Chapter 9 of The Dinner Club is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Dinner Club is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And the girl nodded. “Yes, old man,” she answered steadily. “I mean I will.” · · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door. Jimmy Lethbridge had just gone; she had just kissed him.
Chapter 9 of The Dinner Club is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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 move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
From this reading “Jimmy Lethbridge had just gone; she had just kissed him.”
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading “Jimmy Lethbridge had just gone; she had just kissed him.”
popular aquarium fish
From this reading “· · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “And the girl nodded.”
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading “· · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.”
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading “· · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.”
at a steady rate or pace
From this reading ““Yes, old man,” she answered steadily.”
on a floor above
From this reading “· · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.”
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.
In this reading “· · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.”
In this reading “· · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.”
a man who is very old
In this reading ““Yes, old man,” she answered steadily.”
In this reading “· · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.”
In this reading “Jimmy Lethbridge had just gone; she had just kissed him.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And the girl nodded.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “Yes, old man,” she answered steadily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading · · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading · · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.
a young female
From this reading And the girl nodded.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Jimmy Lethbridge had just gone; she had just kissed him.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Jimmy Lethbridge had just gone; she had just kissed him.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading · · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Jimmy Lethbridge had just gone; she had just kissed him.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading · · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I mean I will.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading · · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.
to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
From this reading Jimmy Lethbridge had just gone; she had just kissed him.
and nothing more
From this reading Jimmy Lethbridge had just gone; she had just kissed him.
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading Jimmy Lethbridge had just gone; she had just kissed him.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading · · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jimmy Lethbridge had just gone; she had just kissed him.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Yes, old man,” she answered steadily.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “I mean I will.”
popular aquarium fish
From this reading · · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading And the girl nodded.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “Yes, old man,” she answered steadily.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading · · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Yes, old man,” she answered steadily.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading · · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading · · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.
at a steady rate or pace
From this reading “Yes, old man,” she answered steadily.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And the girl nodded.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading · · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading · · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.
on a floor above
From this reading · · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading · · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading · · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.
at the time that
From this reading · · · · · It was two hours later when Molly Daventry went slowly upstairs to her room and shut the door.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “I mean I will.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, old man,” she answered steadily.
Chapter 9 of The Dinner Club by H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile holds 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 386 sentences of The Dinner Club, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Dinner Club by H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 Dinner Club by H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4821 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60525 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60525, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 401 minutes of reading across 965 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dinner Club section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Dinner Club 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 Dinner Club, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
