The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1 is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Edith Wharton • Curated US English Learning Edition

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Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.

At length he said: “Why did you want to tell me this?”

The question startled Granice.

He was about to explain, as he had explained to Ascham; but suddenly it occurred to him that if his motive had not seemed convincing to the lawyer it would carry much less weight with Denver.

Both were successful men, and success does not understand the subtle agony of failure.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter VII Reading 1/39

The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1 Edith Wharton

Chapter VII

Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1 is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable. At length he said: “Why did you want to tell me this?” The question startled Granice. He was about to explain, as he had explained to Ascham; but suddenly it occurred to him that if his motive had not seemed convincing to the lawyer it would carry much less weight with Denver. Both were successful men, and success does not understand the subtle agony of failure.

The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1 is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.

Line 2

At length he said: “Why did you want to tell me this?”

/æt leŋkθ hiː sed waɪ dɪd juː wɑːnt tuː tel miː ðɪs/

Line 3

The question startled Granice.

Line 4

He was about to explain, as he had explained to Ascham; but suddenly it occurred to him that if his motive had not seemed convincing to the lawyer it would carry much less weight with Denver.

Line 5

Both were successful men, and success does not understand the subtle agony of failure.

/boʊθ wɜːr səkˈsesfəl men ənd səkˈses dʌz nɑːt ˌʌndərˈstænd ðə ˈsʌtəl ˈæɡ.ə.ni ʌv ˈfeɪljər/

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.

convincing adjective US /kənˈvɪnsɪŋ/

causing one to believe the truth of something

From this reading “He was about to explain, as he had explained to Ascham; but suddenly it occurred to him that if his motive had not seemed convincing to the lawyer it would carry much less weight with Denver.”

Denver noun US /ˈdenvər/

the state capital and largest city of Colorado; located in central Colorado on the South Platte river

From this reading “Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.”

Denver's noun US /ˈdenvərz/

possessive form of “denver” — the state capital and largest city of Colorado; located in central Colorado on the South Platte river

failure noun US /ˈfeɪljər/

an act that fails

From this reading “Both were successful men, and success does not understand the subtle agony of failure.”

inscrutable adjective US /ˌɪnˈskruːtəbəl/

of an obscure nature

From this reading “Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.”

listener noun US /ˈlɪsənər/

someone who listens attentively

From this reading “Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.”

motive noun US /ˈmoʊtɪv/

the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior

subtle adjective US /ˈsʌtəl/

difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze

From this reading “Both were successful men, and success does not understand the subtle agony of failure.”

All words in this reading · 65

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.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading He was about to explain, as he had explained to Ascham; but suddenly it occurred to him that if his motive had not seemed convincing to the lawyer it would carry much less weight with Denver.

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.

agonynounUS /ˈæɡ.ə.ni/

Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.

From this reading Both were successful men, and success does not understand the subtle agony of failure.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

Ascham

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

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.

BothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading Both were successful men, and success does not understand the subtle agony of failure.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.

carryverbUS /ˈkæri/

move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body

convincingadjectiveUS /kənˈvɪnsɪŋ/

causing one to believe the truth of something

DenvernounUS /ˈdenvər/

the state capital and largest city of Colorado; located in central Colorado on the South Platte river

Denver'snounUS /ˈdenvərz/

possessive form of “denver” — the state capital and largest city of Colorado; located in central Colorado on the South Platte river

From this reading Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading At length he said: “Why did you want to tell me this?”

doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/

the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Both were successful men, and success does not understand the subtle agony of failure.

explainverbUS /ɪkˈspleɪn/

make plain and comprehensible

explainedverbUS /ɪkˈspleɪnd/

past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.

failurenounUS /ˈfeɪljər/

an act that fails

From this reading Both were successful men, and success does not understand the subtle agony of failure.

Granice

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

From this reading Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading At length he said: “Why did you want to tell me this?”

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

inscrutableadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈskruːtəbəl/

of an obscure nature

From this reading Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

lawyernounUS /ˈlɔːjər/

a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice

lengthnounUS /leŋkθ/

the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place

From this reading At length he said: “Why did you want to tell me this?”

lessadverbUS /les/

used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs

listenernounUS /ˈlɪsənər/

someone who listens attentively

From this reading Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading At length he said: “Why did you want to tell me this?”

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading Both were successful men, and success does not understand the subtle agony of failure.

motivenounUS /ˈmoʊtɪv/

the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

occurredverbUS /əˈkɜːrd/

inflected form of “occur” — come to pass

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Both were successful men, and success does not understand the subtle agony of failure.

questionverbUS /ˈkwestʃən/

challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of

From this reading The question startled Granice.

remainedverbUS /rɪˈmeɪnd/

past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading At length he said: “Why did you want to tell me this?”

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

smoke-fumes

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

From this reading Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.

speakingnounUS /ˈspiːkɪŋ/

the utterance of intelligible speech

From this reading Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.

startledadjectiveUS /ˈstɑːrtəld/

excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement

From this reading The question startled Granice.

stoppedadjectiveUS /stɑːpt/

(of a nose) blocked

From this reading Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.

subtleadjectiveUS /ˈsʌtəl/

difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze

From this reading Both were successful men, and success does not understand the subtle agony of failure.

successnounUS /səkˈses/

an event that accomplishes its intended purpose

From this reading Both were successful men, and success does not understand the subtle agony of failure.

successfuladjectiveUS /səkˈsesfəl/

having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome

From this reading Both were successful men, and success does not understand the subtle agony of failure.

suddenlyadverbUS /ˈsʌdənli/

happening unexpectedly

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading At length he said: “Why did you want to tell me this?”

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Granice stopped speaking and looked across the smoke-fumes at his listener; but Denver’s face remained inscrutable.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading At length he said: “Why did you want to tell me this?”

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading At length he said: “Why did you want to tell me this?”

understandverbUS /ˌʌndərˈstænd/

know and comprehend the nature or meaning of

From this reading Both were successful men, and success does not understand the subtle agony of failure.

wantverbUS /wɑːnt/

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

From this reading At length he said: “Why did you want to tell me this?”

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

weightnounUS /weɪt/

the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Both were successful men, and success does not understand the subtle agony of failure.

WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading At length he said: “Why did you want to tell me this?”

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading At length he said: “Why did you want to tell me this?”

Chapter 7 of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1 by Edith Wharton holds 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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 7 of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1 contain?

Chapter 7 holds 198 sentences of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1 by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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 7 of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1?

Work through the 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 40 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 7 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 7 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 Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1 by Edith Wharton on this page, its source edition and its audio.

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Yes. All 2566 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #295 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #295, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 213 minutes of reading across 514 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Chapter VII · Chapter 7

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