.
used as intensifiers
From this reading “Since I got home I declare everything here seems awfully tame.”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.”
state emphatically and authoritatively
From this reading “Since I got home I declare everything here seems awfully tame.”
for a limitless time
From this reading “I wish it could have gone on forever.”
referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)
From this reading “Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.”
plural of “reason” — a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading “I am glad I saw you, for a lot of reasons.”
correct by punishment or discipline
From this reading “Since I got home I declare everything here seems awfully tame.”
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading “That was a wonderful visit I had as I look back on it.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “Since I got home I declare everything here seems awfully tame.”
look towards one's back
In this reading “That was a wonderful visit I had as I look back on it.”
In this reading “Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.”
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 That was a wonderful visit I had as I look back on it.
later than; following
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am glad I saw you, for a lot of reasons.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading That was a wonderful visit I had as I look back on it.
used as intensifiers
From this reading Since I got home I declare everything here seems awfully tame.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading That was a wonderful visit I had as I look back on it.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I wish it could have gone on forever.
dearly loved
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
state emphatically and authoritatively
From this reading Since I got home I declare everything here seems awfully tame.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Since I got home I declare everything here seems awfully tame.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I am glad I saw you, for a lot of reasons.
for a limitless time
From this reading I wish it could have gone on forever.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading I am glad I saw you, for a lot of reasons.
destroyed or killed
From this reading I wish it could have gone on forever.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Since I got home I declare everything here seems awfully tame.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading That was a wonderful visit I had as I look back on it.
only a very short time before
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I wish it could have gone on forever.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Since I got home I declare everything here seems awfully tame.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Since I got home I declare everything here seems awfully tame.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading That was a wonderful visit I had as I look back on it.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading That was a wonderful visit I had as I look back on it.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading I am glad I saw you, for a lot of reasons.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I am glad I saw you, for a lot of reasons.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading That was a wonderful visit I had as I look back on it.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
plural of “reason” — a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading I am glad I saw you, for a lot of reasons.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
cut with a saw
From this reading I am glad I saw you, for a lot of reasons.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Since I got home I declare everything here seems awfully tame.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Since I got home I declare everything here seems awfully tame.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
correct by punishment or discipline
From this reading Since I got home I declare everything here seems awfully tame.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That was a wonderful visit I had as I look back on it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Dear John [so ran the first letter from Cavanaugh after the latter returned to Ridgeville]--I hardly know how to begin this letter.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading That was a wonderful visit I had as I look back on it.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That was a wonderful visit I had as I look back on it.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading I wish it could have gone on forever.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading That was a wonderful visit I had as I look back on it.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I am glad I saw you, for a lot of reasons.
Chapter 34 of The Cottage of Delight: A Novel by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben holds 42 sentences, grouped into 9 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 34 holds 42 sentences of The Cottage of Delight: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 9 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 34 of The Cottage of Delight: A Novel by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 42 sentences, grouped into 9 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 9 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 9 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 34 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 Cottage of Delight: A Novel by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9004 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33715 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33715, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1801 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Cottage of Delight: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Cottage of Delight: A Novel 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 Cottage of Delight: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
