Chapter 9 of The Explorer is here in full — 402 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 Explorer is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'Awful thing, isn't it?' the man said. Alec fixed upon him his dark, firm eyes. The man seemed an average sort of person, not without intelligence. 'What do you think of it?' 'Pity,' he said.
Chapter 9 of The Explorer is here in full — 402 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.
approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value
From this reading “The man seemed an average sort of person, not without intelligence.”
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading “'Awful thing, isn't it?' the man said.”
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading “Alec fixed upon him his dark, firm eyes.”
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading “Alec fixed upon him his dark, firm eyes.”
the ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience
From this reading “The man seemed an average sort of person, not without intelligence.”
a human being
From this reading “The man seemed an average sort of person, not without intelligence.”
a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others
From this reading “'Pity,' he said.”
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading “The man seemed an average sort of person, not without intelligence.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alec fixed upon him his dark, firm eyes.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The man seemed an average sort of person, not without intelligence.
approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value
From this reading The man seemed an average sort of person, not without intelligence.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading 'Awful thing, isn't it?' the man said.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Alec fixed upon him his dark, firm eyes.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading 'What do you think of it?'
opinion or judgment
From this reading Alec fixed upon him his dark, firm eyes.
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading Alec fixed upon him his dark, firm eyes.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading Alec fixed upon him his dark, firm eyes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'Pity,' he said.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Alec fixed upon him his dark, firm eyes.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Alec fixed upon him his dark, firm eyes.
the ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience
From this reading The man seemed an average sort of person, not without intelligence.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Awful thing, isn't it?' the man said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading 'Awful thing, isn't it?' the man said.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading 'Awful thing, isn't it?' the man said.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The man seemed an average sort of person, not without intelligence.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The man seemed an average sort of person, not without intelligence.
a human being
From this reading The man seemed an average sort of person, not without intelligence.
a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others
From this reading 'Pity,' he said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'Awful thing, isn't it?' the man said.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The man seemed an average sort of person, not without intelligence.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading The man seemed an average sort of person, not without intelligence.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'Awful thing, isn't it?' the man said.
a special situation
From this reading 'Awful thing, isn't it?' the man said.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading 'What do you think of it?'
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Alec fixed upon him his dark, firm eyes.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading 'What do you think of it?'
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The man seemed an average sort of person, not without intelligence.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'What do you think of it?'
Chapter 9 of The Explorer by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham holds 402 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 402 sentences of The Explorer, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Explorer by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 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 Explorer by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5391 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27198 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27198, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 449 minutes of reading across 1079 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Explorer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Explorer 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 Explorer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
