Wives and Widows

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Wives and Widows is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

OUT IN THE WORLD.

When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

I think the dear lady was induced to follow his advice from a desire to give our girl a glimpse of the life which should have been opened to her about that time, rather than from any hopes of benefit from sea-bathing.

She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.

The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

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/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IV Reading 1/33

Wives and Widows Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Wives and Widows is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

OUT IN THE WORLD. When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side. I think the dear lady was induced to follow his advice from a desire to give our girl a glimpse of the life which should have been opened to her about that time, rather than from any hopes of benefit from sea-bathing. She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm. The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.

Wives and Widows

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Wives and Widows is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/33 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

OUT IN THE WORLD.

/aʊt ɪn ðə wɜːrld/

Line 2

When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

Line 3

Line 4

She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.

Line 5

The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.

/ðə dɪr ɡɜːrl hæd ɪn ˌriːˈælətiː siːn ˈnʌθɪŋ ʌv laɪf ənd ʃiː wɑːz ˈhæpi æz ə bɜːrd æt ðə ˈprɑːspekt ʌv ˈentərɪŋ wʌt siːmd tuː hɜːr laɪk æn ɪnˈtʃæn.tɪd lænd/

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.

brightened verb US /ˈbraɪtənd/

past form of “brighten” — make more cheerful through the use of color

From this reading “She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.”

eighteenth adjective US /eɪˈtiːnθ/

coming next after the seventeenth in position

From this reading “When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.”

enchanted adjective US /ɪnˈtʃæn.tɪd/

Filled with or placed under the influence of magical power or charm.

From this reading “The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.”

induced adjective US /ˌɪnˈduːst/

brought about or caused; not spontaneous

From this reading “I think the dear lady was induced to follow his advice from a desire to give our girl a glimpse of the life which should have been opened to her about that time, rather than from any hopes of benefit from sea-bathing.”

languid adjective US /ˈlæŋɡwəd/

lacking spirit or liveliness

From this reading “When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.”

openly adverb US /ˈoʊpənli/

in an open way

From this reading “She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.”

project verb US /ˈprɑːdʒekt/

communicate vividly

From this reading “She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.”

visibly adverb US /ˈvɪzəbli/

in a visible manner

From this reading “She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.”

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.

openly expressed adverb + adjective

In this reading “She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.”

eighteenth year adjective + noun

In this reading “When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.”

under the influence preposition + article + noun counted as “under … influence”

In this reading “She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.”

few weeks adjective + noun counted as “few week”

In this reading “When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.”

enchanted land adjective + noun

In this reading “The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.”

at once preposition + adverb

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

In this reading “She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.”

entered into verb + particle counted as “enter into”

In this reading “She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.”

in reality preposition + noun

used to imply that one would expect the fact to be the opposite of that stated; surprisingly

In this reading “The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.”

All words in this reading · 86

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 When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading I think the dear lady was induced to follow his advice from a desire to give our girl a glimpse of the life which should have been opened to her about that time, rather than from any hopes of benefit from sea-bathing.

advicenounUS /ædˈvaɪs/

a proposal for an appropriate course of action

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

becameverbUS /bɪˈkeɪm/

inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

benefitnounUS /ˈbenəfɪt/

financial assistance in time of need

birdnounUS /bɜːrd/

warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings

From this reading The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.

brightenedverbUS /ˈbraɪtənd/

past form of “brighten” — make more cheerful through the use of color

From this reading She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

desirenounUS /dɪˈzaɪər/

the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state

earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

eighteenthadjectiveUS /eɪˈtiːnθ/

coming next after the seventeenth in position

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

enchantedadjectiveUS /ɪnˈtʃæn.tɪd/

Filled with or placed under the influence of magical power or charm.

From this reading The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.

enteredverbUS /ˈentərd/

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.

enteringnounUS /ˈentərɪŋ/

a movement into or inward

From this reading The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.

enthusiasmnounUS /ɪnˈθuːziæzəm/

a feeling of excitement

From this reading She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.

expressedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈsprest/

communicated in words

From this reading She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

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

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

followverbUS /ˈfɑːloʊ/

to travel behind, go after, come after

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

glimpsenounUS /ɡlɪmps/

a quick look

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.

happyadjectiveUS /ˈhæpi/

enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure

From this reading The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

hopesnounUS /hoʊps/

plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading OUT IN THE WORLD.

inducedadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈduːst/

brought about or caused; not spontaneous

influencenounUS /ˈɪnfluːəns/

a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc

From this reading She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.

Jessie

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

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

Jessie's

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

From this reading She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.

ladynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

landnounUS /lænd/

the land on which real estate is located

From this reading The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.

languidadjectiveUS /ˈlæŋɡwəd/

lacking spirit or liveliness

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

LeenounUS /liː/

United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.

openedadjectiveUS /ˈoʊpənd/

used of mouth or eyes

openlyadverbUS /ˈoʊpənli/

in an open way

From this reading She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

OUTadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading OUT IN THE WORLD.

physiciannounUS /fəˈzɪʃən/

a licensed medical practitioner

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

projectverbUS /ˈprɑːdʒekt/

communicate vividly

From this reading She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.

prospectnounUS /ˈprɑːspekt/

the possibility of future success

From this reading The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.

ratheradverbUS /ˈræðər/

on the contrary

reachedverbUS /riːtʃt/

past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

realitynounUS /ˌriːˈælətiː/

all of your experiences that determine how things appear to you

From this reading The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.

sea-bathing

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

sea-side

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

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

seasonnounUS /ˈsiːzən/

a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

suggestedverbUS /səˈdʒestɪd/

past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading OUT IN THE WORLD.

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.

usualadjectiveUS /ˈjuːʒəwəl/

occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

visiblyadverbUS /ˈvɪzəbli/

in a visible manner

From this reading She entered into the project at once, and brightened visibly under the influence of Jessie's openly expressed enthusiasm.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

weeksnounUS /wiːks/

plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading The dear girl had in reality seen nothing of life, and she was happy as a bird at the prospect of entering what seemed to her like an enchanted land.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

WORLDnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading OUT IN THE WORLD.

yearnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading When Jessie reached her eighteenth year, Mrs. Lee became more languid than usual, and early in the season her physician suggested a few weeks at the sea-side.

Chapter 4 of Wives and Widows by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens holds 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 4 of Wives and Widows contain?

Chapter 4 holds 166 sentences of Wives and Widows, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Wives and Widows by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 4 of Wives and Widows?

Work through the 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 34 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 4 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 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 Wives and Widows

Common questions about reading Wives and Widows by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Wives and Widows?

Yes. All 7751 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36374 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #36374, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 600 minutes of reading across 1551 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Wives and Widows

Words and structures a reader meets early in Wives and Widows, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

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Chapter IV

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