Chapter 9 of The Firm of Girdlestone is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Firm of Girdlestone is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A CORNER IN DIAMONDS. John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son. If so, he was not disappointed, for the young man stared open-eyed. "A corner in diamonds!" he repeated. "How will you do that?"
Chapter 9 of The Firm of Girdlestone is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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 formal public statement
From this reading “John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.”
plural of “diamond” — a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading “A CORNER IN DIAMONDS.”
the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
From this reading “John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.”
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading “If so, he was not disappointed, for the young man stared open-eyed.”
special importance or significance
From this reading “John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.”
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading “John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.”
past form of “propound” — put forward, as of an idea
From this reading “John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “If so, he was not disappointed, for the young man stared open-eyed.”
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 A CORNER IN DIAMONDS.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
a formal public statement
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading A CORNER IN DIAMONDS.
plural of “diamond” — a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading A CORNER IN DIAMONDS.
the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading If so, he was not disappointed, for the young man stared open-eyed.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "How will you do that?"
special importance or significance
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading If so, he was not disappointed, for the young man stared open-eyed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How will you do that?"
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If so, he was not disappointed, for the young man stared open-eyed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A CORNER IN DIAMONDS.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading If so, he was not disappointed, for the young man stared open-eyed.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If so, he was not disappointed, for the young man stared open-eyed.
carefully observant or attentive; on the lookout for possible danger
From this reading If so, he was not disappointed, for the young man stared open-eyed.
past form of “propound” — put forward, as of an idea
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
recurring again and again
From this reading "A corner in diamonds!" he repeated.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading If so, he was not disappointed, for the young man stared open-eyed.
a male human offspring
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading If so, he was not disappointed, for the young man stared open-eyed.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading If so, he was not disappointed, for the young man stared open-eyed.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "How will you do that?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading John Girdlestone propounded his intention with such dignity and emphasis that he evidently expected the announcement to come as a surprise upon his son.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "How will you do that?"
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading If so, he was not disappointed, for the young man stared open-eyed.
Chapter 9 of The Firm of Girdlestone by Arthur Conan Doyle holds 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 190 sentences of The Firm of Girdlestone, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Firm of Girdlestone by Arthur Conan Doyle exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Firm of Girdlestone by Arthur Conan Doyle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8061 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13152 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13152, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1613 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Firm of Girdlestone section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Firm of Girdlestone 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 Firm of Girdlestone, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
