Chapter 9 of Love Insurance is here in full — 292 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Love Insurance is here in full — 292 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in. The nobleman was gloom personified. He threw himself despondently down on the bed. "Minot, old chap," he drawled, "it's all over." His eyes took in the wreckage.
Chapter 9 of Love Insurance is here in full — 292 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/58 · 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.
past form of “drawl” — lengthen and slow down or draw out
From this reading “"Minot, old chap," he drawled, "it's all over."”
past form of “droop” — droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
From this reading “"WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.”
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading “The nobleman was gloom personified.”
deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading “"WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.”
a titled peer of the realm
From this reading “The nobleman was gloom personified.”
inflected form of “personify” — invest with or as with a body; give body to
From this reading “The nobleman was gloom personified.”
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading “"WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.”
the remaining parts of something that has been wrecked
From this reading “His eyes took in the wreckage.”
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.
take and lift upward
In this reading “"WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.”
In this reading “"Minot, old chap," he drawled, "it's all over."”
In this reading “He threw himself despondently down on the bed.”
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 "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "Minot, old chap," he drawled, "it's all over."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading He threw himself despondently down on the bed.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
a boy or man
From this reading "Minot, old chap," he drawled, "it's all over."
with desperation
From this reading He threw himself despondently down on the bed.
someone who is a detective
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He threw himself despondently down on the bed.
past form of “drawl” — lengthen and slow down or draw out
From this reading "Minot, old chap," he drawled, "it's all over."
past form of “droop” — droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His eyes took in the wreckage.
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading The nobleman was gloom personified.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He threw himself despondently down on the bed.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He threw himself despondently down on the bed.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Minot, old chap," he drawled, "it's all over."
deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
a titled peer of the realm
From this reading The nobleman was gloom personified.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Minot, old chap," he drawled, "it's all over."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
above and across; more than
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
inflected form of “personify” — invest with or as with a body; give body to
From this reading The nobleman was gloom personified.
select carefully from a group
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading He threw himself despondently down on the bed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading His eyes took in the wreckage.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading "WANTED: BOARD AND ROOM" As Dick Minot bent over to pick up his scattered property, a knock sounded on the half-open door, and Lord Harrowby drooped in.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The nobleman was gloom personified.
the remaining parts of something that has been wrecked
From this reading His eyes took in the wreckage.
Chapter 9 of Love Insurance by Earl Derr Biggers holds 292 sentences, grouped into 59 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 292 sentences of Love Insurance, unabridged, divided into 59 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Love Insurance by Earl Derr Biggers exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 292 sentences, grouped into 59 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 59 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 59 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 Love Insurance by Earl Derr Biggers on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6415 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56077 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56077, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 534 minutes of reading across 1283 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Love Insurance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Love Insurance 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 Love Insurance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
