Chapter 9 of The Later Life is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Later Life is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning. "The fellow's inspired. He speaks extempore and magnificently; he's an orator. A splendid fellow, the way he spoke: it was astounding.... I knew him years ago at Leiden.
Chapter 9 of The Later Life is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
bewildering or striking dumb with wonder
From this reading “A splendid fellow, the way he spoke: it was astounding....”
possessive form of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading “"The fellow's inspired.”
being of such surpassing excellence as to suggest inspiration by the gods
From this reading “"The fellow's inspired.”
extremely well
From this reading “He speaks extempore and magnificently; he's an orator.”
a person who delivers a speech or oration
From this reading “He speaks extempore and magnificently; he's an orator.”
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading “He speaks extempore and magnificently; he's an orator.”
having great beauty and splendor
From this reading “A splendid fellow, the way he spoke: it was astounding....”
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading “"I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.”
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.
In this reading “"I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.”
In this reading “A splendid fellow, the way he spoke: it was astounding....”
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 splendid fellow, the way he spoke: it was astounding....
in the past
From this reading I knew him years ago at Leiden.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He speaks extempore and magnificently; he's an orator.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He speaks extempore and magnificently; he's an orator.
bewildering or striking dumb with wonder
From this reading A splendid fellow, the way he spoke: it was astounding....
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.
with little or no preparation or forethought
From this reading He speaks extempore and magnificently; he's an orator.
a boy or man
From this reading A splendid fellow, the way he spoke: it was astounding....
possessive form of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading "The fellow's inspired.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He speaks extempore and magnificently; he's an orator.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He speaks extempore and magnificently; he's an orator.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I knew him years ago at Leiden.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.
being of such surpassing excellence as to suggest inspiration by the gods
From this reading "The fellow's inspired.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A splendid fellow, the way he spoke: it was astounding....
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I knew him years ago at Leiden.
immediately past
From this reading "I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.
a city in the western Netherlands; residence of the Pilgrim Fathers for 11 years before they sailed for America in 1620
From this reading I knew him years ago at Leiden.
extremely well
From this reading He speaks extempore and magnificently; he's an orator.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.
a person who delivers a speech or oration
From this reading He speaks extempore and magnificently; he's an orator.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.
express in speech
From this reading "I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading He speaks extempore and magnificently; he's an orator.
having great beauty and splendor
From this reading A splendid fellow, the way he spoke: it was astounding....
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading A splendid fellow, the way he spoke: it was astounding....
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The fellow's inspired.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading "I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A splendid fellow, the way he spoke: it was astounding....
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading A splendid fellow, the way he spoke: it was astounding....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I went last night with Van Vreeswijck to hear Brauws speak at Diligentia," said Van der Welcke, one morning.
a late time of life
From this reading I knew him years ago at Leiden.
Chapter 9 of The Later Life by Louis Couperus holds 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 196 sentences of The Later Life, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Later Life by Louis Couperus exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Later Life by Louis Couperus on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5253 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37578 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37578, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 437 minutes of reading across 1051 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Later Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Later Life 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 Later Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
