Chapter 13 of The Quality of Mercy is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Quality of Mercy is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"There seems to be in nearly all these defaulters. What they do is so senseless--so insane. I suppose that's the true theory of all crime. But it won't do to act upon it, yet awhile." "No."
Chapter 13 of The Quality of Mercy is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading “But it won't do to act upon it, yet awhile."”
for a short time
From this reading “But it won't do to act upon it, yet awhile."”
(criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
From this reading “I suppose that's the true theory of all crime.”
plural of “defaulter” — someone who fails to make a required appearance in court
From this reading “"There seems to be in nearly all these defaulters.”
afflicted with or characteristic of mental derangement
From this reading “What they do is so senseless--so insane.”
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “"There seems to be in nearly all these defaulters.”
not marked by the use of reason
From this reading “What they do is so senseless--so insane.”
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
From this reading “I suppose that's the true theory of all crime.”
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.
In this reading “"There seems to be in nearly all these defaulters.”
have and exert influence or effect
In this reading “But it won't do to act upon it, yet awhile."”
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.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading But it won't do to act upon it, yet awhile."
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "There seems to be in nearly all these defaulters.
for a short time
From this reading But it won't do to act upon it, yet awhile."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "There seems to be in nearly all these defaulters.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it won't do to act upon it, yet awhile."
(criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
From this reading I suppose that's the true theory of all crime.
plural of “defaulter” — someone who fails to make a required appearance in court
From this reading "There seems to be in nearly all these defaulters.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What they do is so senseless--so insane.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I suppose that's the true theory of all crime.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "There seems to be in nearly all these defaulters.
afflicted with or characteristic of mental derangement
From this reading What they do is so senseless--so insane.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What they do is so senseless--so insane.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But it won't do to act upon it, yet awhile."
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "There seems to be in nearly all these defaulters.
not any; not one
From this reading "No."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I suppose that's the true theory of all crime.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "There seems to be in nearly all these defaulters.
not marked by the use of reason
From this reading What they do is so senseless--so insane.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading What they do is so senseless--so insane.
express a supposition
From this reading I suppose that's the true theory of all crime.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I suppose that's the true theory of all crime.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I suppose that's the true theory of all crime.
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
From this reading I suppose that's the true theory of all crime.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There seems to be in nearly all these defaulters.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading "There seems to be in nearly all these defaulters.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading What they do is so senseless--so insane.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "There seems to be in nearly all these defaulters.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading I suppose that's the true theory of all crime.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading But it won't do to act upon it, yet awhile."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What they do is so senseless--so insane.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But it won't do to act upon it, yet awhile."
but in spite of that
From this reading But it won't do to act upon it, yet awhile."
Chapter 13 of The Quality of Mercy by William Dean Howells holds 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 13 holds 421 sentences of The Quality of Mercy, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Quality of Mercy by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 13 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 Quality of Mercy by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6684 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30108 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30108, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 557 minutes of reading across 1337 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Quality of Mercy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Quality of Mercy 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 Quality of Mercy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
