Chapter 15 of The Custom of the Country is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Custom of the Country is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The rapture of the cry caught him up with it. Ah, yes, he could imagine it all! He stooped his head above her hands. "I accept," he said; and they stood and looked at each other like radiant children. She followed him to the door, and as he turned to leave he broke into a laugh.
Chapter 15 of The Custom of the Country is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
consider or hold as true
From this reading “"I accept," he said; and they stood and looked at each other like radiant children.”
lacking funds
From this reading “She followed him to the door, and as he turned to leave he broke into a laugh.”
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “The rapture of the cry caught him up with it.”
form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading “Ah, yes, he could imagine it all!”
the sound of laughing
From this reading “She followed him to the door, and as he turned to leave he broke into a laugh.”
radiating or as if radiating light
From this reading “"I accept," he said; and they stood and looked at each other like radiant children.”
a state of being carried away by overwhelming emotion
From this reading “The rapture of the cry caught him up with it.”
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading “He stooped his head above her hands.”
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 She followed him to the door, and as he turned to leave he broke into a laugh.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading He stooped his head above her hands.
consider or hold as true
From this reading "I accept," he said; and they stood and looked at each other like radiant children.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ah, yes, he could imagine it all!
(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 Ah, yes, he could imagine it all!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I accept," he said; and they stood and looked at each other like radiant children.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She followed him to the door, and as he turned to leave he broke into a laugh.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I accept," he said; and they stood and looked at each other like radiant children.
lacking funds
From this reading She followed him to the door, and as he turned to leave he broke into a laugh.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading The rapture of the cry caught him up with it.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading "I accept," he said; and they stood and looked at each other like radiant children.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Ah, yes, he could imagine it all!
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading The rapture of the cry caught him up with it.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading She followed him to the door, and as he turned to leave he broke into a laugh.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading "I accept," he said; and they stood and looked at each other like radiant children.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading She followed him to the door, and as he turned to leave he broke into a laugh.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He stooped his head above her hands.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Ah, yes, he could imagine it all!
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He stooped his head above her hands.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He stooped his head above her hands.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The rapture of the cry caught him up with it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He stooped his head above her hands.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I accept," he said; and they stood and looked at each other like radiant children.
form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading Ah, yes, he could imagine it all!
moving to the inside of something
From this reading She followed him to the door, and as he turned to leave he broke into a laugh.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The rapture of the cry caught him up with it.
the sound of laughing
From this reading She followed him to the door, and as he turned to leave he broke into a laugh.
go away from a place
From this reading She followed him to the door, and as he turned to leave he broke into a laugh.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "I accept," he said; and they stood and looked at each other like radiant children.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "I accept," he said; and they stood and looked at each other like radiant children.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The rapture of the cry caught him up with it.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "I accept," he said; and they stood and looked at each other like radiant children.
radiating or as if radiating light
From this reading "I accept," he said; and they stood and looked at each other like radiant children.
a state of being carried away by overwhelming emotion
From this reading The rapture of the cry caught him up with it.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I accept," he said; and they stood and looked at each other like radiant children.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She followed him to the door, and as he turned to leave he broke into a laugh.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading "I accept," he said; and they stood and looked at each other like radiant children.
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading He stooped his head above her hands.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The rapture of the cry caught him up with it.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I accept," he said; and they stood and looked at each other like radiant children.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She followed him to the door, and as he turned to leave he broke into a laugh.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading She followed him to the door, and as he turned to leave he broke into a laugh.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The rapture of the cry caught him up with it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The rapture of the cry caught him up with it.
an affirmative
From this reading Ah, yes, he could imagine it all!
Chapter 15 of The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton holds 392 sentences, grouped into 79 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 15 holds 392 sentences of The Custom of the Country, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 392 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 15 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 Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7166 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11052 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11052, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 597 minutes of reading across 1434 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Custom of the Country section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Custom of the Country 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 Custom of the Country, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
