Chapter 9 of Elmer Gantry is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Elmer Gantry is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car. Frank complained while they were laboring along the track after church at Schoenheim: “Look here, Gantry, something’s got to be done. I’m not satisfied about you and Lulu. I’ve caught you looking at each other.
Chapter 9 of Elmer Gantry is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
characterized by intense emotion
From this reading “I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.”
past form of “complain” — express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading “Frank complained while they were laboring along the track after church at Schoenheim:”
a framework of steel bars raised on side supports to bridge over or around something; can display railway signals above several tracks or can support a traveling crane etc.
From this reading “I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.”
close or warm friendship
From this reading “I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.”
doing arduous or unpleasant work
From this reading “Frank complained while they were laboring along the track after church at Schoenheim:”
a very attractive or seductive looking woman
From this reading “I’m not satisfied about you and Lulu.”
-ing form of “pump” — operate like a pump; move up and down, like a handle or a pedal
From this reading “I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.”
mutual dealings or connections or communications among persons or groups
From this reading “I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.”
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 “Frank complained while they were laboring along the track after church at Schoenheim:”
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 I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I’m not satisfied about you and Lulu.
later than; following
From this reading Frank complained while they were laboring along the track after church at Schoenheim:
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Frank complained while they were laboring along the track after church at Schoenheim:
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.
characterized by intense emotion
From this reading I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Frank complained while they were laboring along the track after church at Schoenheim:
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Look here, Gantry, something’s got to be done.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading I’ve caught you looking at each other.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading Frank complained while they were laboring along the track after church at Schoenheim:
past form of “complain” — express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading Frank complained while they were laboring along the track after church at Schoenheim:
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading “Look here, Gantry, something’s got to be done.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading I’ve caught you looking at each other.
divisible by two
From this reading I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Frank complained while they were laboring along the track after church at Schoenheim:
a framework of steel bars raised on side supports to bridge over or around something; can display railway signals above several tracks or can support a traveling crane etc.
From this reading I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “Look here, Gantry, something’s got to be done.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “Look here, Gantry, something’s got to be done.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m not satisfied about you and Lulu.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’ve caught you looking at each other.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.
close or warm friendship
From this reading I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.
doing arduous or unpleasant work
From this reading Frank complained while they were laboring along the track after church at Schoenheim:
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “Look here, Gantry, something’s got to be done.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading I’ve caught you looking at each other.
a very attractive or seductive looking woman
From this reading I’m not satisfied about you and Lulu.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading I’ve caught you looking at each other.
-ing form of “pump” — operate like a pump; move up and down, like a handle or a pedal
From this reading I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.
mutual dealings or connections or communications among persons or groups
From this reading I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.
filled with satisfaction
From this reading I’m not satisfied about you and Lulu.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Frank complained while they were laboring along the track after church at Schoenheim:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Look here, Gantry, something’s got to be done.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Frank complained while they were laboring along the track after church at Schoenheim:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Look here, Gantry, something’s got to be done.
in the direction of
From this reading I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.
a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading Frank complained while they were laboring along the track after church at Schoenheim:
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I THE relations of Brother Gantry and Brother Shallard were not ardent, toward Christmastide, even in the intimacy of pumping a hand-car.
during the time that
From this reading Frank complained while they were laboring along the track after church at Schoenheim:
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I’m not satisfied about you and Lulu.
Chapter 9 of Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis holds 457 sentences, grouped into 92 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 457 sentences of Elmer Gantry, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 457 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9683 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #72609 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #72609, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1937 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Elmer Gantry section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Elmer Gantry 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 Elmer Gantry, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
