Chapter 19 of Clayhanger is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of Clayhanger is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She descended immediately in an ulster and loose slippers. Edwin waited for her in the hall. "Now, father," she said brusquely, entering the dining-room, "what's amiss?" Darius gazed at her stupidly. "Nothing," he muttered.
Chapter 19 of Clayhanger is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
not functioning properly
From this reading “"Now, father," she said brusquely, entering the dining-room, "what's amiss?"”
in a blunt direct manner
From this reading “"Now, father," she said brusquely, entering the dining-room, "what's amiss?"”
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading “She descended immediately in an ulster and loose slippers.”
king of Northumbria who was converted to Christianity (585-633)
From this reading “Edwin waited for her in the hall.”
a movement into or inward
From this reading “"Now, father," she said brusquely, entering the dining-room, "what's amiss?"”
plural of “slipper” — low footwear that can be slipped on and off easily; usually worn indoors
From this reading “She descended immediately in an ulster and loose slippers.”
in a stupid manner
From this reading “Darius gazed at her stupidly.”
a historic division of Ireland located in the northeastern part of the island; six of Ulster's nine counties are in Northern Ireland
From this reading “She descended immediately in an ulster and loose slippers.”
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.
not functioning properly
From this reading "Now, father," she said brusquely, entering the dining-room, "what's amiss?"
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading She descended immediately in an ulster and loose slippers.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She descended immediately in an ulster and loose slippers.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Darius gazed at her stupidly.
in a blunt direct manner
From this reading "Now, father," she said brusquely, entering the dining-room, "what's amiss?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Darius gazed at her stupidly.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading She descended immediately in an ulster and loose slippers.
a room used for dining
From this reading "Now, father," she said brusquely, entering the dining-room, "what's amiss?"
king of Northumbria who was converted to Christianity (585-633)
From this reading Edwin waited for her in the hall.
a movement into or inward
From this reading "Now, father," she said brusquely, entering the dining-room, "what's amiss?"
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "Now, father," she said brusquely, entering the dining-room, "what's amiss?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Edwin waited for her in the hall.
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Darius gazed at her stupidly.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading Edwin waited for her in the hall.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Nothing," he muttered.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Edwin waited for her in the hall.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading She descended immediately in an ulster and loose slippers.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She descended immediately in an ulster and loose slippers.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading She descended immediately in an ulster and loose slippers.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading "Nothing," he muttered.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Nothing," he muttered.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now, father," she said brusquely, entering the dining-room, "what's amiss?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Now, father," she said brusquely, entering the dining-room, "what's amiss?"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She descended immediately in an ulster and loose slippers.
plural of “slipper” — low footwear that can be slipped on and off easily; usually worn indoors
From this reading She descended immediately in an ulster and loose slippers.
in a stupid manner
From this reading Darius gazed at her stupidly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Edwin waited for her in the hall.
a historic division of Ireland located in the northeastern part of the island; six of Ulster's nine counties are in Northern Ireland
From this reading She descended immediately in an ulster and loose slippers.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Edwin waited for her in the hall.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now, father," she said brusquely, entering the dining-room, "what's amiss?"
Chapter 19 of Clayhanger by Arnold Bennett holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 19 holds 405 sentences of Clayhanger, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of Clayhanger by Arnold Bennett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 19 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 Clayhanger by Arnold Bennett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 13540 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21249 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21249, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2708 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Clayhanger section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Clayhanger 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 Clayhanger, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
