Chapter 12 of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 2 is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 2 is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned. The discovery helped her to find words. “You said you had started them with the idea of pleasing me--” “Well?” “I told you last week that they didn’t please me.” “Last week?
Chapter 12 of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 2 is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
the act of discovering something
From this reading “The discovery helped her to find words.”
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “The discovery helped her to find words.”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading ““I told you last week that they didn’t please me.””
giving pleasure and satisfaction
From this reading ““You said you had started them with the idea of pleasing me--” “Well?””
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading ““You said you had started them with the idea of pleasing me--” “Well?””
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading ““I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned.”
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading ““I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned.”
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading ““I told you last week that they didn’t please me.””
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I told you last week that they didn’t please me.”
the act of discovering something
From this reading The discovery helped her to find words.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading The discovery helped her to find words.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “You said you had started them with the idea of pleasing me--” “Well?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned.
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading The discovery helped her to find words.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “You said you had started them with the idea of pleasing me--” “Well?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned.
immediately past
From this reading “I told you last week that they didn’t please me.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You said you had started them with the idea of pleasing me--” “Well?”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “You said you had started them with the idea of pleasing me--” “Well?”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “I told you last week that they didn’t please me.”
giving pleasure and satisfaction
From this reading “You said you had started them with the idea of pleasing me--” “Well?”
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading “I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You said you had started them with the idea of pleasing me--” “Well?”
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “You said you had started them with the idea of pleasing me--” “Well?”
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading “I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The discovery helped her to find words.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “You said you had started them with the idea of pleasing me--” “Well?”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I told you last week that they didn’t please me.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The discovery helped her to find words.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading “I told you last week that they didn’t please me.”
not pretended; sincerely felt or expressed
From this reading “I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “I told you last week that they didn’t please me.”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “You said you had started them with the idea of pleasing me--” “Well?”
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “I--why not?” he returned; and this time it struck her that his surprise was not quite unfeigned.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “You said you had started them with the idea of pleasing me--” “Well?”
the words that are spoken
From this reading The discovery helped her to find words.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You said you had started them with the idea of pleasing me--” “Well?”
Chapter 12 of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 2 by Edith Wharton holds 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 12 holds 185 sentences of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 2, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 2 by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 12 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 Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 2 by Edith Wharton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2382 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #306 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #306, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 198 minutes of reading across 477 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 2 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 2 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 Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 2, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
