Chapter 30 of The ways of the hour is here in full — 247 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXX
Chapter 30 of The ways of the hour is here in full — 247 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer, Imaginary ills, and fancied tortures?” _Cato._ The scene must now be shifted to Rattletrap. Biberry was deserted. Even the rumours with which its streets had been so lately filled, were already forgotten. None have memories as frail as the gossip.
Chapter 30 of The ways of the hour is here in full — 247 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
physically weak
From this reading “None have memories as frail as the gossip.”
light informal conversation for social occasions
From this reading “None have memories as frail as the gossip.”
plural of “ill” — an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading ““Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer, Imaginary ills, and fancied tortures?””
not based on fact; existing only in the imagination
From this reading ““Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer, Imaginary ills, and fancied tortures?””
Recollections of past events.
From this reading “None have memories as frail as the gossip.”
plural of “rumour” — gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
From this reading “Even the rumours with which its streets had been so lately filled, were already forgotten.”
past form of “shift” — make a shift in or exchange of
From this reading “_Cato._ The scene must now be shifted to Rattletrap.”
plural of “torture” — extreme mental distress
From this reading ““Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer, Imaginary ills, and fancied tortures?””
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 “Even the rumours with which its streets had been so lately filled, were already forgotten.”
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.
make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading “Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer, Imaginary ills, and fancied tortures?”
(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 “Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer, Imaginary ills, and fancied tortures?”
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading Even the rumours with which its streets had been so lately filled, were already forgotten.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer, Imaginary ills, and fancied tortures?”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading None have memories as frail as the gossip.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading _Cato._ The scene must now be shifted to Rattletrap.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Even the rumours with which its streets had been so lately filled, were already forgotten.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Biberry was deserted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Cato._ The scene must now be shifted to Rattletrap.
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading Biberry was deserted.
divisible by two
From this reading Even the rumours with which its streets had been so lately filled, were already forgotten.
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading “Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer, Imaginary ills, and fancied tortures?”
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading Even the rumours with which its streets had been so lately filled, were already forgotten.
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading Even the rumours with which its streets had been so lately filled, were already forgotten.
physically weak
From this reading None have memories as frail as the gossip.
light informal conversation for social occasions
From this reading None have memories as frail as the gossip.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer, Imaginary ills, and fancied tortures?”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Even the rumours with which its streets had been so lately filled, were already forgotten.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading None have memories as frail as the gossip.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer, Imaginary ills, and fancied tortures?”
plural of “ill” — an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading “Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer, Imaginary ills, and fancied tortures?”
not based on fact; existing only in the imagination
From this reading “Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer, Imaginary ills, and fancied tortures?”
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Even the rumours with which its streets had been so lately filled, were already forgotten.
in the recent past
From this reading Even the rumours with which its streets had been so lately filled, were already forgotten.
Recollections of past events.
From this reading None have memories as frail as the gossip.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading _Cato._ The scene must now be shifted to Rattletrap.
not one, and not any
From this reading None have memories as frail as the gossip.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading _Cato._ The scene must now be shifted to Rattletrap.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Cato._ The scene must now be shifted to Rattletrap.
plural of “rumour” — gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
From this reading Even the rumours with which its streets had been so lately filled, were already forgotten.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading _Cato._ The scene must now be shifted to Rattletrap.
past form of “shift” — make a shift in or exchange of
From this reading _Cato._ The scene must now be shifted to Rattletrap.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Even the rumours with which its streets had been so lately filled, were already forgotten.
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Even the rumours with which its streets had been so lately filled, were already forgotten.
undergo or be subjected to
From this reading “Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer, Imaginary ills, and fancied tortures?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer, Imaginary ills, and fancied tortures?”
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading “Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer, Imaginary ills, and fancied tortures?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer, Imaginary ills, and fancied tortures?”
plural of “torture” — extreme mental distress
From this reading “Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer, Imaginary ills, and fancied tortures?”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Biberry was deserted.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Even the rumours with which its streets had been so lately filled, were already forgotten.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Even the rumours with which its streets had been so lately filled, were already forgotten.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer, Imaginary ills, and fancied tortures?”
an old form of “will”, used with “thou”
From this reading “Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer, Imaginary ills, and fancied tortures?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading Even the rumours with which its streets had been so lately filled, were already forgotten.
Chapter 30 of The ways of the hour by James Fenimore Cooper holds 247 sentences, grouped into 50 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 30 holds 247 sentences of The ways of the hour, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 30 of The ways of the hour by James Fenimore Cooper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 247 sentences, grouped into 50 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 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 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 30 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 ways of the hour by James Fenimore Cooper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7440 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75036 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75036, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1488 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The ways of the hour section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The ways of the hour 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 ways of the hour, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
