Chapter 32 of Wives and Daughters is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXXII
Chapter 32 of Wives and Daughters is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN INNOCENT CULPRIT. With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home. He rang at the door-bell; an unusual proceeding on his part. Maria opened the door. "Go and tell Miss Molly she's wanted in the dining-room.
Chapter 32 of Wives and Daughters is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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.
someone who perpetrates wrongdoing
From this reading “AN INNOCENT CULPRIT.”
a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening
From this reading “With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.”
United States illustrator remembered for his creation of the “Gibson girl” (1867-1944)
From this reading “With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.”
a dark region of considerable extent on the surface of the moon
From this reading “Maria opened the door.”
popular aquarium fish
From this reading “"Go and tell Miss Molly she's wanted in the dining-room.”
(law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
From this reading “He rang at the door-bell; an unusual proceeding on his part.”
agitating a liquid with an implement
From this reading “With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.”
not usual or common or ordinary
From this reading “He rang at the door-bell; an unusual proceeding on his part.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN INNOCENT CULPRIT.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He rang at the door-bell; an unusual proceeding on his part.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
someone who perpetrates wrongdoing
From this reading AN INNOCENT CULPRIT.
a room used for dining
From this reading "Go and tell Miss Molly she's wanted in the dining-room.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Maria opened the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He rang at the door-bell; an unusual proceeding on his part.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
United States illustrator remembered for his creation of the “Gibson girl” (1867-1944)
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Go and tell Miss Molly she's wanted in the dining-room.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Go and tell Miss Molly she's wanted in the dining-room.
free from evil or guilt
From this reading AN INNOCENT CULPRIT.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
a dark region of considerable extent on the surface of the moon
From this reading Maria opened the door.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Go and tell Miss Molly she's wanted in the dining-room.
popular aquarium fish
From this reading "Go and tell Miss Molly she's wanted in the dining-room.
a form of address for a man
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He rang at the door-bell; an unusual proceeding on his part.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Maria opened the door.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading He rang at the door-bell; an unusual proceeding on his part.
(law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
From this reading He rang at the door-bell; an unusual proceeding on his part.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading He rang at the door-bell; an unusual proceeding on his part.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Go and tell Miss Molly she's wanted in the dining-room.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
agitating a liquid with an implement
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
in a swift manner
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
express in words
From this reading "Go and tell Miss Molly she's wanted in the dining-room.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He rang at the door-bell; an unusual proceeding on his part.
in or at that place or location
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
not usual or common or ordinary
From this reading He rang at the door-bell; an unusual proceeding on his part.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading "Go and tell Miss Molly she's wanted in the dining-room.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
but in spite of that
From this reading With his head bent down--as if he were facing some keen-blowing wind--and yet there was not a breath of air stirring--Mr. Gibson went swiftly to his own home.
Chapter 32 of Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell holds 225 sentences, grouped into 45 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 32 holds 225 sentences of Wives and Daughters, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 32 of Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 225 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 32 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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Yes. All 13287 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4274 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4274, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2658 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Wives and Daughters section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Wives and Daughters 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 Wives and Daughters, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
