Chapter 9 of The Custom of the Country is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Custom of the Country is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Well, then--I want you to introduce me to your husband." Undine was surprised; but beneath her surprise she felt a quick sense of relief. Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested. "My husband? Why, what can he do for you?"
Chapter 9 of The Custom of the Country is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
to agree or express agreement
From this reading “Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.”
comparative of “easy” — posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading “Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.”
unbiased impartial unconcern
From this reading “Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.”
cause to come to know personally
From this reading “"Well, then--I want you to introduce me to your husband."”
be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading “Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.”
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading “Undine was surprised; but beneath her surprise she felt a quick sense of relief.”
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.”
any of various female water spirits
From this reading “Undine was surprised; but beneath her surprise she felt a quick sense of relief.”
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 Undine was surprised; but beneath her surprise she felt a quick sense of relief.
to agree or express agreement
From this reading Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.
any thing at all
From this reading Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading Undine was surprised; but beneath her surprise she felt a quick sense of relief.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Undine was surprised; but beneath her surprise she felt a quick sense of relief.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Why, what can he do for you?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Why, what can he do for you?"
comparative of “easy” — posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Undine was surprised; but beneath her surprise she felt a quick sense of relief.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Why, what can he do for you?"
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Why, what can he do for you?"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Undine was surprised; but beneath her surprise she felt a quick sense of relief.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading "Well, then--I want you to introduce me to your husband."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, then--I want you to introduce me to your husband."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.
unbiased impartial unconcern
From this reading Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.
cause to come to know personally
From this reading "Well, then--I want you to introduce me to your husband."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.
be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.
attach a tag or label to
From this reading Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Well, then--I want you to introduce me to your husband."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My husband?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Undine was surprised; but beneath her surprise she felt a quick sense of relief.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading Undine was surprised; but beneath her surprise she felt a quick sense of relief.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading Undine was surprised; but beneath her surprise she felt a quick sense of relief.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading Undine was surprised; but beneath her surprise she felt a quick sense of relief.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Undine was surprised; but beneath her surprise she felt a quick sense of relief.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading Undine was surprised; but beneath her surprise she felt a quick sense of relief.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading Undine was surprised; but beneath her surprise she felt a quick sense of relief.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Ralph was easier to manage than so many of her friends--and it was a mark of his present indifference to acquiesce in anything she suggested.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Well, then--I want you to introduce me to your husband."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Well, then--I want you to introduce me to your husband."
any of various female water spirits
From this reading Undine was surprised; but beneath her surprise she felt a quick sense of relief.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Well, then--I want you to introduce me to your husband."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Undine was surprised; but beneath her surprise she felt a quick sense of relief.
(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 "Well, then--I want you to introduce me to your husband."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Why, what can he do for you?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, what can he do for you?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, then--I want you to introduce me to your husband."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, then--I want you to introduce me to your husband."
Chapter 9 of The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton holds 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 401 sentences of The Custom of the Country, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7166 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11052 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11052, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 597 minutes of reading across 1434 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Custom of the Country section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Custom of the Country 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 Custom of the Country, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
