Chapter 9 of Limbo is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Limbo is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose. "Trade is good?" I inquired. "Better in my grandfather's day," he told me, shaking his head sadly. "We grow progressively more Philistine," I suggested.
Chapter 9 of Limbo is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
tending to become more severe or wider in scope
From this reading “The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.”
past form of “bridge” — connect or reduce the distance between
From this reading “The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.”
plural of “corner” — a place off to the side of an area
From this reading “The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.”
possessive form of “grandfather” — the father of your father or mother
From this reading “"Better in my grandfather's day," he told me, shaking his head sadly.”
a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits
From this reading “"We grow progressively more Philistine," I suggested.”
advancing in amount or intensity
From this reading “"We grow progressively more Philistine," I suggested.”
in an unfortunate way
From this reading “"Better in my grandfather's day," he told me, shaking his head sadly.”
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading “The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.”
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 “The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.”
In this reading “The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.”
In this reading “The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.”
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 The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
tending to become more severe or wider in scope
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "Better in my grandfather's day," he told me, shaking his head sadly.
past form of “bridge” — connect or reduce the distance between
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
plural of “corner” — a place off to the side of an area
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading "Better in my grandfather's day," he told me, shaking his head sadly.
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Trade is good?"
possessive form of “grandfather” — the father of your father or mother
From this reading "Better in my grandfather's day," he told me, shaking his head sadly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading "We grow progressively more Philistine," I suggested.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Better in my grandfather's day," he told me, shaking his head sadly.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading "Better in my grandfather's day," he told me, shaking his head sadly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I inquired.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading I inquired.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Trade is good?"
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Better in my grandfather's day," he told me, shaking his head sadly.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "We grow progressively more Philistine," I suggested.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Better in my grandfather's day," he told me, shaking his head sadly.
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
(law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits
From this reading "We grow progressively more Philistine," I suggested.
advancing in amount or intensity
From this reading "We grow progressively more Philistine," I suggested.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
in an unfortunate way
From this reading "Better in my grandfather's day," he told me, shaking his head sadly.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading "Better in my grandfather's day," he told me, shaking his head sadly.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
do one's shopping
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
having a supporting base
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading "We grow progressively more Philistine," I suggested.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "Better in my grandfather's day," he told me, shaking his head sadly.
the commercial exchange (buying and selling on domestic or international markets) of goods and services
From this reading "Trade is good?"
precisely as stated
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We grow progressively more Philistine," I suggested.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The owner of the shop was standing in the doorway, a little man, grizzle-bearded and with eyes very active round the corners of the spectacles that bridged his long, sharp nose.
Chapter 9 of Limbo by Aldous Huxley holds 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 396 sentences of Limbo, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Limbo by Aldous Huxley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Limbo by Aldous Huxley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3646 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54895 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54895, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 303 minutes of reading across 730 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Limbo section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Limbo 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 Limbo, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
