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The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death
The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death

Chapter XVI · Chapter 16

Chapter 16 of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death
Context Illustration Reading 1/41 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."
JANE AUSTEN.
I Next morning Rachel wrote the following letter to Francis Breton:
"DEAR MR.
BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.
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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 Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death

Chapter XVI · Chapter 16

Chapter 16 of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/41 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."
/fɜːrst ˈsiːkwəl tuː dɪˈfaɪəns hiː bɪˈɡæn tuː lʌv hɜːr soʊ suːn æz hiː pərˈsiːvd ðæt ʃiː wɑːz ˈpæsɪŋ aʊt ʌv hɪz kənˈtroʊl/
Line 2
JANE AUSTEN.
Line 3
I Next morning Rachel wrote the following letter to Francis Breton:
Line 4
"DEAR MR.
/dɪr ˈmɪstər/
Line 5
BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.
/ˈbretən ɪt wɑːz ɡʊd ʌv juː tuː raɪt tuː miː ənd aɪ mʌst əˈpɑːlədʒaɪz fɔːr əˈlaʊɪŋ jɔːr ˈletər tuː rɪˈmeɪn soʊ lɔːŋ ˌʌˈnænsərd bʌt ɑːn maɪ rɪˈtɜːrn frʌm əˈbrɔːd ðer wɜːr ˈnætʃərəli ə ɡreɪt ˈmeni θɪŋz tuː duː ənd ə ɡreɪt ˈmeni ˈpiːpəl tuː siː/

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.

allowing verb US /əˈlaʊɪŋ/

-ing form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen

From this reading “BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.”

apologize verb US /əˈpɑːlədʒaɪz/

acknowledge faults or shortcomings or failing

From this reading “BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.”

austen noun US /ˈɔːstɪn/

English novelist noted for her insightful portrayals of middle-class families (1775-1817)

From this reading “JANE AUSTEN.”

Breton noun US /ˈbretən/

a native or inhabitant of Brittany (especially one who speaks the Breton language)

From this reading “I Next morning Rachel wrote the following letter to Francis Breton:”

defiance noun US /dɪˈfaɪəns/

intentionally contemptuous behavior or attitude

From this reading “FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."”

Rachel noun US /ˈreɪtʃəl/

(Old Testament) the second wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin

From this reading “I Next morning Rachel wrote the following letter to Francis Breton:”

sequel noun US /ˈsiːkwəl/

something that follows something else

From this reading “FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."”

unanswered adjective US /ˌʌˈnænsərd/

not returned in kind

From this reading “BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

Next morning adjective + noun

In this reading “I Next morning Rachel wrote the following letter to Francis Breton:”

following letter adjective + noun

In this reading “I Next morning Rachel wrote the following letter to Francis Breton:”

many things adjective + noun

In this reading “BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.”

apologize for verb + particle

In this reading “BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.”

many people adjective + noun

In this reading “BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.”

return from verb + particle

In this reading “BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.”

All words in this reading · 64

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 BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

abroadadverbUS /əˈbrɔːd/

to or in a foreign country

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

allowingverbUS /əˈlaʊɪŋ/

-ing form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

apologizeverbUS /əˈpɑːlədʒaɪz/

acknowledge faults or shortcomings or failing

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

AUSTENnounUS /ˈɔːstɪn/

English novelist noted for her insightful portrayals of middle-class families (1775-1817)

From this reading JANE AUSTEN.

beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

BretonnounUS /ˈbretən/

a native or inhabitant of Brittany (especially one who speaks the Breton language)

From this reading I Next morning Rachel wrote the following letter to Francis Breton:

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

controlnounUS /kənˈtroʊl/

power to direct or determine

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

DEARadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading "DEAR MR.

DEFIANCEnounUS /dɪˈfaɪəns/

intentionally contemptuous behavior or attitude

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

FIRSTadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

followingadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːloʊɪŋ/

about to be mentioned or specified

From this reading I Next morning Rachel wrote the following letter to Francis Breton:

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

Francis

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

From this reading I Next morning Rachel wrote the following letter to Francis Breton:

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I Next morning Rachel wrote the following letter to Francis Breton:

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

JANE

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

From this reading JANE AUSTEN.

letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading I Next morning Rachel wrote the following letter to Francis Breton:

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading I Next morning Rachel wrote the following letter to Francis Breton:

MRnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading "DEAR MR.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

naturallyadverbUS /ˈnætʃərəli/

as might be expected

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

NextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading I Next morning Rachel wrote the following letter to Francis Breton:

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

passingnounUS /ˈpæsɪŋ/

(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

perceivedadjectiveUS /pərˈsiːvd/

detected by instinct or inference rather than by recognized perceptual cues

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

RachelnounUS /ˈreɪtʃəl/

(Old Testament) the second wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin

From this reading I Next morning Rachel wrote the following letter to Francis Breton:

remainverbUS /rɪˈmeɪn/

stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

returnverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

SEQUELnounUS /ˈsiːkwəl/

something that follows something else

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading I Next morning Rachel wrote the following letter to Francis Breton:

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

TOparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

unansweredadjectiveUS /ˌʌˈnænsərd/

not returned in kind

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading FIRST SEQUEL TO DEFIANCE "He began to love her so soon, as he perceived that she was passing out of his control."

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

writeverbUS /raɪt/

produce a literary work

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

wroteverbUS /roʊt/

inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work

From this reading I Next morning Rachel wrote the following letter to Francis Breton:

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading BRETON, It was good of you to write to me and I must apologize for allowing your letter to remain so long unanswered, but, on my return from abroad, there were naturally a great many things to do and a great many people to see.

Chapter 16 of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death by Hugh Walpole holds 206 sentences, grouped into 42 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 16 of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death contain?

Chapter 16 holds 206 sentences of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death by Hugh Walpole exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 206 sentences, grouped into 42 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 16 of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death?

Work through the 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 42 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 16 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 16 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 Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death by Hugh Walpole on this page, its source edition and its audio.

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Yes. All 9062 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33086 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #33086, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 600 minutes of reading across 1813 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fortitude
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
George
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Doran
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.