Chapter 9 of The Wages of Virtue is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Wages of Virtue is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind. "Curse the Englishman!" he growled. "Curse that hag behind the bar. Curse that Russian _ragazza_. Curse that thrice-damned American...."
Chapter 9 of The Wages of Virtue is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
a flask for carrying water; used by soldiers or travelers
From this reading “THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.”
a man who is a native or inhabitant of England
From this reading “"Curse the Englishman!" he growled.”
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading “"Curse the Englishman!" he growled.”
an ugly evil-looking old woman
From this reading “"Curse that hag behind the bar.”
a native or inhabitant of Russia
From this reading “Curse that Russian _ragazza_.”
used as an Italian courtesy title; can be prefixed to the name or used separately
From this reading “THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.”
inflected form of “stride” — walk with long steps
From this reading “THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.”
something that seduces or has the quality to seduce
From this reading “THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.”
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 “"Curse that hag behind the bar.”
In this reading “THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.”
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.
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading Curse that thrice-damned American...."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading "Curse that hag behind the bar.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading "Curse that hag behind the bar.
a flask for carrying water; used by soldiers or travelers
From this reading THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading "Curse the Englishman!" he growled.
a man who is a native or inhabitant of England
From this reading "Curse the Englishman!" he growled.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.
enclose in or as if in a frame
From this reading THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading "Curse the Englishman!" he growled.
an ugly evil-looking old woman
From this reading "Curse that hag behind the bar.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Curse the Englishman!" he growled.
a midwestern state in north-central United States
From this reading THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Curse that Russian _ragazza_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.
a native or inhabitant of Russia
From this reading Curse that Russian _ragazza_.
used as an Italian courtesy title; can be prefixed to the name or used separately
From this reading THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.
term of address for a man
From this reading THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.
inflected form of “stride” — walk with long steps
From this reading THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.
something that seduces or has the quality to seduce
From this reading THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Curse that hag behind the bar.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Curse that thrice-damned American...."
offensive or disagreeable; causing discomfort or unhappiness
From this reading THE TEMPTATION OF SIR MONTAGUE MERLINE Il Signor Luigi Rivoli strode forth from the Canteen in an unpleasant frame of mind.
Chapter 9 of The Wages of Virtue by Percival Christopher Wren holds 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 390 sentences of The Wages of Virtue, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Wages of Virtue by Percival Christopher Wren exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 Wages of Virtue by Percival Christopher Wren on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5176 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41652 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41652, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 431 minutes of reading across 1036 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Wages of Virtue section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Wages of Virtue 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 Wages of Virtue, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
