Chapter 9 of The Setons is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Setons is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing. Elizabeth sat up very straight. "Oh! If you look at life from that sort of 'from-hour-to-hour-we-ripe-and-ripe-and-then--from-hour-to-hour-we-rot-and-rot' attitude, it is a tragic thing to grow old. But surely life is more than just a blooming and a decay.
Chapter 9 of The Setons is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
the organic process of bearing flowers
From this reading “But surely life is more than just a blooming and a decay.”
possessive form of “buff” — an ardent follower and admirer
From this reading “"'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.”
the process of gradually becoming inferior
From this reading “But surely life is more than just a blooming and a decay.”
destroy completely
From this reading “"'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.”
daughter of George VI who became the Queen of England and Northern Ireland in 1952 on the death of her father (1926-)
From this reading “Elizabeth sat up very straight.”
past form of “quote” — repeat a passage from
From this reading “"'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.”
very sad; especially involving grief or death or destruction
From this reading “If you look at life from that sort of 'from-hour-to-hour-we-ripe-and-ripe-and-then--from-hour-to-hour-we-rot-and-rot' attitude, it is a tragic thing to grow old.”
plural of “wrinkle” — a slight depression or fold in the smoothness of a surface
From this reading “"'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.”
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.
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “"'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.”
In this reading “If you look at life from that sort of 'from-hour-to-hour-we-ripe-and-ripe-and-then--from-hour-to-hour-we-rot-and-rot' attitude, it is a tragic thing to grow old.”
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 "'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But surely life is more than just a blooming and a decay.
elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)
From this reading "'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.
a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
From this reading If you look at life from that sort of 'from-hour-to-hour-we-ripe-and-ripe-and-then--from-hour-to-hour-we-rot-and-rot' attitude, it is a tragic thing to grow old.
the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading "'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.
the organic process of bearing flowers
From this reading But surely life is more than just a blooming and a decay.
possessive form of “buff” — an ardent follower and admirer
From this reading "'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.
the process of gradually becoming inferior
From this reading But surely life is more than just a blooming and a decay.
destroy completely
From this reading "'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading "'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.
daughter of George VI who became the Queen of England and Northern Ireland in 1952 on the death of her father (1926-)
From this reading Elizabeth sat up very straight.
a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading "'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading If you look at life from that sort of 'from-hour-to-hour-we-ripe-and-ripe-and-then--from-hour-to-hour-we-rot-and-rot' attitude, it is a tragic thing to grow old.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you look at life from that sort of 'from-hour-to-hour-we-ripe-and-ripe-and-then--from-hour-to-hour-we-rot-and-rot' attitude, it is a tragic thing to grow old.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you look at life from that sort of 'from-hour-to-hour-we-ripe-and-ripe-and-then--from-hour-to-hour-we-rot-and-rot' attitude, it is a tragic thing to grow old.
pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading If you look at life from that sort of 'from-hour-to-hour-we-ripe-and-ripe-and-then--from-hour-to-hour-we-rot-and-rot' attitude, it is a tragic thing to grow old.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you look at life from that sort of 'from-hour-to-hour-we-ripe-and-ripe-and-then--from-hour-to-hour-we-rot-and-rot' attitude, it is a tragic thing to grow old.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If you look at life from that sort of 'from-hour-to-hour-we-ripe-and-ripe-and-then--from-hour-to-hour-we-rot-and-rot' attitude, it is a tragic thing to grow old.
and nothing more
From this reading But surely life is more than just a blooming and a decay.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading If you look at life from that sort of 'from-hour-to-hour-we-ripe-and-ripe-and-then--from-hour-to-hour-we-rot-and-rot' attitude, it is a tragic thing to grow old.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading But surely life is more than just a blooming and a decay.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading If you look at life from that sort of 'from-hour-to-hour-we-ripe-and-ripe-and-then--from-hour-to-hour-we-rot-and-rot' attitude, it is a tragic thing to grow old.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh!
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading If you look at life from that sort of 'from-hour-to-hour-we-ripe-and-ripe-and-then--from-hour-to-hour-we-rot-and-rot' attitude, it is a tragic thing to grow old.
past form of “quote” — repeat a passage from
From this reading "'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading "'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Elizabeth sat up very straight.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading If you look at life from that sort of 'from-hour-to-hour-we-ripe-and-ripe-and-then--from-hour-to-hour-we-rot-and-rot' attitude, it is a tragic thing to grow old.
successive (without a break)
From this reading Elizabeth sat up very straight.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading But surely life is more than just a blooming and a decay.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading But surely life is more than just a blooming and a decay.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading If you look at life from that sort of 'from-hour-to-hour-we-ripe-and-ripe-and-then--from-hour-to-hour-we-rot-and-rot' attitude, it is a tragic thing to grow old.
a special situation
From this reading If you look at life from that sort of 'from-hour-to-hour-we-ripe-and-ripe-and-then--from-hour-to-hour-we-rot-and-rot' attitude, it is a tragic thing to grow old.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.
very sad; especially involving grief or death or destruction
From this reading If you look at life from that sort of 'from-hour-to-hour-we-ripe-and-ripe-and-then--from-hour-to-hour-we-rot-and-rot' attitude, it is a tragic thing to grow old.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Elizabeth sat up very straight.
precisely as stated
From this reading Elizabeth sat up very straight.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.
plural of “wrinkle” — a slight depression or fold in the smoothness of a surface
From this reading "'Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour,'" Arthur quoted, as he rose to look at Buff's drawing.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading If you look at life from that sort of 'from-hour-to-hour-we-ripe-and-ripe-and-then--from-hour-to-hour-we-rot-and-rot' attitude, it is a tragic thing to grow old.
Chapter 9 of The Setons by O. Douglas holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 411 sentences of The Setons, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Setons by O. Douglas exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Setons by O. Douglas on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4979 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35218 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35218, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 414 minutes of reading across 996 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Setons section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Setons 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 Setons, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
