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The Initials: A Story of Modern Life
The Initials: A Story of Modern Life

Chapter XXVIII

Chapter 28 of The Initials: A Story of Modern Life is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Jemima Montgomery, Baroness Tautphoeus • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Initials: A Story of Modern Life
Context Illustration Reading 1/20 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A CHANGE.
HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.
You have seen people ill, and know the symptoms.
Oh, come—we do not know what to do!”
“Send for the Doctor,” cried Hamilton.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Initials: A Story of Modern Life

Chapter XXVIII

Chapter 28 of The Initials: A Story of Modern Life is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A CHANGE.
/ə tʃeɪndʒ/
Line 2
HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.
Line 3
You have seen people ill, and know the symptoms.
/juː hæv siːn ˈpiːpəl ɪl ənd noʊ ðə ˈsɪmptəmz/
Line 4
Oh, come—we do not know what to do!”
Line 5
“Send for the Doctor,” cried Hamilton.
/send fɔːr ðə ˈdɑːktər kraɪd ˈhæməltən/

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.

cholera noun US /ˈkɑːlərə/

an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of contaminated water or food

From this reading “HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
exclaiming noun US /ɪkˈskleɪmɪŋ/

an abrupt excited utterance

From this reading “HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hamilton noun US /ˈhæməltən/

Irish mathematician (1806-1865)

From this reading “HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
heaven's noun US /ˈhevənz/

possessive form of “heaven” — any place of complete bliss and delight and peace

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
o'clock adverb US /əˈklɑːk/

according to the clock

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rushing noun US /ˈrʌʃɪŋ/

(American football) an attempt to advance the ball by running into the line

From this reading “HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sake noun US /seɪk/

a reason for wanting something done

From this reading “HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
symptoms noun US /ˈsɪmptəmz/

plural of “symptom” — (medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease

From this reading “You have seen people ill, and know the symptoms.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

get up verb + adjective

rise to one's feet

In this reading “HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.”

64,969 times in 426,212 chapters
about three preposition + noun

In this reading “HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.”

11,975 times in 426,212 chapters
Send for verb + particle

order, request, or command to come

In this reading ““Send for the Doctor,” cried Hamilton.”

12,962 times in 426,212 chapters
in the morning preposition + article + noun counted as “in … morning”

In this reading “HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.”

71,997 times in 426,212 chapters

All words in this reading · 50

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 A CHANGE.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
afraidadjectiveUS /əˈfreɪd/

filled with fear or apprehension

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
CHANGEverbUS /tʃeɪndʒ/

cause to change; make different; cause a transformation

From this reading A CHANGE.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
choleranounUS /ˈkɑːlərə/

an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of contaminated water or food

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
criedverbUS /kraɪd/

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading “Send for the Doctor,” cried Hamilton.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Oh, come—we do not know what to do!”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
DoctornounUS /ˈdɑːktər/

a licensed medical practitioner

From this reading “Send for the Doctor,” cried Hamilton.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
exclaimingnounUS /ɪkˈskleɪmɪŋ/

an abrupt excited utterance

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HAMILTONnounUS /ˈhæməltən/

Irish mathematician (1806-1865)

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading You have seen people ill, and know the symptoms.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
heaven'snounUS /ˈhevənz/

possessive form of “heaven” — any place of complete bliss and delight and peace

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Hildegarde

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

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

Pending verification
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
illadjectiveUS /ɪl/

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading You have seen people ill, and know the symptoms.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading You have seen people ill, and know the symptoms.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Oh, come—we do not know what to do!”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/

according to the clock

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading Oh, come—we do not know what to do!”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading You have seen people ill, and know the symptoms.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rushingnounUS /ˈrʌʃɪŋ/

(American football) an attempt to advance the ball by running into the line

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sakenounUS /seɪk/

a reason for wanting something done

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading You have seen people ill, and know the symptoms.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SendverbUS /send/

cause to go somewhere

From this reading “Send for the Doctor,” cried Hamilton.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
symptomsnounUS /ˈsɪmptəmz/

plural of “symptom” — (medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease

From this reading You have seen people ill, and know the symptoms.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wakened

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

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

Pending verification
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid he has got the cholera.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Oh, come—we do not know what to do!”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Oh, come—we do not know what to do!”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading You have seen people ill, and know the symptoms.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 28 of The Initials: A Story of Modern Life by Jemima Montgomery, Baroness Tautphoeus holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 28 of The Initials: A Story of Modern Life contain?

Chapter 28 holds 103 sentences of The Initials: A Story of Modern Life, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 28 of The Initials: A Story of Modern Life by Jemima Montgomery, Baroness Tautphoeus exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 28 of The Initials: A Story of Modern Life?

Work through the 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 21 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 28 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 28 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 Initials: A Story of Modern Life

Common questions about reading The Initials: A Story of Modern Life by Jemima Montgomery, Baroness Tautphoeus on this page, its source edition and its audio.

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Yes. All 8526 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58908 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #58908, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 600 minutes of reading across 1706 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Initials: A Story of Modern Life

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Initials: A Story of Modern Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Baroness
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Initials: A Story of Modern Life; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Tautph
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Initials: A Story of Modern Life; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Initials: A Story of Modern Life; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Quits
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Initials: A Story of Modern Life; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.