Chapter 9 of Heartbreak House is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Heartbreak House is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them. CAPTAIN SHOTOVER [turning him towards Ellie]. Is that your daughter? [He releases him]. THE BURGLAR.
Chapter 9 of Heartbreak House is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
A person who commits illegal entry into a building with intent to steal valuable treasures.
From this reading “THE BURGLAR.”
a band that fits around the neck and is usually folded over
From this reading “The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.”
plural of “drag” — the phenomenon of resistance to motion through a fluid
From this reading “The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.”
any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading “The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.”
(Greek mythology) a mythical Trojan who was killed by Achilles during the Trojan War
From this reading “The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.”
plural of “lead” — an advantage held by a competitor in a race
From this reading “The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.”
plural of “release” — merchandise issued for sale or public showing (especially a record or film)
From this reading “[He releases him].”
third-person singular of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading “The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
next to; at the side of
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
A person who commits illegal entry into a building with intent to steal valuable treasures.
From this reading THE BURGLAR.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
a band that fits around the neck and is usually folded over
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
a female human offspring
From this reading Is that your daughter?
plural of “drag” — the phenomenon of resistance to motion through a fluid
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CAPTAIN SHOTOVER [turning him towards Ellie].
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading [He releases him].
(Greek mythology) a mythical Trojan who was killed by Achilles during the Trojan War
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Is that your daughter?
plural of “lead” — an advantage held by a competitor in a race
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
engage in
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
plural of “release” — merchandise issued for sale or public showing (especially a record or film)
From this reading [He releases him].
third-person singular of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CAPTAIN SHOTOVER [turning him towards Ellie].
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Is that your daughter?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
in the direction of
From this reading CAPTAIN SHOTOVER [turning him towards Ellie].
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading CAPTAIN SHOTOVER [turning him towards Ellie].
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and leads him to the middle of the group, Hector falling back beside his wife to make way for them.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Is that your daughter?
Chapter 9 of Heartbreak House by Bernard Shaw holds 429 sentences, grouped into 86 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 429 sentences of Heartbreak House, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Heartbreak House by Bernard Shaw exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Heartbreak House by Bernard Shaw on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3764 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3543 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3543, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 313 minutes of reading across 753 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Heartbreak House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Heartbreak House 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 Heartbreak House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
