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The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter

Chapter XIV · Chapter 14

Chapter 14 of The Scarlet Letter is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Scarlet Letter
Context Illustration Reading 1/26 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
It was only the darkened house that could contain her.
When sunshine came again, she was not there.
Her shadow had faded across the threshold.
The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.
Meeting them in the street, she never raised her head to receive their greeting.
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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 Scarlet Letter

Chapter XIV · Chapter 14

Chapter 14 of The Scarlet Letter is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
It was only the darkened house that could contain her.
Line 2
When sunshine came again, she was not there.
Line 3
Her shadow had faded across the threshold.
Line 4
The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.
Line 5
Meeting them in the street, she never raised her head to receive their greeting.

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.

Shadow noun US /ˈʃæd.oʊ/

A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

From this reading “Her shadow had faded across the threshold.”

All words in this reading · 54

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.

across

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

From this reading Her shadow had faded across the threshold.

again

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

From this reading When sunshine came again, she was not there.

any

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

backward

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

came

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

From this reading When sunshine came again, she was not there.

contain

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

From this reading It was only the darkened house that could contain her.

could

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

From this reading It was only the darkened house that could contain her.

darkened

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

From this reading It was only the darkened house that could contain her.

departed

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

faded

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

From this reading Her shadow had faded across the threshold.

gather

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

glance

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

gratitude

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

greeting

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

From this reading Meeting them in the street, she never raised her head to receive their greeting.

had

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

From this reading Her shadow had faded across the threshold.

head

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

From this reading Meeting them in the street, she never raised her head to receive their greeting.

hearts

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

helpful

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

her

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

From this reading It was only the darkened house that could contain her.

house

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

From this reading It was only the darkened house that could contain her.

if

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

in

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

inmate

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

It

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

From this reading It was only the darkened house that could contain her.

meed

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

Meeting

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

From this reading Meeting them in the street, she never raised her head to receive their greeting.

never

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

From this reading Meeting them in the street, she never raised her head to receive their greeting.

not

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

From this reading When sunshine came again, she was not there.

of

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

one

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

only

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

From this reading It was only the darkened house that could contain her.

raised

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

From this reading Meeting them in the street, she never raised her head to receive their greeting.

receive

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

From this reading Meeting them in the street, she never raised her head to receive their greeting.

served

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

shadownounUS /ˈʃæd.oʊ/

A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

From this reading Her shadow had faded across the threshold.

she

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

From this reading When sunshine came again, she was not there.

so

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

street

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

From this reading Meeting them in the street, she never raised her head to receive their greeting.

sunshine

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

From this reading When sunshine came again, she was not there.

that

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

From this reading It was only the darkened house that could contain her.

the

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

From this reading It was only the darkened house that could contain her.

their

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

From this reading Meeting them in the street, she never raised her head to receive their greeting.

them

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

From this reading Meeting them in the street, she never raised her head to receive their greeting.

there

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

From this reading When sunshine came again, she was not there.

those

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

threshold

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

From this reading Her shadow had faded across the threshold.

to

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

up

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

was

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

From this reading It was only the darkened house that could contain her.

were

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

When

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

From this reading When sunshine came again, she was not there.

whom

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

without

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

zealously

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

From this reading The helpful inmate had departed, without one backward glance to gather up the meed of gratitude, if any were in the hearts of those whom she had served so zealously.

Chapter 14 of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne holds 133 sentences, grouped into 27 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 Scarlet Letter contain?

Chapter 14 holds 133 sentences of The Scarlet Letter, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 14 of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 Scarlet Letter?

Work through the 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 27 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 Scarlet Letter

Common questions about reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Scarlet Letter?

Yes. All 3286 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Scarlet Letter is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #33, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Scarlet Letter take to read?

About 273 minutes of reading across 658 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Scarlet Letter section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Scarlet Letter 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 Scarlet Letter

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

Little
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Scarlet Letter; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Remarkable
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Scarlet Letter; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Though
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Scarlet Letter; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Disinclined
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Scarlet Letter; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.