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The Pastor's Wife
The Pastor's Wife

Chapter XXX

Chapter 30 of The Pastor's Wife is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Pastor's Wife
Context Illustration Reading 1/46 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
In Redchester nobody talked of kisses.
They were things not mentioned.
They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.
Like pews in a parish church, they were reserved for families.
Aunts might kiss: freely.
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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 Pastor's Wife

Chapter XXX

Chapter 30 of The Pastor's Wife is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/46 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
In Redchester nobody talked of kisses.
Line 2
They were things not mentioned.
/ðeɪ wɜːr θɪŋz nɑːt ˈmenʃənd/
Line 3
They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.
Line 4
Like pews in a parish church, they were reserved for families.
/laɪk pjuːz ɪn ə ˈpærɪʃ tʃɜːrtʃ ðeɪ wɜːr rɪˈzɜːrvd fɔːr ˈfæməliz/
Line 5
Aunts might kiss: freely.
/ænts maɪt kɪs ˈfriːli/

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.

allowable adjective US /əˈlaʊəbəl/

deductible according to the tax laws

From this reading “They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.”

application noun US /ˌæpləˈkeɪʃən/

the act of bringing something to bear; using it for a particular purpose

From this reading “They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.”

Aunts noun US /ænts/

plural of “aunt” — the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle

From this reading “Aunts might kiss: freely.”

defined adjective US /dɪˈfaɪnd/

clearly characterized or delimited

From this reading “They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.”

kisses noun US /ˈkɪsəz/

plural of “kiss” — the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)

From this reading “In Redchester nobody talked of kisses.”

pews noun US /pjuːz/

plural of “pew” — long bench with backs; used in church by the congregation

From this reading “Like pews in a parish church, they were reserved for families.”

reserved adjective US /rɪˈzɜːrvd/

set aside for the use of a particular person or party

From this reading “Like pews in a parish church, they were reserved for families.”

strictly adverb US /ˈstrɪktli/

restricted to something

From this reading “They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.”

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.

parish church noun + noun

In this reading “Like pews in a parish church, they were reserved for families.”

for instance preposition + noun

as an example

In this reading “They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.”

other person adjective + noun

In this reading “They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.”

in a parish preposition + article + noun counted as “in … parish”

In this reading “Like pews in a parish church, they were reserved for families.”

All words in this reading · 44

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 Like pews in a parish church, they were reserved for families.

allowableadjectiveUS /əˈlaʊəbəl/

deductible according to the tax laws

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

applicationnounUS /ˌæpləˈkeɪʃən/

the act of bringing something to bear; using it for a particular purpose

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

AuntsnounUS /ænts/

plural of “aunt” — the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle

From this reading Aunts might kiss: freely.

churchnounUS /tʃɜːrtʃ/

one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship

From this reading Like pews in a parish church, they were reserved for families.

conditionsnounUS /kənˈdɪʃənz/

the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

confinedadjectiveUS /kənˈfaɪnd/

not invading healthy tissue

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

definedadjectiveUS /dɪˈfaɪnd/

clearly characterized or delimited

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

familiesnounUS /ˈfæməliz/

plural of “family” — a social unit living together

From this reading Like pews in a parish church, they were reserved for families.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

freelyadverbUS /ˈfriːli/

in a free manner

From this reading Aunts might kiss: freely.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading In Redchester nobody talked of kisses.

instancenounUS /ˈɪnstəns/

an occurrence of something

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

kissnounUS /kɪs/

the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

kissesnounUS /ˈkɪsəz/

plural of “kiss” — the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)

From this reading In Redchester nobody talked of kisses.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

mentionedverbUS /ˈmenʃənd/

past form of “mention” — make reference to

From this reading They were things not mentioned.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading Aunts might kiss: freely.

nobodypronounUS /ˈnoʊbɑːdiː/

no person; not anyone

From this reading In Redchester nobody talked of kisses.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading They were things not mentioned.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading In Redchester nobody talked of kisses.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

parishnounUS /ˈpærɪʃ/

a local church community

From this reading Like pews in a parish church, they were reserved for families.

personnounUS /ˈpɜːrsən/

a human being

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

pewsnounUS /pjuːz/

plural of “pew” — long bench with backs; used in church by the congregation

From this reading Like pews in a parish church, they were reserved for families.

Redchester

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

From this reading In Redchester nobody talked of kisses.

relatedadjectiveUS /rɪˈleɪtɪd/

being connected either logically or causally or by shared characteristics

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

reservedadjectiveUS /rɪˈzɜːrvd/

set aside for the use of a particular person or party

From this reading Like pews in a parish church, they were reserved for families.

strictlyadverbUS /ˈstrɪktli/

restricted to something

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

talkedverbUS /tɔːkt/

past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading In Redchester nobody talked of kisses.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They were things not mentioned.

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading They were things not mentioned.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

wantverbUS /wɑːnt/

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading They were things not mentioned.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading They were things allowable only under strictly defined conditions--if you did not want to kiss, for instance, and the other person did not like it--and confined in their application to the related.

Chapter 30 of The Pastor's Wife by Elizabeth Von Arnim holds 234 sentences, grouped into 47 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 30 of The Pastor's Wife contain?

Chapter 30 holds 234 sentences of The Pastor's Wife, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 30 of The Pastor's Wife by Elizabeth Von Arnim exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 234 sentences, grouped into 47 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 30 of The Pastor's Wife?

Work through the 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 47 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 30 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 30 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 Pastor's Wife

Common questions about reading The Pastor's Wife by Elizabeth Von Arnim on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Pastor's Wife?

Yes. All 6993 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36295 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Pastor's Wife is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #36295, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Pastor's Wife take to read?

About 582 minutes of reading across 1399 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Pastor's Wife section by section

How to work through The Pastor's Wife section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 38 chapters of The Pastor's Wife to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Pastor's Wife

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Pastor's Wife, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pastor's Wife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Elizabeth
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pastor's Wife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
German
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pastor's Wife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Garden
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pastor's Wife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.