Chapter 42 of The Fallen Leaves is here in full — 240 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XLII
Chapter 42 of The Fallen Leaves is here in full — 240 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Early the next morning, Rufus rang at the cottage gate. “Well, Mr. Frenchman, and how do _you_ git along? And how’s Amelius?” Toff, standing before the gate, answered with the utmost respect, but showed no inclination to let the visitor in. “Amelius has his intervals of laziness,” Rufus proceeded; “I bet he’s in bed!”
Chapter 42 of The Fallen Leaves is here in full — 240 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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.
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading ““Amelius has his intervals of laziness,” Rufus proceeded; “I bet he’s in bed!””
a person of French nationality
From this reading ““Well, Mr. Frenchman, and how do _you_ git along?”
a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
From this reading ““Well, Mr. Frenchman, and how do _you_ git along?”
an attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others
From this reading “Toff, standing before the gate, answered with the utmost respect, but showed no inclination to let the visitor in.”
plural of “interval” — a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading ““Amelius has his intervals of laziness,” Rufus proceeded; “I bet he’s in bed!””
inactivity resulting from a dislike of work
From this reading ““Amelius has his intervals of laziness,” Rufus proceeded; “I bet he’s in bed!””
informal term for an upper-class or wealthy person
From this reading “Toff, standing before the gate, answered with the utmost respect, but showed no inclination to let the visitor in.”
someone who visits
From this reading “Toff, standing before the gate, answered with the utmost respect, but showed no inclination to let the visitor in.”
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.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading “Well, Mr. Frenchman, and how do _you_ git along?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And how’s Amelius?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Well, Mr. Frenchman, and how do _you_ git along?
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading Toff, standing before the gate, answered with the utmost respect, but showed no inclination to let the visitor in.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Early the next morning, Rufus rang at the cottage gate.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading “Amelius has his intervals of laziness,” Rufus proceeded; “I bet he’s in bed!”
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Toff, standing before the gate, answered with the utmost respect, but showed no inclination to let the visitor in.
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading “Amelius has his intervals of laziness,” Rufus proceeded; “I bet he’s in bed!”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Toff, standing before the gate, answered with the utmost respect, but showed no inclination to let the visitor in.
a small house with a single story
From this reading Early the next morning, Rufus rang at the cottage gate.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Well, Mr. Frenchman, and how do _you_ git along?
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Early the next morning, Rufus rang at the cottage gate.
a person of French nationality
From this reading “Well, Mr. Frenchman, and how do _you_ git along?
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading Early the next morning, Rufus rang at the cottage gate.
a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
From this reading “Well, Mr. Frenchman, and how do _you_ git along?
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Amelius has his intervals of laziness,” Rufus proceeded; “I bet he’s in bed!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Amelius has his intervals of laziness,” Rufus proceeded; “I bet he’s in bed!”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Amelius has his intervals of laziness,” Rufus proceeded; “I bet he’s in bed!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, Mr. Frenchman, and how do _you_ git along?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And how’s Amelius?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Amelius has his intervals of laziness,” Rufus proceeded; “I bet he’s in bed!”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Toff, standing before the gate, answered with the utmost respect, but showed no inclination to let the visitor in.
an attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others
From this reading Toff, standing before the gate, answered with the utmost respect, but showed no inclination to let the visitor in.
plural of “interval” — a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading “Amelius has his intervals of laziness,” Rufus proceeded; “I bet he’s in bed!”
inactivity resulting from a dislike of work
From this reading “Amelius has his intervals of laziness,” Rufus proceeded; “I bet he’s in bed!”
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Toff, standing before the gate, answered with the utmost respect, but showed no inclination to let the visitor in.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Early the next morning, Rufus rang at the cottage gate.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Well, Mr. Frenchman, and how do _you_ git along?
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Early the next morning, Rufus rang at the cottage gate.
not any; not one
From this reading Toff, standing before the gate, answered with the utmost respect, but showed no inclination to let the visitor in.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Amelius has his intervals of laziness,” Rufus proceeded; “I bet he’s in bed!”
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading “Amelius has his intervals of laziness,” Rufus proceeded; “I bet he’s in bed!”
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading Early the next morning, Rufus rang at the cottage gate.
(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point
From this reading Toff, standing before the gate, answered with the utmost respect, but showed no inclination to let the visitor in.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Early the next morning, Rufus rang at the cottage gate.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Toff, standing before the gate, answered with the utmost respect, but showed no inclination to let the visitor in.
having a supporting base
From this reading Toff, standing before the gate, answered with the utmost respect, but showed no inclination to let the visitor in.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Early the next morning, Rufus rang at the cottage gate.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Toff, standing before the gate, answered with the utmost respect, but showed no inclination to let the visitor in.
informal term for an upper-class or wealthy person
From this reading Toff, standing before the gate, answered with the utmost respect, but showed no inclination to let the visitor in.
of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity
From this reading Toff, standing before the gate, answered with the utmost respect, but showed no inclination to let the visitor in.
someone who visits
From this reading Toff, standing before the gate, answered with the utmost respect, but showed no inclination to let the visitor in.
(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 “Well, Mr. Frenchman, and how do _you_ git along?
in the company of; together with
From this reading Toff, standing before the gate, answered with the utmost respect, but showed no inclination to let the visitor in.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Well, Mr. Frenchman, and how do _you_ git along?
Chapter 42 of The Fallen Leaves by Wilkie Collins holds 240 sentences, grouped into 48 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 42 holds 240 sentences of The Fallen Leaves, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 42 of The Fallen Leaves by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 240 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 42 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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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Fallen Leaves, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
