Chapter 19 of The Poison Tree is here in full — 75 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of The Poison Tree is here in full — 75 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DESCENT. On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini. He looked in the two huts, but Kunda was not there. Hira, covering her face with her _sari_, laughed at his discomfiture. Annoyed, Debendra said, "Why do you laugh?"
Chapter 19 of The Poison Tree is here in full — 75 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
aroused to impatience or anger
From this reading “Annoyed, Debendra said, "Why do you laugh?"”
a natural object that covers or envelops
From this reading “Hira, covering her face with her _sari_, laughed at his discomfiture.”
An action of moving downward, dropping, or falling into a deeper place.
From this reading “DESCENT.”
A means of altering one's appearance to conceal one's identity.
From this reading “On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.”
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading “On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.”
plural of “hut” — temporary military shelter
From this reading “He looked in the two huts, but Kunda was not there.”
a dress worn primarily by Hindu women; consists of several yards of light material that is draped around the body
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading “On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.”
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.
Having no one else present.
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
aroused to impatience or anger
From this reading Annoyed, Debendra said, "Why do you laugh?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Hira, covering her face with her _sari_, laughed at his discomfiture.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He looked in the two huts, but Kunda was not there.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
a natural object that covers or envelops
From this reading Hira, covering her face with her _sari_, laughed at his discomfiture.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
An action of moving downward, dropping, or falling into a deeper place.
From this reading DESCENT.
anxious embarrassment
From this reading Hira, covering her face with her _sari_, laughed at his discomfiture.
A means of altering one's appearance to conceal one's identity.
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Annoyed, Debendra said, "Why do you laugh?"
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Hira, covering her face with her _sari_, laughed at his discomfiture.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked in the two huts, but Kunda was not there.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Hira, covering her face with her _sari_, laughed at his discomfiture.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hira, covering her face with her _sari_, laughed at his discomfiture.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Hira, covering her face with her _sari_, laughed at his discomfiture.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
plural of “hut” — temporary military shelter
From this reading He looked in the two huts, but Kunda was not there.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Annoyed, Debendra said, "Why do you laugh?"
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Hira, covering her face with her _sari_, laughed at his discomfiture.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked in the two huts, but Kunda was not there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He looked in the two huts, but Kunda was not there.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Annoyed, Debendra said, "Why do you laugh?"
a dress worn primarily by Hindu women; consists of several yards of light material that is draped around the body
From this reading Hira, covering her face with her _sari_, laughed at his discomfiture.
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He looked in the two huts, but Kunda was not there.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He looked in the two huts, but Kunda was not there.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He looked in the two huts, but Kunda was not there.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Annoyed, Debendra said, "Why do you laugh?"
fermented juice (of grapes especially)
From this reading On the night of that day, Debendra Datta, alone, in disguise, excited by wine, went to Hira's house in search of Kunda Nandini.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Hira, covering her face with her _sari_, laughed at his discomfiture.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Annoyed, Debendra said, "Why do you laugh?"
Chapter 19 of The Poison Tree by Bankimacandra Cattopadhyaya holds 75 sentences, grouped into 15 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 19 holds 75 sentences of The Poison Tree, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of The Poison Tree by Bankimacandra Cattopadhyaya exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 75 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 19 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 Poison Tree by Bankimacandra Cattopadhyaya on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3130 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17455 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17455, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 260 minutes of reading across 626 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Poison Tree section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Poison Tree 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 Poison Tree, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
