Chapter 11 of Wives and Widows is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Wives and Widows is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ADROIT CROSS-QUESTIONING. "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence. Is he very much in love with our Jessie, or not?" "I never heard or thought that he was in love with her, Mrs. Dennison." "Nor she with him?"
Chapter 11 of Wives and Widows is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
quick or skillful or adept in action or thought
From this reading “ADROIT CROSS-QUESTIONING.”
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading “"Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.”
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading “"Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.”
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading “"I never heard or thought that he was in love with her, Mrs. Dennison."”
Roman martyr; supposedly Lawrence was ordered by the police to give up the church's treasure and when he responded by presenting the poor people of Rome he was roasted to death on a gridiron (died in 258)
From this reading “"Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.”
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading “"Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.”
possessing material wealth
From this reading “"Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.”
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading “"Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.”
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.
In this reading “"I never heard or thought that he was in love with her, Mrs. Dennison."”
In this reading “"Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.”
people who have possessions and wealth (considered as a group)
In this reading “"Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.”
In this reading “"Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
quick or skillful or adept in action or thought
From this reading ADROIT CROSS-QUESTIONING.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ADROIT CROSS-QUESTIONING.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Is he very much in love with our Jessie, or not?"
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "I never heard or thought that he was in love with her, Mrs. Dennison."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "I never heard or thought that he was in love with her, Mrs. Dennison."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Nor she with him?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I never heard or thought that he was in love with her, Mrs. Dennison."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Is he very much in love with our Jessie, or not?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Is he very much in love with our Jessie, or not?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Is he very much in love with our Jessie, or not?"
Roman martyr; supposedly Lawrence was ordered by the police to give up the church's treasure and when he responded by presenting the poor people of Rome he was roasted to death on a gridiron (died in 258)
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading Is he very much in love with our Jessie, or not?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
used to form the superlative
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Is he very much in love with our Jessie, or not?"
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "I never heard or thought that he was in love with her, Mrs. Dennison."
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading "Nor she with him?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Is he very much in love with our Jessie, or not?"
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Is he very much in love with our Jessie, or not?"
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Is he very much in love with our Jessie, or not?"
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
possessing material wealth
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Nor she with him?"
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
express in words
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I never heard or thought that he was in love with her, Mrs. Dennison."
precisely as stated
From this reading Is he very much in love with our Jessie, or not?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I never heard or thought that he was in love with her, Mrs. Dennison."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Now that we are talking of rich people," said Mrs. Dennison, with an air of the most natural confidence, "do tell me about this Mr. Lawrence.
Chapter 11 of Wives and Widows by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens holds 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 11 holds 159 sentences of Wives and Widows, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Wives and Widows by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 11 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 7751 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36374 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
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About 600 minutes of reading across 1551 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Wives and Widows, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
