Chapter 31 of Clayhanger is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Clayhanger is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Give it to me, Selina," said Janet. Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away. "That's my telegram," said Mr Orgreave. "How is it addressed?" "Orgreave, Bleakridge, Bursley."
Chapter 31 of Clayhanger is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 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.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading “"How is it addressed?"”
someone who acts or responds in a mechanical or apathetic way
From this reading “Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.”
(behavioral attributes) the way a person behaves toward other people
From this reading “Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.”
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “"Give it to me, Selina," said Janet.”
-ing form of “imitate” — reproduce someone's behavior or looks
From this reading “Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.”
in an impassive manner
From this reading “Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.”
past form of “obey” — be obedient to
From this reading “Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.”
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading “"That's my telegram," said Mr Orgreave.”
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.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading "How is it addressed?"
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.
someone who acts or responds in a mechanical or apathetic way
From this reading Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Orgreave, Bleakridge, Bursley."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Orgreave, Bleakridge, Bursley."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.
(behavioral attributes) the way a person behaves toward other people
From this reading Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "Give it to me, Selina," said Janet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How is it addressed?"
-ing form of “imitate” — reproduce someone's behavior or looks
From this reading Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.
in an impassive manner
From this reading Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "How is it addressed?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Give it to me, Selina," said Janet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Give it to me, Selina," said Janet.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Give it to me, Selina," said Janet.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "That's my telegram," said Mr Orgreave.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "That's my telegram," said Mr Orgreave.
past form of “obey” — be obedient to
From this reading Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's my telegram," said Mr Orgreave.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Give it to me, Selina," said Janet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Give it to me, Selina," said Janet.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading "That's my telegram," said Mr Orgreave.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's my telegram," said Mr Orgreave.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Give it to me, Selina," said Janet.
(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 Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Selina impassively obeyed, imitating as well as she could the deportment of an automaton; and went away.
Chapter 31 of Clayhanger by Arnold Bennett holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 31 holds 415 sentences of Clayhanger, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Clayhanger by Arnold Bennett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 31 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.
