Chapter 39 of The Reason Why is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of The Reason Why is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking. Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!" "Yes," she faltered. "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself. How could they?
Chapter 39 of The Reason Why is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!"”
past form of “falter” — be unsure or weak
From this reading “"Yes," she faltered.”
easily broken or damaged or destroyed
From this reading “He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.”
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading “"Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.”
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!"”
past form of “recollect” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading “"Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.”
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.”
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading “He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.”
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.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!"
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading How could they?
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!"
past form of “falter” — be unsure or weak
From this reading "Yes," she faltered.
easily broken or damaged or destroyed
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How could they?
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!"
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
past form of “recollect” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
cut with a saw
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Yes," she faltered.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
express in words
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!"
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
at the time that
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
a Caucasian
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," she faltered.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!"
Chapter 39 of The Reason Why by Elinor Glyn holds 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 39 holds 151 sentences of The Reason Why, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of The Reason Why by Elinor Glyn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 39 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 Reason Why by Elinor Glyn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5546 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12450 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12450, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 462 minutes of reading across 1110 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Reason Why section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Reason Why 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 Reason Why, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
