Chapter 39 of Of Human Bondage is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of Of Human Bondage is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits. Philip’s eyes twinkled as he answered. “Have you any objection?” Doctor South gave him a look, but did not reply directly. “What’s that you’re reading?”
Chapter 39 of Of Human Bondage is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)
From this reading ““You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.”
without deviation
From this reading “Doctor South gave him a look, but did not reply directly.”
having the place or position changed
From this reading ““You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.”
the quality of being ghastly
From this reading ““You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.”
the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest
From this reading ““Have you any objection?””
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading ““You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.”
possessive form of “philip” — Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
past form of “twinkle” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading “Philip’s eyes twinkled as he answered.”
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 “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading Philip’s eyes twinkled as he answered.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “Have you any objection?”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Philip’s eyes twinkled as he answered.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Doctor South gave him a look, but did not reply directly.
providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Doctor South gave him a look, but did not reply directly.
without deviation
From this reading Doctor South gave him a look, but did not reply directly.
having the place or position changed
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Philip’s eyes twinkled as he answered.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Doctor South gave him a look, but did not reply directly.
the quality of being ghastly
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Doctor South gave him a look, but did not reply directly.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Doctor South gave him a look, but did not reply directly.
engage in
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest
From this reading “Have you any objection?”
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
possessive form of “philip” — Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading Philip’s eyes twinkled as he answered.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading “What’s that you’re reading?”
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading Doctor South gave him a look, but did not reply directly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “What’s that you’re reading?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
past form of “twinkle” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading Philip’s eyes twinkled as he answered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What’s that you’re reading?”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What’s that you’re reading?”
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading “You seem able to make yourself pretty comfortable,” said Doctor South, with a grimness which would have disturbed Philip if he had not been in such high spirits.
Chapter 39 of Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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.
Chapter 39 holds 406 sentences of Of Human Bondage, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 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 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 39 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 Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 16284 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #351 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #351, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 3257 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Of Human Bondage section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Of Human Bondage 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 Of Human Bondage, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
