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Of Human Bondage
Of Human Bondage

Chapter XXIII · Chapter 23

Chapter 23 of Of Human Bondage is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Chapter 23 of Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham holds 425 sentences, grouped into 85 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 23 of Of Human Bondage contain?

Chapter 23 holds 425 sentences of Of Human Bondage, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 23 of Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 23 of Of Human Bondage?

Work through the 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 85 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 23 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 23 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 Of Human Bondage

Common questions about reading Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Of Human Bondage?

Yes. All 16870 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #351 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Of Human Bondage is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #351, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Of Human Bondage take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 3374 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Of Human Bondage section by section

How to work through Of Human Bondage section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of Of Human Bondage 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 Of Human Bondage

Words and structures a reader meets early in Of Human Bondage, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Human
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Of Human Bondage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bondage
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Of Human Bondage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Somerset
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Of Human Bondage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Maugham
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Of Human Bondage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cover illustration for Of Human Bondage
Context Illustration Reading 1/85 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
You’re very quiet today,” Norah said.
Her loquacity was a standing joke between them, and he answered:
You never let me get a word in, and I’ve got out of the habit of talking.”
But you’re not listening, and that’s bad manners.”
He reddened a little, wondering whether she had some inkling of his secret; he turned away his eyes uneasily.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Of Human Bondage

Chapter XXIII · Chapter 23

Chapter 23 of Of Human Bondage is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/85 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
You’re very quiet today,” Norah said.
Line 2
Her loquacity was a standing joke between them, and he answered:
Line 3
You never let me get a word in, and I’ve got out of the habit of talking.”
Line 4
But you’re not listening, and that’s bad manners.”
Line 5
He reddened a little, wondering whether she had some inkling of his secret; he turned away his eyes uneasily.

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.

Secret noun US /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading “He reddened a little, wondering whether she had some inkling of his secret; he turned away his eyes uneasily.”

All words in this reading · 51

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

a

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

From this reading Her loquacity was a standing joke between them, and he answered:

and

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

From this reading Her loquacity was a standing joke between them, and he answered:

answered

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

From this reading Her loquacity was a standing joke between them, and he answered:

away

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

From this reading He reddened a little, wondering whether she had some inkling of his secret; he turned away his eyes uneasily.

bad

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

From this reading “But you’re not listening, and that’s bad manners.”

between

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

From this reading Her loquacity was a standing joke between them, and he answered:

But

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

From this reading “But you’re not listening, and that’s bad manners.”

eyes

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

From this reading He reddened a little, wondering whether she had some inkling of his secret; he turned away his eyes uneasily.

get

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

From this reading “You never let me get a word in, and I’ve got out of the habit of talking.”

got

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

From this reading “You never let me get a word in, and I’ve got out of the habit of talking.”

habit

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

From this reading “You never let me get a word in, and I’ve got out of the habit of talking.”

had

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

From this reading He reddened a little, wondering whether she had some inkling of his secret; he turned away his eyes uneasily.

he

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

From this reading Her loquacity was a standing joke between them, and he answered:

Her

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

From this reading Her loquacity was a standing joke between them, and he answered:

his

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

From this reading He reddened a little, wondering whether she had some inkling of his secret; he turned away his eyes uneasily.

I've

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

From this reading “You never let me get a word in, and I’ve got out of the habit of talking.”

in

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

From this reading “You never let me get a word in, and I’ve got out of the habit of talking.”

inkling

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

From this reading He reddened a little, wondering whether she had some inkling of his secret; he turned away his eyes uneasily.

joke

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

From this reading Her loquacity was a standing joke between them, and he answered:

let

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

From this reading “You never let me get a word in, and I’ve got out of the habit of talking.”

listening

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

From this reading “But you’re not listening, and that’s bad manners.”

little

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

From this reading He reddened a little, wondering whether she had some inkling of his secret; he turned away his eyes uneasily.

loquacity

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

From this reading Her loquacity was a standing joke between them, and he answered:

manners

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

From this reading “But you’re not listening, and that’s bad manners.”

me

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

From this reading “You never let me get a word in, and I’ve got out of the habit of talking.”

never

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

From this reading “You never let me get a word in, and I’ve got out of the habit of talking.”

Norah

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

From this reading “You’re very quiet today,” Norah said.

not

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

From this reading “But you’re not listening, and that’s bad manners.”

of

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

From this reading “You never let me get a word in, and I’ve got out of the habit of talking.”

out

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

From this reading “You never let me get a word in, and I’ve got out of the habit of talking.”

quiet

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

From this reading “You’re very quiet today,” Norah said.

reddened

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

From this reading He reddened a little, wondering whether she had some inkling of his secret; he turned away his eyes uneasily.

said

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

From this reading “You’re very quiet today,” Norah said.

secretnounUS /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading He reddened a little, wondering whether she had some inkling of his secret; he turned away his eyes uneasily.

she

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

From this reading He reddened a little, wondering whether she had some inkling of his secret; he turned away his eyes uneasily.

some

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

From this reading He reddened a little, wondering whether she had some inkling of his secret; he turned away his eyes uneasily.

standing

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

From this reading Her loquacity was a standing joke between them, and he answered:

talking

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

From this reading “You never let me get a word in, and I’ve got out of the habit of talking.”

that's

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

From this reading “But you’re not listening, and that’s bad manners.”

the

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

From this reading “You never let me get a word in, and I’ve got out of the habit of talking.”

them

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

From this reading Her loquacity was a standing joke between them, and he answered:

today

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

From this reading “You’re very quiet today,” Norah said.

turned

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

From this reading He reddened a little, wondering whether she had some inkling of his secret; he turned away his eyes uneasily.

uneasily

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

From this reading He reddened a little, wondering whether she had some inkling of his secret; he turned away his eyes uneasily.

very

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

From this reading “You’re very quiet today,” Norah said.

was

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

From this reading Her loquacity was a standing joke between them, and he answered:

whether

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

From this reading He reddened a little, wondering whether she had some inkling of his secret; he turned away his eyes uneasily.

wondering

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

From this reading He reddened a little, wondering whether she had some inkling of his secret; he turned away his eyes uneasily.

word

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

From this reading “You never let me get a word in, and I’ve got out of the habit of talking.”

You

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

From this reading “You never let me get a word in, and I’ve got out of the habit of talking.”

You're

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

From this reading “You’re very quiet today,” Norah said.