Chapter 9 of April Hopes is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of April Hopes is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“And what became of them?” “We don't know. Isn't it ridiculous?” If it appeared other or more than this to Mrs. Pasmer, she did not say. She merely said, after a moment, “Well, it was certainly devoted, Alice,” and let her go.
Chapter 9 of April Hopes is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “If it appeared other or more than this to Mrs. Pasmer, she did not say.”
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading ““And what became of them?””
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “She merely said, after a moment, “Well, it was certainly devoted, Alice,” and let her go.”
zealous in devotion or affection
From this reading “She merely said, after a moment, “Well, it was certainly devoted, Alice,” and let her go.”
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “She merely said, after a moment, “Well, it was certainly devoted, Alice,” and let her go.”
and nothing more
From this reading “She merely said, after a moment, “Well, it was certainly devoted, Alice,” and let her go.”
a particular point in time
From this reading “She merely said, after a moment, “Well, it was certainly devoted, Alice,” and let her go.”
inspiring scornful pity
From this reading “Isn't it ridiculous?””
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 She merely said, after a moment, “Well, it was certainly devoted, Alice,” and let her go.
later than; following
From this reading She merely said, after a moment, “Well, it was certainly devoted, Alice,” and let her go.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She merely said, after a moment, “Well, it was certainly devoted, Alice,” and let her go.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And what became of them?”
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading If it appeared other or more than this to Mrs. Pasmer, she did not say.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading “And what became of them?”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading She merely said, after a moment, “Well, it was certainly devoted, Alice,” and let her go.
zealous in devotion or affection
From this reading She merely said, after a moment, “Well, it was certainly devoted, Alice,” and let her go.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading If it appeared other or more than this to Mrs. Pasmer, she did not say.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We don't know.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading She merely said, after a moment, “Well, it was certainly devoted, Alice,” and let her go.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She merely said, after a moment, “Well, it was certainly devoted, Alice,” and let her go.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If it appeared other or more than this to Mrs. Pasmer, she did not say.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Isn't it ridiculous?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Isn't it ridiculous?”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “We don't know.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading She merely said, after a moment, “Well, it was certainly devoted, Alice,” and let her go.
and nothing more
From this reading She merely said, after a moment, “Well, it was certainly devoted, Alice,” and let her go.
a particular point in time
From this reading She merely said, after a moment, “Well, it was certainly devoted, Alice,” and let her go.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading If it appeared other or more than this to Mrs. Pasmer, she did not say.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading If it appeared other or more than this to Mrs. Pasmer, she did not say.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If it appeared other or more than this to Mrs. Pasmer, she did not say.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “And what became of them?”
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading If it appeared other or more than this to Mrs. Pasmer, she did not say.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading If it appeared other or more than this to Mrs. Pasmer, she did not say.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If it appeared other or more than this to Mrs. Pasmer, she did not say.
inspiring scornful pity
From this reading Isn't it ridiculous?”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading She merely said, after a moment, “Well, it was certainly devoted, Alice,” and let her go.
express in words
From this reading If it appeared other or more than this to Mrs. Pasmer, she did not say.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If it appeared other or more than this to Mrs. Pasmer, she did not say.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading If it appeared other or more than this to Mrs. Pasmer, she did not say.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “And what became of them?”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading If it appeared other or more than this to Mrs. Pasmer, she did not say.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If it appeared other or more than this to Mrs. Pasmer, she did not say.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She merely said, after a moment, “Well, it was certainly devoted, Alice,” and let her go.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We don't know.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading She merely said, after a moment, “Well, it was certainly devoted, Alice,” and let her go.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “And what became of them?”
Chapter 9 of April Hopes by William Dean Howells holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 9 holds 417 sentences of April Hopes, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of April Hopes by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 9 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 April Hopes by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6976 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3404 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3404, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 581 minutes of reading across 1396 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through April Hopes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of April Hopes 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 April Hopes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
