Chapter 9 of Happy-Thought Hall is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Happy-Thought Hall is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A WET DAY. RAIN--THE MEDFORDS--CONVERSATION--A PROPOSAL--ACCEPTED--THE TRICK-- THE LECTURE. Provoking! "I do believe," says Miss Adelaide Cherton, "it's literally set in for rain." Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.
Chapter 9 of Happy-Thought Hall is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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 capital of South Australia
From this reading “"I do believe," says Miss Adelaide Cherton, "it's literally set in for rain."”
in a bland manner
From this reading “Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.”
needlework created by interlacing yarn in a series of connected loops using straight eyeless needles or by machine
From this reading “Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.”
deliver a lecture or talk
From this reading “RAIN--THE MEDFORDS--CONVERSATION--A PROPOSAL--ACCEPTED--THE TRICK-- THE LECTURE.”
in a literal sense
From this reading “"I do believe," says Miss Adelaide Cherton, "it's literally set in for rain."”
the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading “Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.”
causing or tending to cause anger or resentment
From this reading “Provoking!”
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading “Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.”
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.
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 A WET DAY.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading RAIN--THE MEDFORDS--CONVERSATION--A PROPOSAL--ACCEPTED--THE TRICK-- THE LECTURE.
the state capital of South Australia
From this reading "I do believe," says Miss Adelaide Cherton, "it's literally set in for rain."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "I do believe," says Miss Adelaide Cherton, "it's literally set in for rain."
in a bland manner
From this reading Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I do believe," says Miss Adelaide Cherton, "it's literally set in for rain."
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading RAIN--THE MEDFORDS--CONVERSATION--A PROPOSAL--ACCEPTED--THE TRICK-- THE LECTURE.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading A WET DAY.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I do believe," says Miss Adelaide Cherton, "it's literally set in for rain."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I do believe," says Miss Adelaide Cherton, "it's literally set in for rain."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I do believe," says Miss Adelaide Cherton, "it's literally set in for rain."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I do believe," says Miss Adelaide Cherton, "it's literally set in for rain."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I do believe," says Miss Adelaide Cherton, "it's literally set in for rain."
needlework created by interlacing yarn in a series of connected loops using straight eyeless needles or by machine
From this reading Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.
deliver a lecture or talk
From this reading RAIN--THE MEDFORDS--CONVERSATION--A PROPOSAL--ACCEPTED--THE TRICK-- THE LECTURE.
in a literal sense
From this reading "I do believe," says Miss Adelaide Cherton, "it's literally set in for rain."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RAIN--THE MEDFORDS--CONVERSATION--A PROPOSAL--ACCEPTED--THE TRICK-- THE LECTURE.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "I do believe," says Miss Adelaide Cherton, "it's literally set in for rain."
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.
the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.
something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading RAIN--THE MEDFORDS--CONVERSATION--A PROPOSAL--ACCEPTED--THE TRICK-- THE LECTURE.
causing or tending to cause anger or resentment
From this reading Provoking!
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading RAIN--THE MEDFORDS--CONVERSATION--A PROPOSAL--ACCEPTED--THE TRICK-- THE LECTURE.
raise the level or amount of something
From this reading Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "I do believe," says Miss Adelaide Cherton, "it's literally set in for rain."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "I do believe," says Miss Adelaide Cherton, "it's literally set in for rain."
plural of “smile” — a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading RAIN--THE MEDFORDS--CONVERSATION--A PROPOSAL--ACCEPTED--THE TRICK-- THE LECTURE.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading RAIN--THE MEDFORDS--CONVERSATION--A PROPOSAL--ACCEPTED--THE TRICK-- THE LECTURE.
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading A WET DAY.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Mrs. Boodels, without troubling herself to raise her ear-trumpet, smiles blandly and proceeds with her knitting.
Chapter 9 of Happy-Thought Hall by F. C. (Francis Cowley) Burnand holds 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 150 sentences of Happy-Thought Hall, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Happy-Thought Hall by F. C. (Francis Cowley) Burnand exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Happy-Thought Hall by F. C. (Francis Cowley) Burnand on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3094 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26281 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26281, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 257 minutes of reading across 619 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Happy-Thought Hall section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Happy-Thought Hall 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 Happy-Thought Hall, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
