Chapter 9 of The passionate year is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The passionate year is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
II The Annual Athletic Sports. It was raining hard. He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper. "Well run, Herbert," he managed to say with a show of interest. "Not bad, indeed, sir ... eleven and two-fifths seconds."
Chapter 9 of The passionate year is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
given as a task
From this reading “He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.”
relating to or befitting athletics or athletes
From this reading “II The Annual Athletic Sports.”
the act of acknowledging that someone has an occasion for celebration
From this reading “He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.”
-ing form of “distribute” — administer or bestow, as in small portions
From this reading “He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.”
inflected form of “fulfil” — put in effect
From this reading “He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.”
falling in drops or as if falling like rain
From this reading “It was raining hard.”
a timepiece that can be started or stopped for exact timing (as of a race)
From this reading “He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.”
a long thin piece of cloth or paper as used for binding or fastening
From this reading “He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.”
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 “II The Annual Athletic Sports.”
In this reading “He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.”
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 "Well run, Herbert," he managed to say with a show of interest.
given as a task
From this reading He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.
completing its life cycle within a year
From this reading II The Annual Athletic Sports.
relating to or befitting athletics or athletes
From this reading II The Annual Athletic Sports.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "Not bad, indeed, sir ... eleven and two-fifths seconds."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.
the act of acknowledging that someone has an occasion for celebration
From this reading He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.
-ing form of “distribute” — administer or bestow, as in small portions
From this reading He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.
being one more than ten
From this reading "Not bad, indeed, sir ... eleven and two-fifths seconds."
the expression of approval and support
From this reading He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.
inflected form of “fulfil” — put in effect
From this reading He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading It was raining hard.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading "Well run, Herbert," he managed to say with a show of interest.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading II The Annual Athletic Sports.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading "Not bad, indeed, sir ... eleven and two-fifths seconds."
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading "Well run, Herbert," he managed to say with a show of interest.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was raining hard.
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading "Well run, Herbert," he managed to say with a show of interest.
having notes of fixed rhythmic value
From this reading He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not bad, indeed, sir ... eleven and two-fifths seconds."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.
falling in drops or as if falling like rain
From this reading It was raining hard.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading "Well run, Herbert," he managed to say with a show of interest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.
express in words
From this reading "Well run, Herbert," he managed to say with a show of interest.
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading "Not bad, indeed, sir ... eleven and two-fifths seconds."
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading "Well run, Herbert," he managed to say with a show of interest.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Not bad, indeed, sir ... eleven and two-fifths seconds."
plural of “sport” — an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition
From this reading II The Annual Athletic Sports.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.
a timepiece that can be started or stopped for exact timing (as of a race)
From this reading He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.
a long thin piece of cloth or paper as used for binding or fastening
From this reading He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading II The Annual Athletic Sports.
(sports) an official who keeps track of the time elapsed
From this reading He stood by the tape, stopwatch in hand, distributing measured encouragement and congratulation, and fulfilling his allotted rôle of timekeeper.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Well run, Herbert," he managed to say with a show of interest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Not bad, indeed, sir ... eleven and two-fifths seconds."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was raining hard.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well run, Herbert," he managed to say with a show of interest.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Well run, Herbert," he managed to say with a show of interest.
Chapter 9 of The passionate year by James Hilton holds 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 425 sentences of The passionate year, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The passionate year by James Hilton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 passionate year by James Hilton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The passionate year section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The passionate year 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 passionate year, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
