Chapter 9 of Tales and Novels — Volume 04 is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Tales and Novels — Volume 04 is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE HIBERNIAN MENDICANT. Perhaps the reader may wish to see as well as hear the petitioner. At first view you might have taken him for a Spaniard. He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure. He seemed very old, yet he appeared more worn by sorrow than by time.
Chapter 9 of Tales and Novels — Volume 04 is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
From this reading “He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.”
one praying humbly for something
From this reading “Perhaps the reader may wish to see as well as hear the petitioner.”
a person who enjoys reading
From this reading “Perhaps the reader may wish to see as well as hear the petitioner.”
an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement
From this reading “He seemed very old, yet he appeared more worn by sorrow than by time.”
a native or inhabitant of Spain
From this reading “At first view you might have taken him for a Spaniard.”
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading “He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.”
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading “At first view you might have taken him for a Spaniard.”
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading “He seemed very old, yet he appeared more worn by sorrow than by time.”
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 At first view you might have taken him for a Spaniard.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He seemed very old, yet he appeared more worn by sorrow than by time.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Perhaps the reader may wish to see as well as hear the petitioner.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At first view you might have taken him for a Spaniard.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He seemed very old, yet he appeared more worn by sorrow than by time.
the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
From this reading He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading At first view you might have taken him for a Spaniard.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading At first view you might have taken him for a Spaniard.
a man of refinement
From this reading He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading At first view you might have taken him for a Spaniard.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Perhaps the reader may wish to see as well as hear the petitioner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE HIBERNIAN MENDICANT.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading At first view you might have taken him for a Spaniard.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Perhaps the reader may wish to see as well as hear the petitioner.
a male member of a religious order that originally relied solely on alms
From this reading THE HIBERNIAN MENDICANT.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading At first view you might have taken him for a Spaniard.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He seemed very old, yet he appeared more worn by sorrow than by time.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading He seemed very old, yet he appeared more worn by sorrow than by time.
by chance
From this reading Perhaps the reader may wish to see as well as hear the petitioner.
one praying humbly for something
From this reading Perhaps the reader may wish to see as well as hear the petitioner.
a person who enjoys reading
From this reading Perhaps the reader may wish to see as well as hear the petitioner.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Perhaps the reader may wish to see as well as hear the petitioner.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He seemed very old, yet he appeared more worn by sorrow than by time.
an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement
From this reading He seemed very old, yet he appeared more worn by sorrow than by time.
a native or inhabitant of Spain
From this reading At first view you might have taken him for a Spaniard.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading At first view you might have taken him for a Spaniard.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He seemed very old, yet he appeared more worn by sorrow than by time.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE HIBERNIAN MENDICANT.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He seemed very old, yet he appeared more worn by sorrow than by time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Perhaps the reader may wish to see as well as hear the petitioner.
precisely as stated
From this reading He seemed very old, yet he appeared more worn by sorrow than by time.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading At first view you might have taken him for a Spaniard.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Perhaps the reader may wish to see as well as hear the petitioner.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading Perhaps the reader may wish to see as well as hear the petitioner.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading He seemed very old, yet he appeared more worn by sorrow than by time.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He was tall; and if he had been a gentleman, you would have said that there was an air of dignity in his figure.
but in spite of that
From this reading He seemed very old, yet he appeared more worn by sorrow than by time.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading At first view you might have taken him for a Spaniard.
Chapter 9 of Tales and Novels — Volume 04 by Maria Edgeworth holds 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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 94 sentences of Tales and Novels — Volume 04, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Tales and Novels — Volume 04 by Maria Edgeworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 Tales and Novels — Volume 04 by Maria Edgeworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4897 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9439 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9439, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 408 minutes of reading across 980 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tales and Novels — Volume 04 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of Tales and Novels — Volume 04 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 Tales and Novels — Volume 04, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
