Chapter 9 of The Hero is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Hero is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yes," he said, as soon as he could. "I paid her a little call." "Mr. Dryland, you can't deceive me. You've proposed to Mary Clibborn." He swallowed his food with a gulp.
Chapter 9 of The Hero is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “"I paid her a little call."”
be false to; be dishonest with
From this reading “"Mr. Dryland, you can't deceive me.”
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading “He swallowed his food with a gulp.”
to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught
From this reading “He swallowed his food with a gulp.”
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading “You've proposed to Mary Clibborn."”
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading “"I paid her a little call."”
past form of “propose” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “You've proposed to Mary Clibborn."”
past form of “swallow” — pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading “He swallowed his food with a gulp.”
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.
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 "I paid her a little call."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Yes," he said, as soon as he could.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "I paid her a little call."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mr. Dryland, you can't deceive me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You've proposed to Mary Clibborn."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "Yes," he said, as soon as he could.
be false to; be dishonest with
From this reading "Mr. Dryland, you can't deceive me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mr. Dryland, you can't deceive me.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading He swallowed his food with a gulp.
to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught
From this reading He swallowed his food with a gulp.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Yes," he said, as soon as he could.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "I paid her a little call."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He swallowed his food with a gulp.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I paid her a little call."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "I paid her a little call."
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading You've proposed to Mary Clibborn."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Mr. Dryland, you can't deceive me.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Mr. Dryland, you can't deceive me.
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading "I paid her a little call."
past form of “propose” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading You've proposed to Mary Clibborn."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Yes," he said, as soon as he could.
in the near future
From this reading "Yes," he said, as soon as he could.
past form of “swallow” — pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading He swallowed his food with a gulp.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You've proposed to Mary Clibborn."
in the company of; together with
From this reading He swallowed his food with a gulp.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," he said, as soon as he could.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Mr. Dryland, you can't deceive me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You've proposed to Mary Clibborn."
Chapter 9 of The Hero by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of The Hero, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Hero by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Hero by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4952 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27063 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27063, unabridged. 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 Hero section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Hero 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 Hero, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
