Chapter 15 of The Venetians is here in full — 337 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Venetians is here in full — 337 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“LOVE SHOULD BE ABSOLUTE LOVE.” Sefton lifted his hat and passed quickly. Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment. An empty hansom came creeping by the curb while he stood watching. “Here is a cab which will just do for me, Signorina,” he said.
Chapter 15 of The Venetians is here in full — 337 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/67 · 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.
perfect or complete or pure
From this reading ““LOVE SHOULD BE ABSOLUTE LOVE.””
a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
From this reading ““Here is a cab which will just do for me, Signorina,” he said.”
a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body
From this reading “An empty hansom came creeping by the curb while he stood watching.”
an edge between a sidewalk and a roadway consisting of a line of curbstones (usually forming part of a gutter)
From this reading “An empty hansom came creeping by the curb while he stood watching.”
a long artificial mound of stone or earth; built to hold back water or to support a road or as protection
From this reading “Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.”
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading “Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.”
a two-wheeled horse-drawn covered carriage with the driver's seat above and behind the passengers
From this reading “An empty hansom came creeping by the curb while he stood watching.”
-ing form of “retreat” — pull back or move away or backward
From this reading “Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.”
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 “Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.”
In this reading “Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.”
In this reading “An empty hansom came creeping by the curb while he stood watching.”
In this reading “An empty hansom came creeping by the curb while he stood watching.”
In this reading “Sefton lifted his hat and passed quickly.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “Here is a cab which will just do for me, Signorina,” he said.
perfect or complete or pure
From this reading “LOVE SHOULD BE ABSOLUTE LOVE.”
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An empty hansom came creeping by the curb while he stood watching.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Sefton lifted his hat and passed quickly.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “LOVE SHOULD BE ABSOLUTE LOVE.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading An empty hansom came creeping by the curb while he stood watching.
a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
From this reading “Here is a cab which will just do for me, Signorina,” he said.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading An empty hansom came creeping by the curb while he stood watching.
a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body
From this reading An empty hansom came creeping by the curb while he stood watching.
an edge between a sidewalk and a roadway consisting of a line of curbstones (usually forming part of a gutter)
From this reading An empty hansom came creeping by the curb while he stood watching.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Here is a cab which will just do for me, Signorina,” he said.
a long artificial mound of stone or earth; built to hold back water or to support a road or as protection
From this reading Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading An empty hansom came creeping by the curb while he stood watching.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Here is a cab which will just do for me, Signorina,” he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.
a two-wheeled horse-drawn covered carriage with the driver's seat above and behind the passengers
From this reading An empty hansom came creeping by the curb while he stood watching.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading Sefton lifted his hat and passed quickly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading An empty hansom came creeping by the curb while he stood watching.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “Here is a cab which will just do for me, Signorina,” he said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Sefton lifted his hat and passed quickly.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Here is a cab which will just do for me, Signorina,” he said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.
and nothing more
From this reading “Here is a cab which will just do for me, Signorina,” he said.
held up in the air
From this reading Sefton lifted his hat and passed quickly.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “LOVE SHOULD BE ABSOLUTE LOVE.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Here is a cab which will just do for me, Signorina,” he said.
in motion
From this reading Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.
without speaking
From this reading Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Sefton lifted his hat and passed quickly.
with speed
From this reading Sefton lifted his hat and passed quickly.
-ing form of “retreat” — pull back or move away or backward
From this reading Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Here is a cab which will just do for me, Signorina,” he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sefton lifted his hat and passed quickly.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “LOVE SHOULD BE ABSOLUTE LOVE.”
an Italian courtesy title for an unmarried woman; equivalent to “Miss”, it is either used alone or before a name
From this reading “Here is a cab which will just do for me, Signorina,” he said.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.
up to a particular time
From this reading Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading Vansittart stood mutely watching his retreating figure, till it was lost among other figures moving to and fro along the Embankment.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “Here is a cab which will just do for me, Signorina,” he said.
during the time that
From this reading An empty hansom came creeping by the curb while he stood watching.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Here is a cab which will just do for me, Signorina,” he said.
Chapter 15 of The Venetians by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon holds 337 sentences, grouped into 68 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 15 holds 337 sentences of The Venetians, unabridged, divided into 68 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Venetians by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 337 sentences, grouped into 68 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 68 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 68 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 15 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 Venetians by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8773 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #74385 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #74385, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1755 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Venetians section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of The Venetians 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 Venetians, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
