Chapter 9 of The Awkward Age 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 The Awkward Age is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Vanderbank laughed in spite of himself. “And does that make it any better?” Mrs. Brook thought, but presently had a light--she almost smiled with it. “For US!” Then more woefully, “Don’t you want Carrie to be saved?” she asked.
Chapter 9 of The Awkward Age 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.
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading “Mrs. Brook thought, but presently had a light--she almost smiled with it.”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading “Vanderbank laughed in spite of himself.”
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading “Mrs. Brook thought, but presently had a light--she almost smiled with it.”
in the near future
From this reading “Mrs. Brook thought, but presently had a light--she almost smiled with it.”
rescued; especially from the power and consequences of sin
From this reading “Then more woefully, “Don’t you want Carrie to be saved?” she asked.”
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “Mrs. Brook thought, but presently had a light--she almost smiled with it.”
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading “Vanderbank laughed in spite of himself.”
in an unfortunate or deplorable manner
From this reading “Then more woefully, “Don’t you want Carrie to be saved?” she asked.”
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 Mrs. Brook thought, but presently had a light--she almost smiled with it.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Mrs. Brook thought, but presently had a light--she almost smiled with it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And does that make it any better?”
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “And does that make it any better?”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Then more woefully, “Don’t you want Carrie to be saved?” she asked.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Then more woefully, “Don’t you want Carrie to be saved?” she asked.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “And does that make it any better?”
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading Mrs. Brook thought, but presently had a light--she almost smiled with it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Mrs. Brook thought, but presently had a light--she almost smiled with it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then more woefully, “Don’t you want Carrie to be saved?” she asked.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “And does that make it any better?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then more woefully, “Don’t you want Carrie to be saved?” she asked.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “For US!”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mrs. Brook thought, but presently had a light--she almost smiled with it.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Vanderbank laughed in spite of himself.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Vanderbank laughed in spite of himself.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “And does that make it any better?”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Vanderbank laughed in spite of himself.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Mrs. Brook thought, but presently had a light--she almost smiled with it.
engage in
From this reading “And does that make it any better?”
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Then more woefully, “Don’t you want Carrie to be saved?” she asked.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Brook thought, but presently had a light--she almost smiled with it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Vanderbank laughed in spite of himself.
in the near future
From this reading Mrs. Brook thought, but presently had a light--she almost smiled with it.
rescued; especially from the power and consequences of sin
From this reading Then more woefully, “Don’t you want Carrie to be saved?” she asked.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mrs. Brook thought, but presently had a light--she almost smiled with it.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Mrs. Brook thought, but presently had a light--she almost smiled with it.
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading Vanderbank laughed in spite of himself.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “And does that make it any better?”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then more woefully, “Don’t you want Carrie to be saved?” she asked.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Mrs. Brook thought, but presently had a light--she almost smiled with it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then more woefully, “Don’t you want Carrie to be saved?” she asked.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “For US!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Vanderbank laughed in spite of himself.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading Then more woefully, “Don’t you want Carrie to be saved?” she asked.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Mrs. Brook thought, but presently had a light--she almost smiled with it.
in an unfortunate or deplorable manner
From this reading Then more woefully, “Don’t you want Carrie to be saved?” she asked.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Then more woefully, “Don’t you want Carrie to be saved?” she asked.
Chapter 9 of The Awkward Age by Henry James 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 The Awkward Age, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Awkward Age by Henry James 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 The Awkward Age by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10141 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7433 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7433, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2029 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Awkward Age section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Awkward Age 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 The Awkward Age, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
