Chapter 17 of The Helpmate is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Helpmate is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was the first day in Lent. Anne had come down in a state of depression. She was silent during breakfast, and Majendie became absorbed in his morning paper. So much wisdom he had learnt. Presently he gave a sudden murmur of interest, and looked up with a smile.
Chapter 17 of The Helpmate is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
giving or marked by complete attention to
From this reading “She was silent during breakfast, and Majendie became absorbed in his morning paper.”
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading “Anne had come down in a state of depression.”
eat an early morning meal
From this reading “She was silent during breakfast, and Majendie became absorbed in his morning paper.”
a mental state characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent lack of activity
From this reading “Anne had come down in a state of depression.”
inflected form of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills
From this reading “So much wisdom he had learnt.”
a period of 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday
From this reading “It was the first day in Lent.”
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading “Presently he gave a sudden murmur of interest, and looked up with a smile.”
accumulated knowledge or erudition or enlightenment
From this reading “So much wisdom he had learnt.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Anne had come down in a state of depression.
giving or marked by complete attention to
From this reading She was silent during breakfast, and Majendie became absorbed in his morning paper.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She was silent during breakfast, and Majendie became absorbed in his morning paper.
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading Anne had come down in a state of depression.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading She was silent during breakfast, and Majendie became absorbed in his morning paper.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading She was silent during breakfast, and Majendie became absorbed in his morning paper.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Anne had come down in a state of depression.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was the first day in Lent.
a mental state characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent lack of activity
From this reading Anne had come down in a state of depression.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Anne had come down in a state of depression.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading She was silent during breakfast, and Majendie became absorbed in his morning paper.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It was the first day in Lent.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Presently he gave a sudden murmur of interest, and looked up with a smile.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Anne had come down in a state of depression.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading So much wisdom he had learnt.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She was silent during breakfast, and Majendie became absorbed in his morning paper.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was the first day in Lent.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading Presently he gave a sudden murmur of interest, and looked up with a smile.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the first day in Lent.
inflected form of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills
From this reading So much wisdom he had learnt.
a period of 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday
From this reading It was the first day in Lent.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Presently he gave a sudden murmur of interest, and looked up with a smile.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was silent during breakfast, and Majendie became absorbed in his morning paper.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading She was silent during breakfast, and Majendie became absorbed in his morning paper.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading So much wisdom he had learnt.
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading Presently he gave a sudden murmur of interest, and looked up with a smile.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Anne had come down in a state of depression.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading She was silent during breakfast, and Majendie became absorbed in his morning paper.
in the near future
From this reading Presently he gave a sudden murmur of interest, and looked up with a smile.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was silent during breakfast, and Majendie became absorbed in his morning paper.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading She was silent during breakfast, and Majendie became absorbed in his morning paper.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Presently he gave a sudden murmur of interest, and looked up with a smile.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So much wisdom he had learnt.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading Anne had come down in a state of depression.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading Presently he gave a sudden murmur of interest, and looked up with a smile.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was the first day in Lent.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Presently he gave a sudden murmur of interest, and looked up with a smile.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the first day in Lent.
accumulated knowledge or erudition or enlightenment
From this reading So much wisdom he had learnt.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Presently he gave a sudden murmur of interest, and looked up with a smile.
Chapter 17 of The Helpmate by May Sinclair holds 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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 17 holds 433 sentences of The Helpmate, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Helpmate by May Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 17 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 Helpmate by May Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9581 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17867 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17867, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1917 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Helpmate section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of The Helpmate 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 Helpmate, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
