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The Country House
The Country House

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The Country House is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Country House
Context Illustration Reading 1/35 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MR.
BARTER TAKES A WALK The event at the Rectory was expected every moment.
The Rector, who practically never suffered, disliked the thought and sight of others' suffering.
Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”
And she had always said it smiling, even when her smiling lips were white.
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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 Country House

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The Country House is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
MR.
/ˈmɪstər/
Line 2
BARTER TAKES A WALK The event at the Rectory was expected every moment.
/ˈbɑːrtər teɪks ə wɔːk ðə ɪˈvent æt ðə ˈrektəri wɑːz ɪkˈspektəd ˈevəri ˈmoʊmənt/
Line 3
The Rector, who practically never suffered, disliked the thought and sight of others' suffering.
Line 4
Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always saidNo, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”
Line 5
And she had always said it smiling, even when her smiling lips were white.
/ənd ʃiː hæd ˈɔːlweɪz sed ɪt ˈsmaɪlɪŋ ˈiːvɪn wen hɜːr ˈsmaɪlɪŋ lɪps wɜːr waɪt/

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.

barter noun US /ˈbɑːrtər/

an equal exchange

From this reading “BARTER TAKES A WALK The event at the Rectory was expected every moment.”

dislike noun US /dɪˈslaɪk/

an inclination to withhold approval from some person or group

From this reading “Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.””

disliked adjective US /dɪˈslaɪkt/

regarded with aversion

From this reading “The Rector, who practically never suffered, disliked the thought and sight of others' suffering.”

event noun US /ɪˈvent/

something that happens at a given place and time

From this reading “BARTER TAKES A WALK The event at the Rectory was expected every moment.”

inquiries noun US /ˌɪnˈkwaɪəriz/

plural of “inquiry” — a search for knowledge

From this reading “Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.””

practically adverb US /ˈpræktɪkli/

almost; nearly

From this reading “The Rector, who practically never suffered, disliked the thought and sight of others' suffering.”

Rector noun US /ˈrektər/

a person authorized to conduct religious worship

From this reading “The Rector, who practically never suffered, disliked the thought and sight of others' suffering.”

Rectory noun US /ˈrektəri/

an official residence provided by a church for its parson or vicar or rector

From this reading “BARTER TAKES A WALK The event at the Rectory was expected every moment.”

All words in this reading · 60

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading BARTER TAKES A WALK The event at the Rectory was expected every moment.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The Rector, who practically never suffered, disliked the thought and sight of others' suffering.

answerverbUS /ˈænsər/

react verbally

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading BARTER TAKES A WALK The event at the Rectory was expected every moment.

BARTERnounUS /ˈbɑːrtər/

an equal exchange

From this reading BARTER TAKES A WALK The event at the Rectory was expected every moment.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

dislikenounUS /dɪˈslaɪk/

an inclination to withhold approval from some person or group

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

dislikedadjectiveUS /dɪˈslaɪkt/

regarded with aversion

From this reading The Rector, who practically never suffered, disliked the thought and sight of others' suffering.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading And she had always said it smiling, even when her smiling lips were white.

eventnounUS /ɪˈvent/

something that happens at a given place and time

From this reading BARTER TAKES A WALK The event at the Rectory was expected every moment.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading BARTER TAKES A WALK The event at the Rectory was expected every moment.

expectedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈspektəd/

considered likely or probable to happen or arrive

From this reading BARTER TAKES A WALK The event at the Rectory was expected every moment.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading And she had always said it smiling, even when her smiling lips were white.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

I'm

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

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

indeedadverbUS /ˌɪnˈdiːd/

in truth (often tends to intensify)

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

inquiriesnounUS /ˌɪnˈkwaɪəriz/

plural of “inquiry” — a search for knowledge

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading And she had always said it smiling, even when her smiling lips were white.

it's

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

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

lipsnounUS /lɪps/

plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking

From this reading And she had always said it smiling, even when her smiling lips were white.

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading BARTER TAKES A WALK The event at the Rectory was expected every moment.

MRnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading MR.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading The Rector, who practically never suffered, disliked the thought and sight of others' suffering.

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

nonepronounUS /nʌn/

not one, and not any

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The Rector, who practically never suffered, disliked the thought and sight of others' suffering.

others

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

From this reading The Rector, who practically never suffered, disliked the thought and sight of others' suffering.

practicallyadverbUS /ˈpræktɪkli/

almost; nearly

From this reading The Rector, who practically never suffered, disliked the thought and sight of others' suffering.

reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

RectornounUS /ˈrektər/

a person authorized to conduct religious worship

From this reading The Rector, who practically never suffered, disliked the thought and sight of others' suffering.

RectorynounUS /ˈrektəri/

an official residence provided by a church for its parson or vicar or rector

From this reading BARTER TAKES A WALK The event at the Rectory was expected every moment.

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading And she had always said it smiling, even when her smiling lips were white.

sightnounUS /saɪt/

an instance of visual perception

From this reading The Rector, who practically never suffered, disliked the thought and sight of others' suffering.

smilingnounUS /ˈsmaɪlɪŋ/

a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement

From this reading And she had always said it smiling, even when her smiling lips were white.

sufferedverbUS /ˈsʌfərd/

past form of “suffer” — undergo or be subjected to

From this reading The Rector, who practically never suffered, disliked the thought and sight of others' suffering.

sufferingnounUS /ˈsʌfərɪŋ/

a state of acute pain

From this reading The Rector, who practically never suffered, disliked the thought and sight of others' suffering.

TAKESnounUS /teɪks/

plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property

From this reading BARTER TAKES A WALK The event at the Rectory was expected every moment.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading BARTER TAKES A WALK The event at the Rectory was expected every moment.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading The Rector, who practically never suffered, disliked the thought and sight of others' suffering.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

UpadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

WALKnounUS /wɔːk/

the act of traveling by foot

From this reading BARTER TAKES A WALK The event at the Rectory was expected every moment.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading BARTER TAKES A WALK The event at the Rectory was expected every moment.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading And she had always said it smiling, even when her smiling lips were white.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading And she had always said it smiling, even when her smiling lips were white.

whitenounUS /waɪt/

a Caucasian

From this reading And she had always said it smiling, even when her smiling lips were white.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading The Rector, who practically never suffered, disliked the thought and sight of others' suffering.

wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading Up to this day, indeed, there had been none to dislike, for in answer to inquiries his wife had always said “No, dear, no; I'm all right--really, it's nothing.”

Chapter 21 of The Country House by John Galsworthy holds 179 sentences, grouped into 36 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.

What does chapter 21 of The Country House contain?

Chapter 21 holds 179 sentences of The Country House, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of The Country House by John Galsworthy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 179 sentences, grouped into 36 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 21 of The Country House?

Work through the 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 36 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 21 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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.

Questions about reading The Country House

Common questions about reading The Country House by John Galsworthy on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Country House?

Yes. All 4974 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2772 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Country House is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2772, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Country House take to read?

About 414 minutes of reading across 995 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Country House section by section

How to work through The Country House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Country House to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Country House

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

Month
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Country House; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
October
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Country House; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Monday
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Country House; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Outside
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Country House; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.