Chapter 21 of The Grand Babylon Hôtel is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Grand Babylon Hôtel is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
‘I should like you to answer some questions.’ ‘That’s different,’ said Jules. ‘I’m not going to answer any questions while I’m tied up like this. You may bet on that, too.’ ‘It will pay you to be reasonable,’ said Racksole.
Chapter 21 of The Grand Babylon Hôtel is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
react verbally
From this reading “‘I should like you to answer some questions.’”
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading “You may bet on that, too.’”
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading “‘That’s different,’ said Jules.”
the act of departing
From this reading “‘I’m not going to answer any questions while I’m tied up like this.”
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading “‘It will pay you to be reasonable,’ said Racksole.”
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading “‘I should like you to answer some questions.’”
showing reason or sound judgment
From this reading “‘It will pay you to be reasonable,’ said Racksole.”
bound or secured closely
From this reading “‘I’m not going to answer any questions while I’m tied up like this.”
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.
react verbally
From this reading ‘I should like you to answer some questions.’
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading ‘I’m not going to answer any questions while I’m tied up like this.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading ‘It will pay you to be reasonable,’ said Racksole.
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading You may bet on that, too.’
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading ‘That’s different,’ said Jules.
the act of departing
From this reading ‘I’m not going to answer any questions while I’m tied up like this.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ‘I should like you to answer some questions.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘I’m not going to answer any questions while I’m tied up like this.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading ‘It will pay you to be reasonable,’ said Racksole.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘That’s different,’ said Jules.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading ‘I should like you to answer some questions.’
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading You may bet on that, too.’
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading ‘I’m not going to answer any questions while I’m tied up like this.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading You may bet on that, too.’
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading ‘It will pay you to be reasonable,’ said Racksole.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading ‘I should like you to answer some questions.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘It will pay you to be reasonable,’ said Racksole.
showing reason or sound judgment
From this reading ‘It will pay you to be reasonable,’ said Racksole.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘That’s different,’ said Jules.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading ‘I should like you to answer some questions.’
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading ‘I should like you to answer some questions.’
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading You may bet on that, too.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘That’s different,’ said Jules.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading ‘I’m not going to answer any questions while I’m tied up like this.
bound or secured closely
From this reading ‘I’m not going to answer any questions while I’m tied up like this.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ‘I should like you to answer some questions.’
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading You may bet on that, too.’
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading ‘I’m not going to answer any questions while I’m tied up like this.
during the time that
From this reading ‘I’m not going to answer any questions while I’m tied up like this.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading ‘It will pay you to be reasonable,’ said Racksole.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘I should like you to answer some questions.’
Chapter 21 of The Grand Babylon Hôtel by Arnold Bennett holds 223 sentences, grouped into 45 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 21 holds 223 sentences of The Grand Babylon Hôtel, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Grand Babylon Hôtel by Arnold Bennett exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 223 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 21 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.
