Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Vivian's Lesson
Vivian's Lesson

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21 of Vivian's Lesson is here in full — 60 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Elizabeth W. (Elizabeth Wilson) Grierson • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Vivian's Lesson
Context Illustration Reading 1/12 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE OPINION OF DR JULES.
‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.
‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.
Not bad, that is to say, but still it is there.
And on the top of that, as it were, there are signs of irritability of the brain.
0:00 / 0:00
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.

Vivian's Lesson

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21 of Vivian's Lesson is here in full — 60 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/12 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE OPINION OF DR JULES.
Line 2
‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.
Line 3
‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.
/æt ðə fɜːrst ðer hæz bɪn ə tʃɪl ə moʊst səˈvɪr wʌn ənd ðæt hæz brɔːt ɑːn ə slaɪt əˈtæk ʌv ruːˈmætɪk ˈfiːvər/
Line 4
Not bad, that is to say, but still it is there.
/nɑːt bæd ðæt ɪz tuː seɪ bʌt stɪl ɪt ɪz ðer/
Line 5
And on the top of that, as it were, there are signs of irritability of the brain.
/ənd ɑːn ðə tɑːp ʌv ðæt æz ɪt wɜːr ðer ɑːr saɪnz ʌv ˌɪrɪtəˈbɪləti ʌv ðə breɪn/

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.

chill noun US /tʃɪl/

coldness due to a cold environment

From this reading “‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
elbow noun US /ˈelboʊ/

hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped

From this reading “‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
irritability noun US /ˌɪrɪtəˈbɪləti/

an irritable petulant feeling

From this reading “And on the top of that, as it were, there are signs of irritability of the brain.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Maxwell noun US /ˈmækswel/

a cgs unit of magnetic flux equal to the flux perpendicular to an area of 1 square centimeter in a magnetic field of 1 gauss

From this reading “‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rheumatic noun US /ruːˈmætɪk/

a person suffering with rheumatism

From this reading “‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
severe adjective US /səˈvɪr/

intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality

From this reading “‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
summoned verb US /ˈsʌmənd/

past form of “summon” — call in an official matter, such as to attend court

From this reading “‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
trusted adjective US /ˈtrʌstɪd/

(of persons) worthy of trust or confidence

From this reading “‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.”

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.

rheumatic fever noun + noun

a severe disease chiefly of children and characterized by painful inflammation of the joints and frequently damage to the heart valves

In this reading “‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.”

246 times in 426,211 chapters
stood looking verb + noun

In this reading “‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.”

9,738 times in 426,211 chapters
most severe adverb + adjective

In this reading “‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.”

634 times in 426,211 chapters
trusted friend adjective + noun

In this reading “‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.”

346 times in 426,211 chapters
on the top preposition + article + noun counted as “on … top”

In this reading “And on the top of that, as it were, there are signs of irritability of the brain.”

15,940 times in 426,211 chapters
slight attack noun + noun

In this reading “‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.”

194 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 65

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 ‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading And on the top of that, as it were, there are signs of irritability of the brain.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading And on the top of that, as it were, there are signs of irritability of the brain.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
attacknounUS /əˈtæk/

(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)

From this reading ‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
badadjectiveUS /bæd/

having undesirable or negative qualities

From this reading Not bad, that is to say, but still it is there.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
brainnounUS /breɪn/

that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord

From this reading And on the top of that, as it were, there are signs of irritability of the brain.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading ‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Not bad, that is to say, but still it is there.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
chillnounUS /tʃɪl/

coldness due to a cold environment

From this reading ‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Choisigny

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

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

Pending verification
Croite

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

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

Pending verification
Dinard

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

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

Pending verification
doctornounUS /ˈdɑːktər/

a licensed medical practitioner

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DR

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

From this reading THE OPINION OF DR JULES.

Pending verification
elbownounUS /ˈelboʊ/

hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
familynounUS /ˈfæməli/

a social unit living together

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fevernounUS /ˈfiːvər/

a rise in the temperature of the body; frequently a symptom of infection

From this reading ‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading ‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
friendnounUS /frend/

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading ‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hastilyadverbUS /ˈheɪstəli/

in a hurried or hasty manner

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
irritabilitynounUS /ˌɪrɪtəˈbɪləti/

an irritable petulant feeling

From this reading And on the top of that, as it were, there are signs of irritability of the brain.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Not bad, that is to say, but still it is there.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Not bad, that is to say, but still it is there.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
JULES

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

From this reading THE OPINION OF DR JULES.

Pending verification
littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

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

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MaxwellnounUS /ˈmækswel/

a cgs unit of magnetic flux equal to the flux perpendicular to an area of 1 square centimeter in a magnetic field of 1 gauss

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MonsieurnounUS /məˈsjɜːr/

used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading ‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
NotadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Not bad, that is to say, but still it is there.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE OPINION OF DR JULES.

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 ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading ‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading ‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OPINIONnounUS /əˈpɪnjən/

a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty

From this reading THE OPINION OF DR JULES.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
patientnounUS /ˈpeɪʃənt/

a person who requires medical care

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rheumaticnounUS /ruːˈmætɪk/

a person suffering with rheumatism

From this reading ‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading Not bad, that is to say, but still it is there.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
severeadjectiveUS /səˈvɪr/

intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality

From this reading ‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
signsnounUS /saɪnz/

plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)

From this reading And on the top of that, as it were, there are signs of irritability of the brain.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
slightnounUS /slaɪt/

a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)

From this reading ‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading Not bad, that is to say, but still it is there.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

Velmora curated lexicon
summonedverbUS /ˈsʌmənd/

past form of “summon” — call in an official matter, such as to attend court

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading ‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE OPINION OF DR JULES.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading ‘At the first there has been a chill, a most severe one, and that has brought on a slight attack of rheumatic fever.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TIENS

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

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

Pending verification
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Not bad, that is to say, but still it is there.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
topnounUS /tɑːp/

the upper part of anything

From this reading And on the top of that, as it were, there are signs of irritability of the brain.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
trustedadjectiveUS /ˈtrʌstɪd/

(of persons) worthy of trust or confidence

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Vicomte

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

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

Pending verification
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading And on the top of that, as it were, there are signs of irritability of the brain.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading ‘TIENS!’ said old Monsieur Croite, the family doctor and trusted friend of the Choisigny family, who had been hastily summoned from Dinard, and who stood looking down at his little patient, with Mr Maxwell and the Vicomte at his elbow.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 21 of Vivian's Lesson by Elizabeth W. (Elizabeth Wilson) Grierson holds 60 sentences, grouped into 12 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 21 of Vivian's Lesson contain?

Chapter 21 holds 60 sentences of Vivian's Lesson, unabridged, divided into 12 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of Vivian's Lesson by Elizabeth W. (Elizabeth Wilson) Grierson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 60 sentences, grouped into 12 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 21 of Vivian's Lesson?

Work through the 12 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 12 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 21 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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 Vivian's Lesson

Common questions about reading Vivian's Lesson by Elizabeth W. (Elizabeth Wilson) Grierson on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Vivian's Lesson?

Yes. All 2236 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50659 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Vivian's Lesson is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #50659, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Vivian's Lesson take to read?

About 186 minutes of reading across 448 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Vivian's Lesson section by section

How to work through Vivian's Lesson section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 25 chapters of Vivian's Lesson to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Vivian's Lesson

Words and structures a reader meets early in Vivian's Lesson, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Began
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vivian's Lesson; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Vivian
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vivian's Lesson; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Going
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vivian's Lesson; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Promised
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vivian's Lesson; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.