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Life of John Keats
Life of John Keats

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of Life of John Keats is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Life of John Keats
Context Illustration Reading 1/79 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
I must next proceed to offer some account of Keats's person, character, and turn of mind.
As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.
He was called "Little Keats" by his surgical fellow-students.
Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.
His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Life of John Keats

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of Life of John Keats is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
I must next proceed to offer some account of Keats's person, character, and turn of mind.
Line 2
As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.
/æz aɪ hæv ɔːlˈredi sed kiːts wɑːz ə ˈveri smɔːl mæn ˈberli mɔːr ðæn faɪv fiːt ɪn haɪt/
Line 3
He was called "Little Keats" by his surgical fellow-students.
Line 4
Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.
Line 5
His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.
/hɪz her wɑːz ˈbjuːtəfəl ənd ɪf juː pleɪst jɔːr hænd əˈpɑːn hɪz hed ðə kɜːrlz fel raʊnd ɪt laɪk ə rɪtʃ ˈpluːmədʒ/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Bailey noun US /ˈbeɪli/

United States singer (1918-1990)

From this reading “Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.”

barely adverb US /ˈberli/

only a very short time before

From this reading “As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.”

Coleridge noun US /ˈkoʊlrɪdʒ/

English romantic poet (1772-1834)

From this reading “Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.”

constitution noun US /ˌkɑːnstəˈtuːʃən/

law determining the fundamental political principles of a government

From this reading “Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.”

curls noun US /kɜːrlz/

plural of “curl” — a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles (as formed by leaves or flower petals)

From this reading “His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.”

Keats noun US /kiːts/

Englishman and romantic poet (1795-1821)

From this reading “I must next proceed to offer some account of Keats's person, character, and turn of mind.”

plumage noun US /ˈpluːmədʒ/

the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds

From this reading “His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.”

surgical adjective US /ˈsɜːrdʒɪkəl/

of or relating to or involving or used in surgery

From this reading “He was called "Little Keats" by his surgical fellow-students.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

five feet noun + noun counted as “five foot”

In this reading “As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.”

true genius adjective + noun

In this reading “Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.”

some account adjective + noun

In this reading “I must next proceed to offer some account of Keats's person, character, and turn of mind.”

in height preposition + noun

having a specified height

In this reading “As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.”

All words in this reading · 75

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.

accountnounUS /əˈkaʊnt/

a record or narrative description of past events

From this reading I must next proceed to offer some account of Keats's person, character, and turn of mind.

alreadyadverbUS /ɔːlˈredi/

prior to a specified or implied time

From this reading As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading I must next proceed to offer some account of Keats's person, character, and turn of mind.

Archdeaconnoun

(Anglican Church) an ecclesiastical dignitary usually ranking just below a bishop

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.

BaileynounUS /ˈbeɪli/

United States singer (1918-1990)

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

barelyadverbUS /ˈberli/

only a very short time before

From this reading As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.

briefadjectiveUS /briːf/

of short duration or distance

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading He was called "Little Keats" by his surgical fellow-students.

calledverbUS /kɔːld/

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading He was called "Little Keats" by his surgical fellow-students.

characternounUS /ˈkerɪktər/

an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)

From this reading I must next proceed to offer some account of Keats's person, character, and turn of mind.

ColeridgenounUS /ˈkoʊlrɪdʒ/

English romantic poet (1772-1834)

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

constitutionnounUS /ˌkɑːnstəˈtuːʃən/

law determining the fundamental political principles of a government

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

countenancenounUS /ˈkaʊntənəns/

the appearance conveyed by a person's face

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

curlsnounUS /kɜːrlz/

plural of “curl” — a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles (as formed by leaves or flower petals)

From this reading His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.

descriptionnounUS /dɪˈskrɪpʃən/

a statement that represents something in words

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

feetnounUS /fiːt/

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.

fellverbUS /fel/

cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow

From this reading His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.

fellow-students

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was called "Little Keats" by his surgical fellow-students.

femineity

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

fivenounUS /faɪv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one

From this reading As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.

geniusnounUS /ˈdʒiːnjəs/

someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

hairnounUS /her/

a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss

From this reading His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He was called "Little Keats" by his surgical fellow-students.

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.

heightnounUS /haɪt/

the vertical dimension of extension; distance from the base of something to the top

From this reading As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading He was called "Little Keats" by his surgical fellow-students.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I must next proceed to offer some account of Keats's person, character, and turn of mind.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.

KeatsnounUS /kiːts/

Englishman and romantic poet (1795-1821)

From this reading As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.

Keats's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I must next proceed to offer some account of Keats's person, character, and turn of mind.

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.

LittleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading He was called "Little Keats" by his surgical fellow-students.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.

mentaladjectiveUS /ˈmentəl/

involving the mind or an intellectual process

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading I must next proceed to offer some account of Keats's person, character, and turn of mind.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading I must next proceed to offer some account of Keats's person, character, and turn of mind.

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading I must next proceed to offer some account of Keats's person, character, and turn of mind.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I must next proceed to offer some account of Keats's person, character, and turn of mind.

offerverbUS /ˈɔːfər/

make available or accessible, provide or furnish

From this reading I must next proceed to offer some account of Keats's person, character, and turn of mind.

personnounUS /ˈpɜːrsən/

a human being

From this reading I must next proceed to offer some account of Keats's person, character, and turn of mind.

placedadjectiveUS /pleɪst/

situated in a particular spot or position

From this reading His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.

plumagenounUS /ˈpluːmədʒ/

the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds

From this reading His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.

proceedverbUS /prəˈsiːd/

continue talking

From this reading I must next proceed to offer some account of Keats's person, character, and turn of mind.

richadjectiveUS /rɪtʃ/

possessing material wealth

From this reading His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.

smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading I must next proceed to offer some account of Keats's person, character, and turn of mind.

surgicaladjectiveUS /ˈsɜːrdʒɪkəl/

of or relating to or involving or used in surgery

From this reading He was called "Little Keats" by his surgical fellow-students.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading I must next proceed to offer some account of Keats's person, character, and turn of mind.

trueadjectiveUS /truː/

consistent with fact or reality; not false

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

turnverbUS /tɜːrn/

change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense

From this reading I must next proceed to offer some account of Keats's person, character, and turn of mind.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading As I have already said, Keats was a very small man, barely more than five feet in height.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Archdeacon Bailey has left a good description of him in brief:-- "There was in the character of his countenance the femineity which Coleridge thought to be the mental constitution of true genius.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading His hair was beautiful, and, if you placed your hand upon his head, the curls fell round it like a rich plumage.

Chapter 9 of Life of John Keats by William Michael Rossetti holds 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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.

What does chapter 9 of Life of John Keats contain?

Chapter 9 holds 395 sentences of Life of John Keats, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of Life of John Keats by William Michael Rossetti exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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.

How do I study chapter 9 of Life of John Keats?

Work through the 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 79 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.

Can chapter 9 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Life of John Keats

Common questions about reading Life of John Keats by William Michael Rossetti on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Life of John Keats?

Yes. All 2665 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31682 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Life of John Keats is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #31682, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Life of John Keats take to read?

About 222 minutes of reading across 533 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Life of John Keats section by section

How to work through Life of John Keats section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 10 chapters of Life of John Keats to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Life of John Keats

Words and structures a reader meets early in Life of John Keats, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Influence
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Life of John Keats; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Spenser
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Life of John Keats; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Discussed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Life of John Keats; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Flimsiness
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Life of John Keats; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.