Chapter 4 of The Grand Babylon Hôtel is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Grand Babylon Hôtel is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
‘H’m!’ Racksole said, after a pause. ‘Hers is not the only post that falls vacant to-day.’ A little later, the millionaire installed himself in the late owner’s private room and rang the bell. ‘I want Jules,’ he said to the page.
Chapter 4 of The Grand Babylon Hôtel is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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 petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading “‘Hers is not the only post that falls vacant to-day.’”
inflected form of “instal” — set up for use
From this reading “A little later, the millionaire installed himself in the late owner’s private room and rang the bell.”
a person whose material wealth is valued at more than a million dollars
From this reading “A little later, the millionaire installed himself in the late owner’s private room and rang the bell.”
possessive form of “owner” — (law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business
one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading “‘I want Jules,’ he said to the page.”
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading “‘Hers is not the only post that falls vacant to-day.’”
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “A little later, the millionaire installed himself in the late owner’s private room and rang the bell.”
void of intelligence or thought
From this reading “‘Hers is not the only post that falls vacant to-day.’”
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 Racksole said, after a pause.
later than; following
From this reading Racksole said, after a pause.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A little later, the millionaire installed himself in the late owner’s private room and rang the bell.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading A little later, the millionaire installed himself in the late owner’s private room and rang the bell.
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading ‘Hers is not the only post that falls vacant to-day.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘H’m!’
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ‘I want Jules,’ he said to the page.
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading ‘Hers is not the only post that falls vacant to-day.’
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading A little later, the millionaire installed himself in the late owner’s private room and rang the bell.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ‘I want Jules,’ he said to the page.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A little later, the millionaire installed himself in the late owner’s private room and rang the bell.
inflected form of “instal” — set up for use
From this reading A little later, the millionaire installed himself in the late owner’s private room and rang the bell.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ‘Hers is not the only post that falls vacant to-day.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘I want Jules,’ he said to the page.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading A little later, the millionaire installed himself in the late owner’s private room and rang the bell.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading A little later, the millionaire installed himself in the late owner’s private room and rang the bell.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A little later, the millionaire installed himself in the late owner’s private room and rang the bell.
a person whose material wealth is valued at more than a million dollars
From this reading A little later, the millionaire installed himself in the late owner’s private room and rang the bell.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading ‘Hers is not the only post that falls vacant to-day.’
and nothing more
From this reading ‘Hers is not the only post that falls vacant to-day.’
possessive form of “owner” — (law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business
From this reading A little later, the millionaire installed himself in the late owner’s private room and rang the bell.
one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading ‘I want Jules,’ he said to the page.
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading Racksole said, after a pause.
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading ‘Hers is not the only post that falls vacant to-day.’
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading A little later, the millionaire installed himself in the late owner’s private room and rang the bell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Racksole said, after a pause.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading A little later, the millionaire installed himself in the late owner’s private room and rang the bell.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading A little later, the millionaire installed himself in the late owner’s private room and rang the bell.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Racksole said, after a pause.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading ‘Hers is not the only post that falls vacant to-day.’
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ‘Hers is not the only post that falls vacant to-day.’
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ‘I want Jules,’ he said to the page.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Hers is not the only post that falls vacant to-day.’
void of intelligence or thought
From this reading ‘Hers is not the only post that falls vacant to-day.’
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading ‘I want Jules,’ he said to the page.
Chapter 4 of The Grand Babylon Hôtel by Arnold Bennett holds 215 sentences, grouped into 43 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 4 holds 215 sentences of The Grand Babylon Hôtel, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Grand Babylon Hôtel by Arnold Bennett exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 215 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 4 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 Grand Babylon Hôtel by Arnold Bennett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4952 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2813 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2813, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 412 minutes of reading across 991 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Grand Babylon Hôtel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Grand Babylon Hôtel 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 Grand Babylon Hôtel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
