Chapter 9 of Three Men and a Maid is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Three Men and a Maid is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that. "What are you talking about?" said Mr. Bennett, recovering breath. "I haven't got a son." "I will be a son to you! I will be the prop of your declining years...."
Chapter 9 of Three Men and a Maid is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
United States aviator who (with Richard E. Byrd) piloted the first flight over the North Pole (1890-1928)
From this reading “"What are you talking about?" said Mr. Bennett, recovering breath.”
in a clever manner
From this reading “And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.”
-ing form of “decline” — grow worse
From this reading “I will be the prop of your declining years...."”
in a cheerful manner
From this reading “And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.”
a support placed beneath or against something to keep it from shaking or falling
From this reading “I will be the prop of your declining years...."”
returning to health after illness or debility
From this reading “"What are you talking about?" said Mr. Bennett, recovering breath.”
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading “And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.”
showing tact or tactfulness; in a tactful manner
From this reading “And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.”
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 "I haven't got a son."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "What are you talking about?" said Mr. Bennett, recovering breath.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "What are you talking about?" said Mr. Bennett, recovering breath.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I will be a son to you!
United States aviator who (with Richard E. Byrd) piloted the first flight over the North Pole (1890-1928)
From this reading "What are you talking about?" said Mr. Bennett, recovering breath.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading "What are you talking about?" said Mr. Bennett, recovering breath.
in a clever manner
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
-ing form of “decline” — grow worse
From this reading I will be the prop of your declining years...."
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "I haven't got a son."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I haven't got a son."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I haven't got a son."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "What are you talking about?" said Mr. Bennett, recovering breath.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I will be the prop of your declining years...."
in a cheerful manner
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
a support placed beneath or against something to keep it from shaking or falling
From this reading I will be the prop of your declining years...."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
returning to health after illness or debility
From this reading "What are you talking about?" said Mr. Bennett, recovering breath.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "What are you talking about?" said Mr. Bennett, recovering breath.
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
a male human offspring
From this reading "I haven't got a son."
showing tact or tactfulness; in a tactful manner
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading "What are you talking about?" said Mr. Bennett, recovering breath.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What are you talking about?" said Mr. Bennett, recovering breath.
which person or people
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "I will be a son to you!
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading And he would like to see the man, thought Sam, who could have put it more cleverly and pleasantly and tactfully than that.
a late time of life
From this reading I will be the prop of your declining years...."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What are you talking about?" said Mr. Bennett, recovering breath.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I will be the prop of your declining years...."
Chapter 9 of Three Men and a Maid by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse holds 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 396 sentences of Three Men and a Maid, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Three Men and a Maid by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Three Men and a Maid by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4815 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6836 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6836, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 401 minutes of reading across 963 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Three Men and a Maid section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Three Men and a Maid 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 Three Men and a Maid, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
