Chapter 9 of Helen of Troy is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Helen of Troy is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
An affair of importance had brought Monsieur Gérard to the Hotel Paradiso. He excused himself to Rose for wishing to consult her husband privately. Rose accepted his excuses sedately and retired to her balcony. She liked Léon to be consulted. It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.
Chapter 9 of Helen of Troy is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
an upper floor projecting from the rear over the main floor in an auditorium
From this reading “Rose accepted his excuses sedately and retired to her balcony.”
get or ask advice from
From this reading “He excused himself to Rose for wishing to consult her husband privately.”
past form of “consult” — get or ask advice from
From this reading “She liked Léon to be consulted.”
granted exemption
From this reading “He excused himself to Rose for wishing to consult her husband privately.”
plural of “excuse” — a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.
From this reading “Rose accepted his excuses sedately and retired to her balcony.”
kept private or confined to those intimately concerned
From this reading “He excused himself to Rose for wishing to consult her husband privately.”
in a sedate manner
From this reading “Rose accepted his excuses sedately and retired to her balcony.”
a specific feeling of desire
From this reading “He excused himself to Rose for wishing to consult her husband privately.”
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 “It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.”
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.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading Rose accepted his excuses sedately and retired to her balcony.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading An affair of importance had brought Monsieur Gérard to the Hotel Paradiso.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An affair of importance had brought Monsieur Gérard to the Hotel Paradiso.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Rose accepted his excuses sedately and retired to her balcony.
an upper floor projecting from the rear over the main floor in an auditorium
From this reading Rose accepted his excuses sedately and retired to her balcony.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She liked Léon to be consulted.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading An affair of importance had brought Monsieur Gérard to the Hotel Paradiso.
get or ask advice from
From this reading He excused himself to Rose for wishing to consult her husband privately.
past form of “consult” — get or ask advice from
From this reading She liked Léon to be consulted.
divisible by two
From this reading It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.
granted exemption
From this reading He excused himself to Rose for wishing to consult her husband privately.
plural of “excuse” — a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.
From this reading Rose accepted his excuses sedately and retired to her balcony.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He excused himself to Rose for wishing to consult her husband privately.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An affair of importance had brought Monsieur Gérard to the Hotel Paradiso.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading An affair of importance had brought Monsieur Gérard to the Hotel Paradiso.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He excused himself to Rose for wishing to consult her husband privately.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He excused himself to Rose for wishing to consult her husband privately.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He excused himself to Rose for wishing to consult her husband privately.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Rose accepted his excuses sedately and retired to her balcony.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading An affair of importance had brought Monsieur Gérard to the Hotel Paradiso.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading He excused himself to Rose for wishing to consult her husband privately.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.
the quality of being important and worthy of note
From this reading An affair of importance had brought Monsieur Gérard to the Hotel Paradiso.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.
an opinion formed by judging something
From this reading It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading She liked Léon to be consulted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She liked Léon to be consulted.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading An affair of importance had brought Monsieur Gérard to the Hotel Paradiso.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading An affair of importance had brought Monsieur Gérard to the Hotel Paradiso.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An affair of importance had brought Monsieur Gérard to the Hotel Paradiso.
kept private or confined to those intimately concerned
From this reading He excused himself to Rose for wishing to consult her husband privately.
no longer active in your work or profession
From this reading Rose accepted his excuses sedately and retired to her balcony.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading He excused himself to Rose for wishing to consult her husband privately.
in a sedate manner
From this reading Rose accepted his excuses sedately and retired to her balcony.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She liked Léon to be consulted.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.
be standing; be upright
From this reading It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading An affair of importance had brought Monsieur Gérard to the Hotel Paradiso.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading An affair of importance had brought Monsieur Gérard to the Hotel Paradiso.
precisely as stated
From this reading It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.
having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading It showed how wise he was, that an older man, even if he wasn’t very nice, should stand in need of his judgment.
a specific feeling of desire
From this reading He excused himself to Rose for wishing to consult her husband privately.
Chapter 9 of Helen of Troy by Phyllis Bottome holds 141 sentences, grouped into 29 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 141 sentences of Helen of Troy, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Helen of Troy by Phyllis Bottome exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 141 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 Helen of Troy by Phyllis Bottome on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2973 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #74949 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #74949, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 247 minutes of reading across 595 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Helen of Troy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Helen of Troy 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 Helen of Troy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
