Chapter 9 of May Fair is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of May Fair is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What does this mean, Duke? How dare you force yourself on me like this?” Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips. Twilight filled the room. Outside, the motors raced across the Place Vendôme.
Chapter 9 of May Fair is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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 “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading “Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.”
the feeling of being displeased or annoyed or dissatisfied with someone or something
From this reading “Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.”
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading “Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.”
plural of “motor” — machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading “Outside, the motors raced across the Place Vendôme.”
past form of “race” — move hurridly
From this reading “Outside, the motors raced across the Place Vendôme.”
the event of something being raised upward
From this reading “Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.”
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading “Twilight filled the room.”
not disposed or inclined toward
From this reading “Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.”
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.
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.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Outside, the motors raced across the Place Vendôme.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading How dare you force yourself on me like this?”
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.
the feeling of being displeased or annoyed or dissatisfied with someone or something
From this reading Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What does this mean, Duke?
a British peer of the highest rank
From this reading “What does this mean, Duke?
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading Twilight filled the room.
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading How dare you force yourself on me like this?”
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How dare you force yourself on me like this?”
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading How dare you force yourself on me like this?”
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading How dare you force yourself on me like this?”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “What does this mean, Duke?
plural of “motor” — machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading Outside, the motors raced across the Place Vendôme.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading How dare you force yourself on me like this?”
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading Outside, the motors raced across the Place Vendôme.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Outside, the motors raced across the Place Vendôme.
past form of “race” — move hurridly
From this reading Outside, the motors raced across the Place Vendôme.
the event of something being raised upward
From this reading Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Twilight filled the room.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “What does this mean, Duke?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading Twilight filled the room.
not disposed or inclined toward
From this reading Fair, tall, intent, the Duke further dared her displeasure by raising her unwilling hand to his lips.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Outside, the motors raced across the Place Vendôme.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What does this mean, Duke?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading How dare you force yourself on me like this?”
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading How dare you force yourself on me like this?”
Chapter 9 of May Fair by Michael Arlen holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 411 sentences of May Fair, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of May Fair by Michael Arlen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 May Fair by Michael Arlen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through May Fair section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of May Fair 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 May Fair, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
