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The pelicans
The pelicans

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of The pelicans is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By E. M. Delafield • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The pelicans
Context Illustration Reading 1/82 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Rosamund sought for words desperately.
She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.
“They’re satisfied with her, then?”
“Oh yes.
The nuns told Lady Argent that Frances was _trés docile--tout a fait l’habitude de l’obéissance_.”
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 pelicans

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of The pelicans is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Rosamund sought for words desperately.
Line 2
She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.
Line 3
“They’re satisfied with her, then?”
Line 4
“Oh yes.
/oʊ jes/
Line 5
The nuns told Lady Argent that Frances was _trés docile--tout a fait l’habitude de l’obéissance_.”

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.

Argent noun US /ˈɑːrdʒɪnt/

a metal tincture used in heraldry to give a silvery appearance

From this reading “The nuns told Lady Argent that Frances was _trés docile--tout a fait l’habitude de l’obéissance_.””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
docile adjective US /ˈdɑːsəl/

willing to be taught or led or supervised or directed

From this reading “The nuns told Lady Argent that Frances was _trés docile--tout a fait l’habitude de l’obéissance_.””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
evolved verb US /ɪˈvɑːlvd/

past form of “evolve” — work out

From this reading “She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Frances noun US /ˈfrænsɪs/

plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe

From this reading “She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
halting adjective US /ˈhɔːltɪŋ/

disabled in the feet or legs

From this reading “She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lifeless adjective US /ˈlaɪfləs/

deprived of life; no longer living

From this reading “She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nuns noun US /nʌnz/

plural of “nun” — a woman religious

From this reading “The nuns told Lady Argent that Frances was _trés docile--tout a fait l’habitude de l’obéissance_.””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tout noun US /taʊt/

someone who buys tickets to an event in order to resell them at a profit

From this reading “The nuns told Lady Argent that Frances was _trés docile--tout a fait l’habitude de l’obéissance_.””

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.

interview with verb + particle

In this reading “She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.”

11,843 times in 426,212 chapters
in the garden preposition + article + noun counted as “in … garden”

In this reading “She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.”

21,996 times in 426,212 chapters

All words in this reading · 48

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 She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
accountnounUS /əˈkaʊnt/

a record or narrative description of past events

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
afternoonnounUS /ˌæftərˈnuːn/

the part of the day between noon and evening

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ArgentnounUS /ˈɑːrdʒɪnt/

a metal tincture used in heraldry to give a silvery appearance

From this reading The nuns told Lady Argent that Frances was _trés docile--tout a fait l’habitude de l’obéissance_.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
d'habit

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

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

Pending verification
denounUS /diː/

a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading The nuns told Lady Argent that Frances was _trés docile--tout a fait l’habitude de l’obéissance_.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
desperatelyadverbUS /ˈdespərətli/

with great urgency

From this reading Rosamund sought for words desperately.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
docileadjectiveUS /ˈdɑːsəl/

willing to be taught or led or supervised or directed

From this reading The nuns told Lady Argent that Frances was _trés docile--tout a fait l’habitude de l’obéissance_.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
evolvedverbUS /ɪˈvɑːlvd/

past form of “evolve” — work out

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fait

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

From this reading The nuns told Lady Argent that Frances was _trés docile--tout a fait l’habitude de l’obéissance_.”

Pending verification
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Rosamund sought for words desperately.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
FrancesnounUS /ˈfrænsɪs/

plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gardennounUS /ˈɡɑːrdən/

a plot of ground where plants are cultivated

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
haltingadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːltɪŋ/

disabled in the feet or legs

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading “They’re satisfied with her, then?”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
interviewverbUS /ˈɪntərvjuː/

conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
l'habitude

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

From this reading The nuns told Lady Argent that Frances was _trés docile--tout a fait l’habitude de l’obéissance_.”

Pending verification
l'obéissance

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

From this reading The nuns told Lady Argent that Frances was _trés docile--tout a fait l’habitude de l’obéissance_.”

Pending verification
LadynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

From this reading The nuns told Lady Argent that Frances was _trés docile--tout a fait l’habitude de l’obéissance_.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lifelessadjectiveUS /ˈlaɪfləs/

deprived of life; no longer living

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Mulholland's

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

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

Pending verification
novice-mistress

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

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

Pending verification
nunsnounUS /nʌnz/

plural of “nun” — a woman religious

From this reading The nuns told Lady Argent that Frances was _trés docile--tout a fait l’habitude de l’obéissance_.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
officiousnessnoun

aggressiveness as evidenced by intruding; by advancing yourself or your ideas without invitation

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

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 yes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
priseverb

to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Rosamund

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

From this reading Rosamund sought for words desperately.

Pending verification
satisfiedadjectiveUS /ˈsætəsfaɪd/

filled with satisfaction

From this reading “They’re satisfied with her, then?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
soughtadjectiveUS /sɔːt/

that is looked for

From this reading Rosamund sought for words desperately.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stammered

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

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

Pending verification
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The nuns told Lady Argent that Frances was _trés docile--tout a fait l’habitude de l’obéissance_.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading “They’re satisfied with her, then?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
They're

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

From this reading “They’re satisfied with her, then?”

Pending verification
toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading The nuns told Lady Argent that Frances was _trés docile--tout a fait l’habitude de l’obéissance_.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toutnounUS /taʊt/

someone who buys tickets to an event in order to resell them at a profit

From this reading The nuns told Lady Argent that Frances was _trés docile--tout a fait l’habitude de l’obéissance_.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
trés

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

From this reading The nuns told Lady Argent that Frances was _trés docile--tout a fait l’habitude de l’obéissance_.”

Pending verification
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The nuns told Lady Argent that Frances was _trés docile--tout a fait l’habitude de l’obéissance_.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading She evolved at last a halting, stammered, lifeless account of the _prise d’habit_, of Mrs. Mulholland’s officiousness, of the afternoon in the garden with Frances, and the interview with the novice-mistress.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wordsnounUS /wɜːrdz/

the words that are spoken

From this reading Rosamund sought for words desperately.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
yesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading “Oh yes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 14 of The pelicans by E. M. Delafield holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 pelicans contain?

Chapter 14 holds 410 sentences of The pelicans, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 14 of The pelicans by E. M. Delafield exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 pelicans?

Work through the 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 82 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 pelicans

Common questions about reading The pelicans by E. M. Delafield on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The pelicans?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The pelicans is used?

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

How long does The pelicans take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The pelicans section by section

How to work through The pelicans section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 0 chapters of The pelicans 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 pelicans

Words and structures a reader meets early in The pelicans, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of The pelicans, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
One of the 0 chapters of The pelicans, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of The pelicans, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.