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The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters
The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters

Chapter XIV · Chapter 14

Chapter 14 of The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters
Context Illustration Reading 1/83 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
She gave him her hand.
'Is it a covenant?' he asked.
'It is,' said she.
Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.
'Two days and you are mine,' he said.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters

Chapter XIV · Chapter 14

Chapter 14 of The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
She gave him her hand.
/ʃiː ɡeɪv hɪm hɜːr hænd/
Line 2
'Is it a covenant?' he asked.
/ɪz ɪt ə ˈkʌvənənt hiː æskt/
Line 3
'It is,' said she.
/ɪt ɪz sed ʃiː/
Line 4
Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.
Line 5
'Two days and you are mine,' he said.
/tuː deɪz ənd juː ɑːr maɪn hiː sed/

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.

centre noun US /ˈsentər/

a low-lying region in central France

From this reading “Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.”

covenant noun US /ˈkʌvənənt/

a signed written agreement between two or more parties (nations) to perform some action

From this reading “'Is it a covenant?' he asked.”

drunk adjective US /drʌŋk/

stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)

From this reading “Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.”

gently adverb US /ˈdʒentli/

in a gradual manner

From this reading “Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.”

holding noun US /ˈhoʊldɪŋ/

the act of retaining something

From this reading “Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.”

moments noun US /ˈmoʊmənts/

plural of “moment” — a particular point in time

From this reading “Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.”

surface noun US /ˈsɜːrfəs/

the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary

From this reading “Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.”

warmed adjective US /wɔːrmd/

having been warmed up

From this reading “Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.”

All words in this reading · 40

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 'Is it a covenant?' he asked.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading 'Two days and you are mine,' he said.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading 'Is it a covenant?' he asked.

centrenounUS /ˈsentər/

a low-lying region in central France

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

covenantnounUS /ˈkʌvənənt/

a signed written agreement between two or more parties (nations) to perform some action

From this reading 'Is it a covenant?' he asked.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading 'Two days and you are mine,' he said.

drunkadjectiveUS /drʌŋk/

stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

gaveverbUS /ɡeɪv/

inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading She gave him her hand.

gentlyadverbUS /ˈdʒentli/

in a gradual manner

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading She gave him her hand.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading 'Is it a covenant?' he asked.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading She gave him her hand.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading She gave him her hand.

hippocras

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

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

holdingnounUS /ˈhoʊldɪŋ/

the act of retaining something

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

Isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading 'Is it a covenant?' he asked.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading 'Is it a covenant?' he asked.

lipsnounUS /lɪps/

plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

LordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

minepronounUS /maɪn/

the one or ones belonging to the person speaking

From this reading 'Two days and you are mine,' he said.

momentsnounUS /ˈmoʊmənts/

plural of “moment” — a particular point in time

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

Mountclere

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

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

raisedadjectiveUS /reɪzd/

located or moved above the surround or above the normal position

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading 'It is,' said she.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She gave him her hand.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

surfacenounUS /ˈsɜːrfəs/

the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

TwonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading 'Two days and you are mine,' he said.

warmedadjectiveUS /wɔːrmd/

having been warmed up

From this reading Lord Mountclere warmed from surface to centre as if he had drunk of hippocras, and, after holding her hand for some moments, raised it gently to his lips.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading 'Two days and you are mine,' he said.

Chapter 14 of The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters by Thomas Hardy holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 14 of The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters contain?

Chapter 14 holds 417 sentences of The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 14 of The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 14 of The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters?

Work through the 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 84 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 14 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 14 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.

Questions about reading The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters

Common questions about reading The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters by Thomas Hardy on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters?

Yes. All 7410 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3469 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3469, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1482 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters section by section

How to work through The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

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Vocabulary met early in The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Ethelberta--a
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Comedy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Chapters
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Thomas
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.