Chapter 9 of The Old Maids' Club is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Old Maids' Club is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OF WIVES AND THEIR MISTRESSES. "No, no," said Miss Eustasia Pallas. "You misapprehend me. It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants. While a girl lives at home, she can cultivate her soul while her mother attends to the _ménage_.
Chapter 9 of The Old Maids' Club is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
third-person singular of “attend” — be present at (meetings, church services, university), etc.
From this reading “While a girl lives at home, she can cultivate her soul while her mother attends to the _ménage_.”
foster the growth of
From this reading “While a girl lives at home, she can cultivate her soul while her mother attends to the _ménage_.”
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “While a girl lives at home, she can cultivate her soul while her mother attends to the _ménage_.”
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading “It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.”
plural of “mistress” — an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
From this reading “OF WIVES AND THEIR MISTRESSES.”
(Greek mythology) goddess of wisdom and useful arts and prudent warfare; guardian of Athens; identified with Roman Minerva
From this reading “"No, no," said Miss Eustasia Pallas.”
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading “It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.”
plural of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “OF WIVES AND THEIR MISTRESSES.”
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.
a reception held in your own home
In this reading “While a girl lives at home, she can cultivate her soul while her mother attends to the _ménage_.”
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 It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading OF WIVES AND THEIR MISTRESSES.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading While a girl lives at home, she can cultivate her soul while her mother attends to the _ménage_.
third-person singular of “attend” — be present at (meetings, church services, university), etc.
From this reading While a girl lives at home, she can cultivate her soul while her mother attends to the _ménage_.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
for the reason that
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading While a girl lives at home, she can cultivate her soul while her mother attends to the _ménage_.
foster the growth of
From this reading While a girl lives at home, she can cultivate her soul while her mother attends to the _ménage_.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, no," said Miss Eustasia Pallas.
a young female
From this reading While a girl lives at home, she can cultivate her soul while her mother attends to the _ménage_.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading While a girl lives at home, she can cultivate her soul while her mother attends to the _ménage_.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading While a girl lives at home, she can cultivate her soul while her mother attends to the _ménage_.
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You misapprehend me.
interpret in the wrong way
From this reading "You misapprehend me.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "No, no," said Miss Eustasia Pallas.
plural of “mistress” — an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
From this reading OF WIVES AND THEIR MISTRESSES.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading While a girl lives at home, she can cultivate her soul while her mother attends to the _ménage_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While a girl lives at home, she can cultivate her soul while her mother attends to the _ménage_.
absolutely essential
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, no," said Miss Eustasia Pallas.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading OF WIVES AND THEIR MISTRESSES.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
(Greek mythology) goddess of wisdom and useful arts and prudent warfare; guardian of Athens; identified with Roman Minerva
From this reading "No, no," said Miss Eustasia Pallas.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "No, no," said Miss Eustasia Pallas.
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading While a girl lives at home, she can cultivate her soul while her mother attends to the _ménage_.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading While a girl lives at home, she can cultivate her soul while her mother attends to the _ménage_.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading While a girl lives at home, she can cultivate her soul while her mother attends to the _ménage_.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading OF WIVES AND THEIR MISTRESSES.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
during the time that
From this reading While a girl lives at home, she can cultivate her soul while her mother attends to the _ménage_.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
plural of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading OF WIVES AND THEIR MISTRESSES.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It is not because it would be necessary to have a husband and a home of one's own, that I object to marriage, but because it would be impossible to do without servants.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You misapprehend me.
Chapter 9 of The Old Maids' Club by Israel Zangwill holds 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 232 sentences of The Old Maids' Club, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Old Maids' Club by Israel Zangwill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 Old Maids' Club by Israel Zangwill on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6063 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45623 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45623, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 505 minutes of reading across 1213 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Old Maids' Club section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Old Maids' Club 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 Old Maids' Club, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
