The vow

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of The vow is here in full — 245 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Paul Trent • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

It was his wife that troubled him, and the effect which his speech would have upon her.

Here he was totally in the dark, and he began to understand that he knew very little of Lady Mildred’s real character.

“I had better get it over at once,” he said, and hastened up-stairs.

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Chapter XI Reading 1/49

The vow Paul Trent

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of The vow is here in full — 245 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire. Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended. It was his wife that troubled him, and the effect which his speech would have upon her. Here he was totally in the dark, and he began to understand that he knew very little of Lady Mildred’s real character. “I had better get it over at once,” he said, and hastened up-stairs.

The vow

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of The vow is here in full — 245 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/49 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

/æz suːn æz hɪz ˈvɪzɪtər hæd ɡɔːn ɡɔːnt tʊk ə sɪˈɡɑːr ənd sæt daʊn ɪn æn ˈɑːrmtʃer bɪˈfɔːr ðə ˈfaɪər/

Line 2

Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

/ˈveri ˈkerfəli hiː θɔːt ˈoʊvər ðə ɪˈvents ʌv ðə naɪt ənd ɪt siːmd tuː hɪm ðæt hiː kʊd nɑːt hæv ˈæktɪd ˈdɪfrəntli ˌɔːlˈðoʊ æt ðə ˈmiːtɪŋ hiː hæd sed mɔːr ðæn hiː hæd ˌɪnˈtendɪd/

Line 3

It was his wife that troubled him, and the effect which his speech would have upon her.

/ɪt wɑːz hɪz waɪf ðæt ˈtrʌbəld hɪm ənd ðə ɪˈfekt wɪtʃ hɪz spiːtʃ wʊd hæv əˈpɑːn hɜːr/

Line 4

Here he was totally in the dark, and he began to understand that he knew very little of Lady Mildred’s real character.

Line 5

“I had better get it over at once,” he said, and hastened up-stairs.

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.

acted verb US /ˈæktɪd/

past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

From this reading “Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.”

armchair noun US /ˈɑːrmtʃer/

chair with a support on each side for arms

From this reading “As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.”

cigar noun US /sɪˈɡɑːr/

a roll of tobacco for smoking

From this reading “As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.”

differently adverb US /ˈdɪfrəntli/

in another and different manner

Gaunt adjective US /ɡɔːnt/

very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold

From this reading “As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.”

hastened verb US /ˈheɪsənd/

past form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed

From this reading ““I had better get it over at once,” he said, and hastened up-stairs.”

totally adverb US /ˈtoʊtəli/

to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)

From this reading “Here he was totally in the dark, and he began to understand that he knew very little of Lady Mildred’s real character.”

visitor noun US /ˈvɪzɪtər/

someone who visits

From this reading “As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

acted differently verb + particle counted as “act differently”

In this reading “Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.”

at once preposition + adverb

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

In this reading ““I had better get it over at once,” he said, and hastened up-stairs.”

real character adjective + noun

In this reading “Here he was totally in the dark, and he began to understand that he knew very little of Lady Mildred’s real character.”

in an armchair preposition + article + noun counted as “in … armchair”

In this reading “As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.”

in the dark preposition + article + noun counted as “in … dark”

In this reading “Here he was totally in the dark, and he began to understand that he knew very little of Lady Mildred’s real character.”

All words in this reading · 70

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

actedverbUS /ˈæktɪd/

past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

althoughconjunctionUS /ˌɔːlˈðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

armchairnounUS /ˈɑːrmtʃer/

chair with a support on each side for arms

From this reading As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading Here he was totally in the dark, and he began to understand that he knew very little of Lady Mildred’s real character.

betteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading “I had better get it over at once,” he said, and hastened up-stairs.

carefullyadverbUS /ˈkerfəli/

taking care or paying attention

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

characternounUS /ˈkerɪktər/

an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)

From this reading Here he was totally in the dark, and he began to understand that he knew very little of Lady Mildred’s real character.

cigarnounUS /sɪˈɡɑːr/

a roll of tobacco for smoking

From this reading As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

darknounUS /dɑːrk/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading Here he was totally in the dark, and he began to understand that he knew very little of Lady Mildred’s real character.

differentlyadverbUS /ˈdɪfrəntli/

in another and different manner

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

effectnounUS /ɪˈfekt/

a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

From this reading It was his wife that troubled him, and the effect which his speech would have upon her.

eventsnounUS /ɪˈvents/

plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

fireverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

From this reading As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

GauntadjectiveUS /ɡɔːnt/

very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold

From this reading As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading “I had better get it over at once,” he said, and hastened up-stairs.

goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

hastenedverbUS /ˈheɪsənd/

past form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed

From this reading “I had better get it over at once,” he said, and hastened up-stairs.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading It was his wife that troubled him, and the effect which his speech would have upon her.

HereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading Here he was totally in the dark, and he began to understand that he knew very little of Lady Mildred’s real character.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “I had better get it over at once,” he said, and hastened up-stairs.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

intendedadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈtendɪd/

resulting from one's intentions

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading Here he was totally in the dark, and he began to understand that he knew very little of Lady Mildred’s real character.

LadynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

From this reading Here he was totally in the dark, and he began to understand that he knew very little of Lady Mildred’s real character.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Here he was totally in the dark, and he began to understand that he knew very little of Lady Mildred’s real character.

meetingnounUS /ˈmiːtɪŋ/

a formally arranged gathering

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

Mildred's

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

From this reading Here he was totally in the dark, and he began to understand that he knew very little of Lady Mildred’s real character.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading “I had better get it over at once,” he said, and hastened up-stairs.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

realadjectiveUS /riːl/

being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory

From this reading Here he was totally in the dark, and he began to understand that he knew very little of Lady Mildred’s real character.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

speechnounUS /spiːtʃ/

the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience

From this reading It was his wife that troubled him, and the effect which his speech would have upon her.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

totallyadverbUS /ˈtoʊtəli/

to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)

From this reading Here he was totally in the dark, and he began to understand that he knew very little of Lady Mildred’s real character.

troubledadjectiveUS /ˈtrʌbəld/

characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need

From this reading It was his wife that troubled him, and the effect which his speech would have upon her.

understandverbUS /ˌʌndərˈstænd/

know and comprehend the nature or meaning of

From this reading Here he was totally in the dark, and he began to understand that he knew very little of Lady Mildred’s real character.

up-stairs

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

From this reading “I had better get it over at once,” he said, and hastened up-stairs.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading It was his wife that troubled him, and the effect which his speech would have upon her.

VeryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Very carefully he thought over the events of the night, and it seemed to him that he could not have acted differently, although at the meeting he had said more than he had intended.

visitornounUS /ˈvɪzɪtər/

someone who visits

From this reading As soon as his visitor had gone, Gaunt took a cigar and sat down in an armchair before the fire.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was his wife that troubled him, and the effect which his speech would have upon her.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading It was his wife that troubled him, and the effect which his speech would have upon her.

wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading It was his wife that troubled him, and the effect which his speech would have upon her.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading It was his wife that troubled him, and the effect which his speech would have upon her.

Chapter 11 of The vow by Paul Trent holds 245 sentences, grouped into 49 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.

What does chapter 11 of The vow contain?

Chapter 11 holds 245 sentences of The vow, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 11 of The vow by Paul Trent exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 245 sentences, grouped into 49 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 11 of The vow?

Work through the 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 49 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 11 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 11 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.

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Vocabulary met early in The vow

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November: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The vow; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Chapter XI

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