Chapter 9 of Diana is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Diana is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MRS. STARLING'S OPINIONS. It was well dusk when Prince stopped under the elm tree. The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys. All household wants and proprieties were disarranged; the thing to do was to bring up arrears as speedily as possible.
Chapter 9 of Diana is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
the state of being behind in payments
From this reading “All household wants and proprieties were disarranged; the thing to do was to bring up arrears as speedily as possible.”
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading “It was well dusk when Prince stopped under the elm tree.”
any of various trees of the genus Ulmus: important timber or shade trees
From this reading “It was well dusk when Prince stopped under the elm tree.”
plural of “opinion” — a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty
From this reading “STARLING'S OPINIONS.”
the extended spatial location of something
From this reading “The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.”
a gradual sinking to a lower level
From this reading “The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.”
with speed
From this reading “All household wants and proprieties were disarranged; the thing to do was to bring up arrears as speedily as possible.”
plural of “valley” — a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading “The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.”
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.
any of various trees of the genus Ulmus: important timber or shade trees
In this reading “It was well dusk when Prince stopped under the elm tree.”
In this reading “The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.”
In this reading “It was well dusk when Prince stopped under the elm tree.”
summon into action or bring into existence, often as if by magic
In this reading “All household wants and proprieties were disarranged; the thing to do was to bring up arrears as speedily as possible.”
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 The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
the state of being behind in payments
From this reading All household wants and proprieties were disarranged; the thing to do was to bring up arrears as speedily as possible.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading All household wants and proprieties were disarranged; the thing to do was to bring up arrears as speedily as possible.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading All household wants and proprieties were disarranged; the thing to do was to bring up arrears as speedily as possible.
having the arrangement disturbed; not in order
From this reading All household wants and proprieties were disarranged; the thing to do was to bring up arrears as speedily as possible.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading All household wants and proprieties were disarranged; the thing to do was to bring up arrears as speedily as possible.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading It was well dusk when Prince stopped under the elm tree.
any of various trees of the genus Ulmus: important timber or shade trees
From this reading It was well dusk when Prince stopped under the elm tree.
a state of high honor
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
destroyed or killed
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
a social unit living together
From this reading All household wants and proprieties were disarranged; the thing to do was to bring up arrears as speedily as possible.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was well dusk when Prince stopped under the elm tree.
the act of departing
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MRS.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
plural of “opinion” — a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty
From this reading STARLING'S OPINIONS.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading All household wants and proprieties were disarranged; the thing to do was to bring up arrears as speedily as possible.
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading It was well dusk when Prince stopped under the elm tree.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All household wants and proprieties were disarranged; the thing to do was to bring up arrears as speedily as possible.
the extended spatial location of something
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
a gradual sinking to a lower level
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
with speed
From this reading All household wants and proprieties were disarranged; the thing to do was to bring up arrears as speedily as possible.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading STARLING'S OPINIONS.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading It was well dusk when Prince stopped under the elm tree.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was well dusk when Prince stopped under the elm tree.
a special situation
From this reading All household wants and proprieties were disarranged; the thing to do was to bring up arrears as speedily as possible.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading All household wants and proprieties were disarranged; the thing to do was to bring up arrears as speedily as possible.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading It was well dusk when Prince stopped under the elm tree.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading It was well dusk when Prince stopped under the elm tree.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading All household wants and proprieties were disarranged; the thing to do was to bring up arrears as speedily as possible.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
plural of “valley” — a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading All household wants and proprieties were disarranged; the thing to do was to bring up arrears as speedily as possible.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was well dusk when Prince stopped under the elm tree.
(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 It was well dusk when Prince stopped under the elm tree.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
at the time that
From this reading It was well dusk when Prince stopped under the elm tree.
a Caucasian
From this reading The sun had gone down behind the low distant hills, leaving a white glory in all that region of the heavens; and shadows were settling upon the valleys.
Chapter 9 of Diana by Susan Warner holds 203 sentences, grouped into 41 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 203 sentences of Diana, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Diana by Susan Warner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 203 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 Diana by Susan Warner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9055 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29824 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29824, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1811 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Diana section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of Diana 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 Diana, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
