Chapter 36 of Wives and Widows is here in full — 322 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVI
Chapter 36 of Wives and Widows is here in full — 322 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE WATERFALL. "I did not know that the world was so beautiful. This spot is indeed like paradise to me now. There is joy in the very breath of the mornings. When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.
Chapter 36 of Wives and Widows is here in full — 322 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/64 · 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.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.”
intense or sharp
From this reading “When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.”
flowing profusely
From this reading “When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.”
plural of “morning” — the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading “There is joy in the very breath of the mornings.”
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading “This spot is indeed like paradise to me now.”
plural of “sigh” — an utterance made by exhaling audibly
From this reading “When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.”
a short musical composition with words
From this reading “When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.”
a steep descent of the water of a river
From this reading “THE WATERFALL.”
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 “When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading "I did not know that the world was so beautiful.
terminate
From this reading When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading There is joy in the very breath of the mornings.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "I did not know that the world was so beautiful.
intense or sharp
From this reading When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.
flowing profusely
From this reading When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I did not know that the world was so beautiful.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There is joy in the very breath of the mornings.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading This spot is indeed like paradise to me now.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This spot is indeed like paradise to me now.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading There is joy in the very breath of the mornings.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I did not know that the world was so beautiful.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading This spot is indeed like paradise to me now.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading This spot is indeed like paradise to me now.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.
plural of “morning” — the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading There is joy in the very breath of the mornings.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I did not know that the world was so beautiful.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading This spot is indeed like paradise to me now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There is joy in the very breath of the mornings.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading This spot is indeed like paradise to me now.
plural of “sigh” — an utterance made by exhaling audibly
From this reading When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I did not know that the world was so beautiful.
a short musical composition with words
From this reading When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading This spot is indeed like paradise to me now.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I did not know that the world was so beautiful.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE WATERFALL.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There is joy in the very breath of the mornings.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This spot is indeed like paradise to me now.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading This spot is indeed like paradise to me now.
precisely as stated
From this reading There is joy in the very breath of the mornings.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I did not know that the world was so beautiful.
a steep descent of the water of a river
From this reading THE WATERFALL.
at the time that
From this reading When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading When I open my window and let in the gushing song of the mocking-birds, and the sweet breath of the flowers, sighs of exquisite delight break to my lips.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "I did not know that the world was so beautiful.
Chapter 36 of Wives and Widows by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens holds 322 sentences, grouped into 65 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 36 holds 322 sentences of Wives and Widows, unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 36 of Wives and Widows by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 322 sentences, grouped into 65 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 65 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 65 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 36 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.
Common questions about reading Wives and Widows by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7751 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36374 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36374, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1551 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Wives and Widows section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Wives and Widows 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 Widows, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
