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The wiser folly
The wiser folly

Chapter XL

Chapter 40 of The wiser folly is here in full — 68 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By LM (Leslie Moore) • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The wiser folly
Context Illustration Reading 1/13 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
AND SO THE STORY ENDS “AND that,” said David, concluding a little speech, “is all.”
A curious silence fell upon the room.
Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.
“You mean,” said Father Maloney, breaking the silence, “that you wish to give up your claim to the whole thing?”
“That’s so,” said David pleasantly.
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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 wiser folly

Chapter XL

Chapter 40 of The wiser folly is here in full — 68 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/13 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
AND SO THE STORY ENDS “AND that,” said David, concluding a little speech, “is all.”
/ənd soʊ ðə ˈstɔːri endz ənd ðæt sed ˈdeɪvɪd kənˈkluːdɪŋ ə ˈlɪtəl spiːtʃ ɪz ɔːl/
Line 2
A curious silence fell upon the room.
/ə ˈkjʊriəs ˈsaɪ.ləns fel əˈpɑːn ðə ruːm/
Line 3
Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.
Line 4
“You mean,” said Father Maloney, breaking the silence, “that you wish to give up your claim to the whole thing?”
Line 5
“That’s so,” said David pleasantly.

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.

breaking noun US /ˈbreɪkɪŋ/

the act of breaking something

From this reading ““You mean,” said Father Maloney, breaking the silence, “that you wish to give up your claim to the whole thing?””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
claim noun US /kleɪm/

an assertion of a right (as to money or property)

From this reading ““You mean,” said Father Maloney, breaking the silence, “that you wish to give up your claim to the whole thing?””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
concluding adjective US /kənˈkluːdɪŋ/

occurring at or forming an end or termination

From this reading “AND SO THE STORY ENDS “AND that,” said David, concluding a little speech, “is all.””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Elizabeth noun US /ɪˈlɪzəbəθ/

daughter of George VI who became the Queen of England and Northern Ireland in 1952 on the death of her father (1926-)

From this reading “Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ends noun US /endz/

plural of “end” — either extremity of something that has length

From this reading “AND SO THE STORY ENDS “AND that,” said David, concluding a little speech, “is all.””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
folded verb US /ˈfoʊldəd/

past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other

From this reading “Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
parchment noun US /ˈpɑːrtʃ.mənt/

A stiff, flat, thin material made from the prepared skin of an animal, used for writing.

From this reading “Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.”

Velmora curated lexicon
pleasantly adverb US /ˈplezəntli/

in a cheerful manner

From this reading ““That’s so,” said David pleasantly.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

fell upon verb + particle

In this reading “A curious silence fell upon the room.”

22,769 times in 426,211 chapters
hands folded noun + noun counted as “hands fold”

In this reading “Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.”

1,352 times in 426,211 chapters
whole thing adjective + noun

In this reading ““You mean,” said Father Maloney, breaking the silence, “that you wish to give up your claim to the whole thing?””

11,697 times in 426,211 chapters
looked at verb + particle counted as “look at”

take into consideration for exemplifying purposes

In this reading “Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.”

296,767 times in 426,211 chapters
give up verb + adjective

lose (s.th.) or lose the right to (s.th.) by some error, offense, or crime

In this reading ““You mean,” said Father Maloney, breaking the silence, “that you wish to give up your claim to the whole thing?””

42,234 times in 426,211 chapters
little speech adjective + noun

In this reading “AND SO THE STORY ENDS “AND that,” said David, concluding a little speech, “is all.””

1,640 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 55

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 AND SO THE STORY ENDS “AND that,” said David, concluding a little speech, “is all.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 AND SO THE STORY ENDS “AND that,” said David, concluding a little speech, “is all.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading AND SO THE STORY ENDS “AND that,” said David, concluding a little speech, “is all.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
breakingnounUS /ˈbreɪkɪŋ/

the act of breaking something

From this reading “You mean,” said Father Maloney, breaking the silence, “that you wish to give up your claim to the whole thing?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
claimnounUS /kleɪm/

an assertion of a right (as to money or property)

From this reading “You mean,” said Father Maloney, breaking the silence, “that you wish to give up your claim to the whole thing?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
concludingadjectiveUS /kənˈkluːdɪŋ/

occurring at or forming an end or termination

From this reading AND SO THE STORY ENDS “AND that,” said David, concluding a little speech, “is all.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
curiousadjectiveUS /ˈkjʊriəs/

beyond or deviating from the usual or expected

From this reading A curious silence fell upon the room.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DavidnounUS /ˈdeɪvɪd/

patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)

From this reading AND SO THE STORY ENDS “AND that,” said David, concluding a little speech, “is all.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ElizabethnounUS /ɪˈlɪzəbəθ/

daughter of George VI who became the Queen of England and Northern Ireland in 1952 on the death of her father (1926-)

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ENDSnounUS /endz/

plural of “end” — either extremity of something that has length

From this reading AND SO THE STORY ENDS “AND that,” said David, concluding a little speech, “is all.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fellverbUS /fel/

cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow

From this reading A curious silence fell upon the room.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
foldedverbUS /ˈfoʊldəd/

past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading “You mean,” said Father Maloney, breaking the silence, “that you wish to give up your claim to the whole thing?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading AND SO THE STORY ENDS “AND that,” said David, concluding a little speech, “is all.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
JohnnounUS /dʒɑːn/

a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LadynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

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

From this reading AND SO THE STORY ENDS “AND that,” said David, concluding a little speech, “is all.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Maloney

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

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

Pending verification
MarynounUS /ˈmeri/

the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
meanverbUS /miːn/

mean or intend to express or convey

From this reading “You mean,” said Father Maloney, breaking the silence, “that you wish to give up your claim to the whole thing?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
parchmentnounUS /ˈpɑːrtʃ.mənt/

A stiff, flat, thin material made from the prepared skin of an animal, used for writing.

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

Velmora curated lexicon
piecenounUS /piːs/

a separate part of a whole

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pleasantlyadverbUS /ˈplezəntli/

in a cheerful manner

From this reading “That’s so,” said David pleasantly.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading A curious silence fell upon the room.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Rosamund

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

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

Pending verification
saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading AND SO THE STORY ENDS “AND that,” said David, concluding a little speech, “is all.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
silencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading A curious silence fell upon the room.

Velmora curated lexicon
SOconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading AND SO THE STORY ENDS “AND that,” said David, concluding a little speech, “is all.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
speechnounUS /spiːtʃ/

the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience

From this reading AND SO THE STORY ENDS “AND that,” said David, concluding a little speech, “is all.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
STORYnounUS /ˈstɔːri/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading AND SO THE STORY ENDS “AND that,” said David, concluding a little speech, “is all.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading AND SO THE STORY ENDS “AND that,” said David, concluding a little speech, “is all.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
That's

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

From this reading “That’s so,” said David pleasantly.

Pending verification
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading AND SO THE STORY ENDS “AND that,” said David, concluding a little speech, “is all.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading “You mean,” said Father Maloney, breaking the silence, “that you wish to give up your claim to the whole thing?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading “You mean,” said Father Maloney, breaking the silence, “that you wish to give up your claim to the whole thing?”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading “You mean,” said Father Maloney, breaking the silence, “that you wish to give up your claim to the whole thing?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading A curious silence fell upon the room.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
watchingnounUS /ˈwɑːtʃɪŋ/

the act of observing; taking a patient look

From this reading Rosamund and John looked at each other; Lady Mary had her hands folded over an old piece of parchment; Elizabeth was watching her; Father Maloney looked at David.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wholeadjectiveUS /hoʊl/

including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete

From this reading “You mean,” said Father Maloney, breaking the silence, “that you wish to give up your claim to the whole thing?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wishverbUS /wɪʃ/

hope for; have a wish

From this reading “You mean,” said Father Maloney, breaking the silence, “that you wish to give up your claim to the whole thing?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “You mean,” said Father Maloney, breaking the silence, “that you wish to give up your claim to the whole thing?”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “You mean,” said Father Maloney, breaking the silence, “that you wish to give up your claim to the whole thing?”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 40 of The wiser folly by LM (Leslie Moore) holds 68 sentences, grouped into 14 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 40 of The wiser folly contain?

Chapter 40 holds 68 sentences of The wiser folly, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 40 of The wiser folly by LM (Leslie Moore) exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 68 sentences, grouped into 14 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 40 of The wiser folly?

Work through the 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 14 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 40 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 40 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 wiser folly

Common questions about reading The wiser folly by LM (Leslie Moore) on this page, its source edition and its audio.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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Vocabulary met early in The wiser folly

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

Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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