Chapter 9 of The Color of a Great City is here in full — 414 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 Color of a Great City is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?” “Aw, naw! He ain’t no waiter. I don’t know what he is--pan-handler, maybe. They wouldn’t have the likes of him.
Chapter 9 of The Color of a Great City is here in full — 414 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.
the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading ““Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?””
a boy or man
From this reading ““Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?””
plural of “like” — a similar kind
From this reading “They wouldn’t have the likes of him.”
by chance
From this reading “I don’t know what he is--pan-handler, maybe.”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading ““Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?””
express in words
From this reading ““Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?””
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading ““Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?””
a Caucasian
From this reading ““Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?””
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.
a man who is very old
In this reading ““Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?””
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 “Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He ain’t no waiter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Aw, naw!
the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading “Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know what he is--pan-handler, maybe.
a boy or man
From this reading “Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading They wouldn’t have the likes of him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He ain’t no waiter.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They wouldn’t have the likes of him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I don’t know what he is--pan-handler, maybe.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I don’t know what he is--pan-handler, maybe.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I don’t know what he is--pan-handler, maybe.
plural of “like” — a similar kind
From this reading They wouldn’t have the likes of him.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?”
by chance
From this reading I don’t know what he is--pan-handler, maybe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Aw, naw!
not any; not one
From this reading He ain’t no waiter.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They wouldn’t have the likes of him.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?”
above and across; more than
From this reading “Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know what he is--pan-handler, maybe.
express in words
From this reading “Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They wouldn’t have the likes of him.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They wouldn’t have the likes of him.
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading “Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I don’t know what he is--pan-handler, maybe.
a Caucasian
From this reading “Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They wouldn’t have the likes of him.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Would you say that that old man over there--that fellow with a white beard--was a waiter?”
Chapter 9 of The Color of a Great City by Theodore Dreiser holds 414 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 414 sentences of The Color of a Great City, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Color of a Great City by Theodore Dreiser exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 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 Color of a Great City by Theodore Dreiser on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4114 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61043 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61043, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 342 minutes of reading across 823 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Color of a Great City section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Color of a Great City 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 Color of a Great City, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
