The Woman & the Priest

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of The Woman & the Priest is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Grazia Deledda • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Woman & the Priest

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

Suddenly the keeper's dog sprang up barking, and Antiochus heard the rustle of wings over his head: he looked up and saw the old hunter's tame eagle alighting on a rock, with its great wings outspread and slowly beating the air like an immense black fan.

Inside the hut Paul was thinking to himself:

"And this is death.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IX Reading 1/26

The Woman & the Priest Grazia Deledda

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of The Woman & the Priest is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure. He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea. Suddenly the keeper's dog sprang up barking, and Antiochus heard the rustle of wings over his head: he looked up and saw the old hunter's tame eagle alighting on a rock, with its great wings outspread and slowly beating the air like an immense black fan. Inside the hut Paul was thinking to himself: "And this is death.

The Woman & the Priest

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of The Woman & the Priest is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

/ˌɪnˈsaɪd ðə hʌt ðə priːst bent stɪl ˈloʊər hɪz hændz klæspt bɪˈtwiːn hɪz niːz hɪz feɪs ˈhevi wɪð ˈwɪrinəs ənd dɪˈspleʒər/

Line 2

He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

/hiː tuː wɑːz ˈsaɪlənt naʊ hiː ˈɔːlmoʊst siːmd tuː hæv fərˈɡɑːt.n̩ waɪ hiː wɑːz ðer ənd sæt ˈlɪsənɪŋ tuː ðə waɪnd æz ɪf ɪt wɜːr ðə ˈdɪstənt ˈmɜːrmər ʌv ðə siː/

Line 3

Line 4

Inside the hut Paul was thinking to himself:

/ˌɪnˈsaɪd ðə hʌt pɔːl wɑːz ˈθɪŋkɪŋ tuː hɪmˈself/

Line 5

"And this is death.

/ənd ðɪs ɪz deθ/

Learner Dictionary

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.

barking verb US /ˈbɑːrkɪŋ/

-ing form of “bark” — speak in an unfriendly tone

From this reading “Suddenly the keeper's dog sprang up barking, and Antiochus heard the rustle of wings over his head: he looked up and saw the old hunter's tame eagle alighting on a rock, with its great wings outspread and slowly beating the air like an immense black fan.”

displeasure noun US /dɪˈspleʒər/

the feeling of being displeased or annoyed or dissatisfied with someone or something

From this reading “Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.”

eagle noun US /ˈiːɡəl/

any of various large keen-sighted diurnal birds of prey noted for their broad wings and strong soaring flight

fan verb US /fæn/

strike out (a batter), (of a pitcher)

hunter's noun US /ˈhʌntərz/

possessive form of “hunter” — someone who hunts game

rustle verb US /ˈrʌsəl/

make a dry crackling sound

tame verb US /teɪm/

correct by punishment or discipline

weariness noun US /ˈwɪrinəs/

temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work

From this reading “Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

sat listening noun + noun

In this reading “He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.”

sprang up verb + adjective counted as “spring up”

come into existence; take on form or shape

In this reading “Suddenly the keeper's dog sprang up barking, and Antiochus heard the rustle of wings over his head: he looked up and saw the old hunter's tame eagle alighting on a rock, with its great wings outspread and slowly beating the air like an immense black fan.”

distant murmur adjective + noun

In this reading “He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.”

old hunter's adjective + noun counted as “old hunter”

looked up verb + adjective counted as “look up”

seek information from

rustle of verb + particle

on a rock preposition + article + noun counted as “on … rock”

All words in this reading · 80

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Suddenly the keeper's dog sprang up barking, and Antiochus heard the rustle of wings over his head: he looked up and saw the old hunter's tame eagle alighting on a rock, with its great wings outspread and slowly beating the air like an immense black fan.

airnounUS /er/

a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of

alighting

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

Antiochus

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

barkingverbUS /ˈbɑːrkɪŋ/

-ing form of “bark” — speak in an unfriendly tone

beatingnounUS /ˈbiːtɪŋ/

the act of overcoming or outdoing

bentnounUS /bent/

a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way

From this reading Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

blackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

claspedverbUS /klæspt/

past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly

From this reading Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading "And this is death.

displeasurenounUS /dɪˈspleʒər/

the feeling of being displeased or annoyed or dissatisfied with someone or something

From this reading Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

distantadjectiveUS /ˈdɪstənt/

separated in space or coming from or going to a distance

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

dognounUS /dɔːɡ/

a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds

eaglenounUS /ˈiːɡəl/

any of various large keen-sighted diurnal birds of prey noted for their broad wings and strong soaring flight

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

fanverbUS /fæn/

strike out (a batter), (of a pitcher)

forgottenadjectiveUS /fərˈɡɑːt.n̩/

Not remembered; lapsed from memory.

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

heavyadjectiveUS /ˈhevi/

of comparatively great physical weight or density

From this reading Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Inside the hut Paul was thinking to himself:

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

hunter'snounUS /ˈhʌntərz/

possessive form of “hunter” — someone who hunts game

hutnounUS /hʌt/

temporary military shelter

From this reading Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

immenseadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈmens/

unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope

InsideadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈsaɪd/

relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space

From this reading Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "And this is death.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

keeper's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

kneesnounUS /niːz/

plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella

From this reading Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

listeningnounUS /ˈlɪsənɪŋ/

the act of hearing attentively

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

lowerverbUS /ˈloʊər/

move something or somebody to a lower position

From this reading Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

murmurnounUS /ˈmɜːrmər/

a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

outspreadadjective

fully extended in width

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

PaulnounUS /pɔːl/

United States feminist (1885-1977)

From this reading Inside the hut Paul was thinking to himself:

priestnounUS /priːst/

a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders

From this reading Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

rocknounUS /rɑːk/

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

rustleverbUS /ˈrʌsəl/

make a dry crackling sound

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

seanounUS /siː/

a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

silentadjectiveUS /ˈsaɪlənt/

marked by absence of sound

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

slowlyadverbUS /ˈsloʊli/

without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)

sprangverbUS /spræŋ/

inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

SuddenlyadverbUS /ˈsʌdənli/

happening unexpectedly

tameverbUS /teɪm/

correct by punishment or discipline

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

thinkingnounUS /ˈθɪŋkɪŋ/

the process of using your mind to consider something carefully

From this reading Inside the hut Paul was thinking to himself:

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading "And this is death.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

wearinessnounUS /ˈwɪrinəs/

temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work

From this reading Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

whynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

windnounUS /waɪnd/

air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

From this reading He too was silent now: he almost seemed to have forgotten why he was there and sat listening to the wind as if it were the distant murmur of the sea.

wingsnounUS /wɪŋz/

a means of flight or ascent

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Inside the hut the priest bent still lower, his hands clasped between his knees, his face heavy with weariness and displeasure.

Chapter 9 of The Woman & the Priest by Grazia Deledda holds 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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.

What does chapter 9 of The Woman & the Priest contain?

Chapter 9 holds 132 sentences of The Woman & the Priest, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of The Woman & the Priest by Grazia Deledda exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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.

How do I study chapter 9 of The Woman & the Priest?

Work through the 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 27 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.

Can chapter 9 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Woman & the Priest

Common questions about reading The Woman & the Priest by Grazia Deledda on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Woman & the Priest?

Yes. All 1907 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53918 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Woman & the Priest is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #53918, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Woman & the Priest take to read?

About 158 minutes of reading across 382 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Woman & the Priest

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Woman & the Priest, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Highbrows: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Woman & the Priest; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Consent: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Woman & the Priest; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Evelyn: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Woman & the Priest; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
French: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Woman & the Priest; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter IX

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Vocabulary met early in The Woman & the Priest