Chapter 39 of The Desired Woman is here in full — 72 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of The Desired Woman is here in full — 72 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
That evening after supper Saunders and Mostyn were on the veranda smoking together. The exchange of remarks was formal, even forced and awkward. Presently Saunders said: "I saw Leach looking for you at the arbor. Did you run across him?" "Yes," Mostyn puffed, and Saunders heard him heave a sigh.
Chapter 39 of The Desired Woman is here in full — 72 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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.
tree (as opposed to shrub)
From this reading “Presently Saunders said: "I saw Leach looking for you at the arbor.”
causing inconvenience
From this reading “The exchange of remarks was formal, even forced and awkward.”
chemical process in which one atom or ion or group changes places with another
From this reading “The exchange of remarks was formal, even forced and awkward.”
being in accord with established forms and conventions and requirements (as e.g. of formal dress)
From this reading “The exchange of remarks was formal, even forced and awkward.”
utter a sound, as with obvious effort
From this reading “"Yes," Mostyn puffed, and Saunders heard him heave a sigh.”
cause (a liquid) to leach or percolate
From this reading “Presently Saunders said: "I saw Leach looking for you at the arbor.”
gathered for protruding fullness
From this reading “"Yes," Mostyn puffed, and Saunders heard him heave a sigh.”
a porch along the outside of a building (sometimes partly enclosed)
From this reading “That evening after supper Saunders and Mostyn were on the veranda smoking together.”
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 "Yes," Mostyn puffed, and Saunders heard him heave a sigh.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Did you run across him?"
later than; following
From this reading That evening after supper Saunders and Mostyn were on the veranda smoking together.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading That evening after supper Saunders and Mostyn were on the veranda smoking together.
tree (as opposed to shrub)
From this reading Presently Saunders said: "I saw Leach looking for you at the arbor.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Presently Saunders said: "I saw Leach looking for you at the arbor.
causing inconvenience
From this reading The exchange of remarks was formal, even forced and awkward.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Did you run across him?"
divisible by two
From this reading The exchange of remarks was formal, even forced and awkward.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading That evening after supper Saunders and Mostyn were on the veranda smoking together.
chemical process in which one atom or ion or group changes places with another
From this reading The exchange of remarks was formal, even forced and awkward.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Presently Saunders said: "I saw Leach looking for you at the arbor.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading The exchange of remarks was formal, even forced and awkward.
being in accord with established forms and conventions and requirements (as e.g. of formal dress)
From this reading The exchange of remarks was formal, even forced and awkward.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "Yes," Mostyn puffed, and Saunders heard him heave a sigh.
utter a sound, as with obvious effort
From this reading "Yes," Mostyn puffed, and Saunders heard him heave a sigh.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Did you run across him?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Presently Saunders said: "I saw Leach looking for you at the arbor.
cause (a liquid) to leach or percolate
From this reading Presently Saunders said: "I saw Leach looking for you at the arbor.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Presently Saunders said: "I saw Leach looking for you at the arbor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That evening after supper Saunders and Mostyn were on the veranda smoking together.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The exchange of remarks was formal, even forced and awkward.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading That evening after supper Saunders and Mostyn were on the veranda smoking together.
in the near future
From this reading Presently Saunders said: "I saw Leach looking for you at the arbor.
gathered for protruding fullness
From this reading "Yes," Mostyn puffed, and Saunders heard him heave a sigh.
plural of “remark” — a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading The exchange of remarks was formal, even forced and awkward.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Did you run across him?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Presently Saunders said: "I saw Leach looking for you at the arbor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That evening after supper Saunders and Mostyn were on the veranda smoking together.
cut with a saw
From this reading Presently Saunders said: "I saw Leach looking for you at the arbor.
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading "Yes," Mostyn puffed, and Saunders heard him heave a sigh.
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading That evening after supper Saunders and Mostyn were on the veranda smoking together.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading That evening after supper Saunders and Mostyn were on the veranda smoking together.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That evening after supper Saunders and Mostyn were on the veranda smoking together.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading That evening after supper Saunders and Mostyn were on the veranda smoking together.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading That evening after supper Saunders and Mostyn were on the veranda smoking together.
a porch along the outside of a building (sometimes partly enclosed)
From this reading That evening after supper Saunders and Mostyn were on the veranda smoking together.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The exchange of remarks was formal, even forced and awkward.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading That evening after supper Saunders and Mostyn were on the veranda smoking together.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," Mostyn puffed, and Saunders heard him heave a sigh.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Presently Saunders said: "I saw Leach looking for you at the arbor.
Chapter 39 of The Desired Woman by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben holds 72 sentences, grouped into 15 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.
Chapter 39 holds 72 sentences of The Desired Woman, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of The Desired Woman by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 72 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 39 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 Desired Woman by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7922 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6056 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6056, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1585 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Desired Woman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Desired Woman 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 Desired Woman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
