The Women Who Make Our Novels

Chapter XXII

Chapter 22 of The Women Who Make Our Novels is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Grant M. (Grant Martin) Overton • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Women Who Make Our Novels

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

WILLA SIBERT CATHER Some novelists are at their best in their first novels; others do their best work after a long apprenticeship in the public eye; a few show steady growth and a very few show steady and rapid growth.

Of these last is Willa Sibert Cather.

She has written four novels.

You pick up _Alexander’s Bridge_ and read with discriminating pleasure.

It is a fine piece of work.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXII Reading 1/35

The Women Who Make Our Novels

Chapter XXII

Chapter 22 of The Women Who Make Our Novels is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Line 2

Of these last is Willa Sibert Cather.

Line 3

She has written four novels.

/ʃiː hæz ˈrɪtən fɔːr ˈnɑːvəlz/

Line 4

You pick up _Alexander’s Bridge_ and read with discriminating pleasure.

/juː pɪk ʌp ˌæləɡˈzændərz brɪdʒ ənd red wɪð dɪˈskrɪməneɪtɪŋ ˈpleʒər/

Line 5

It is a fine piece of work.

/ɪt ɪz ə faɪn piːs ʌv wɜːrk/

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.

Alexander's noun US /ˌæləɡˈzændərz/

possessive form of “alexander” — European herb somewhat resembling celery widely naturalized in Britain coastal regions and often cultivated as a potherb

apprenticeship noun US /əˈprentəsʃɪp/

the position of apprentice

From this reading “WILLA SIBERT CATHER Some novelists are at their best in their first novels; others do their best work after a long apprenticeship in the public eye; a few show steady growth and a very few show steady and rapid growth.”

cather noun US /ˈkæðər/

United States writer who wrote about frontier life (1873-1947)

discriminating adjective US /dɪˈskrɪməneɪtɪŋ/

showing or indicating careful judgment and discernment especially in matters of taste

From this reading “You pick up _Alexander’s Bridge_ and read with discriminating pleasure.”

growth noun US /ɡroʊθ/

(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level

novelists noun US /ˈnɑːvələsts/

plural of “novelist” — one who writes novels

novels noun US /ˈnɑːvəlz/

plural of “novel” — an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story

rapid adjective US /ˈræpəd/

done or occurring in a brief period of time

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.

rapid growth adjective + noun

a rapid rise

In this reading “WILLA SIBERT CATHER Some novelists are at their best in their first novels; others do their best work after a long apprenticeship in the public eye; a few show steady growth and a very few show steady and rapid growth.”

pick up verb + adjective

take and lift upward

In this reading “You pick up _Alexander’s Bridge_ and read with discriminating pleasure.”

public eye noun + noun

a focus of public attention

fine piece adjective + noun

In this reading “It is a fine piece of work.”

All words in this reading · 49

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 WILLA SIBERT CATHER Some novelists are at their best in their first novels; others do their best work after a long apprenticeship in the public eye; a few show steady growth and a very few show steady and rapid growth.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

Alexander'snounUS /ˌæləɡˈzændərz/

possessive form of “alexander” — European herb somewhat resembling celery widely naturalized in Britain coastal regions and often cultivated as a potherb

From this reading You pick up _Alexander’s Bridge_ and read with discriminating pleasure.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

apprenticeshipnounUS /əˈprentəsʃɪp/

the position of apprentice

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

BridgenounUS /brɪdʒ/

a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.

From this reading You pick up _Alexander’s Bridge_ and read with discriminating pleasure.

CATHERnounUS /ˈkæðər/

United States writer who wrote about frontier life (1873-1947)

discriminatingadjectiveUS /dɪˈskrɪməneɪtɪŋ/

showing or indicating careful judgment and discernment especially in matters of taste

From this reading You pick up _Alexander’s Bridge_ and read with discriminating pleasure.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

eyenounUS /aɪ/

the organ of sight

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

fineadjectiveUS /faɪn/

being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition

From this reading It is a fine piece of work.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

fournounUS /fɔːr/

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading She has written four novels.

growthnounUS /ɡroʊθ/

(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading She has written four novels.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Of these last is Willa Sibert Cather.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It is a fine piece of work.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading Of these last is Willa Sibert Cather.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

novelistsnounUS /ˈnɑːvələsts/

plural of “novelist” — one who writes novels

novelsnounUS /ˈnɑːvəlz/

plural of “novel” — an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story

OfprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Of these last is Willa Sibert Cather.

others

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

pickverbUS /pɪk/

select carefully from a group

From this reading You pick up _Alexander’s Bridge_ and read with discriminating pleasure.

piecenounUS /piːs/

a separate part of a whole

From this reading It is a fine piece of work.

pleasurenounUS /ˈpleʒər/

a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience

From this reading You pick up _Alexander’s Bridge_ and read with discriminating pleasure.

publicnounUS /ˈpʌblɪk/

people in general considered as a whole

rapidadjectiveUS /ˈræpəd/

done or occurring in a brief period of time

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading You pick up _Alexander’s Bridge_ and read with discriminating pleasure.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She has written four novels.

showverbUS /ʃoʊ/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

SIBERT

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

SomeadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

steadyverbUS /ˈstedi/

make steady

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading Of these last is Willa Sibert Cather.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

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

From this reading You pick up _Alexander’s Bridge_ and read with discriminating pleasure.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

WILLA

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

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading You pick up _Alexander’s Bridge_ and read with discriminating pleasure.

workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

writtenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪtən/

set down in writing in any of various ways

From this reading She has written four novels.

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading You pick up _Alexander’s Bridge_ and read with discriminating pleasure.

Chapter 22 of The Women Who Make Our Novels by Grant M. (Grant Martin) Overton holds 179 sentences, grouped into 36 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 22 of The Women Who Make Our Novels contain?

Chapter 22 holds 179 sentences of The Women Who Make Our Novels, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 22 of The Women Who Make Our Novels by Grant M. (Grant Martin) Overton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 179 sentences, grouped into 36 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 22 of The Women Who Make Our Novels?

Work through the 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 36 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 22 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 22 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 Women Who Make Our Novels

Common questions about reading The Women Who Make Our Novels by Grant M. (Grant Martin) Overton on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Women Who Make Our Novels?

Yes. All 5519 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65134 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Women Who Make Our Novels is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #65134, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Women Who Make Our Novels take to read?

About 459 minutes of reading across 1104 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Women Who Make Our Novels

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Women Who Make Our Novels, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Women: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Women Who Make Our Novels; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Novels: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Women Who Make Our Novels; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
First: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Women Who Make Our Novels; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Printing: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Women Who Make Our Novels; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XXII

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