Chapter 9 of Washington Square is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Washington Square is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
XVI THEY had of course immediately spoken of Catherine. “Did she send me a message, or—or anything?” Morris asked. He appeared to think that she might have sent him a trinket or a lock of her hair. Mrs. Penniman was slightly embarrassed, for she had not told her niece of her intended expedition.
Chapter 9 of Washington Square is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
first wife of Henry VIII; Henry VIII's divorce from her was the initial step of the Reformation in England (1485-1536)
From this reading “XVI THEY had of course immediately spoken of Catherine.”
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading “Mrs. Penniman was slightly embarrassed, for she had not told her niece of her intended expedition.”
a military campaign designed to achieve a specific objective in a foreign country
From this reading “Mrs. Penniman was slightly embarrassed, for she had not told her niece of her intended expedition.”
fasten with a lock
From this reading “He appeared to think that she might have sent him a trinket or a lock of her hair.”
United States suffragist in Wyoming (1814-1902)
From this reading “Morris asked.”
a daughter of your brother or sister
From this reading “Mrs. Penniman was slightly embarrassed, for she had not told her niece of her intended expedition.”
to a small degree or extent
From this reading “Mrs. Penniman was slightly embarrassed, for she had not told her niece of her intended expedition.”
cheap showy jewelry or ornament on clothing
From this reading “He appeared to think that she might have sent him a trinket or a lock of her hair.”
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 “Did she send me a message, or—or anything?”
any thing at all
From this reading “Did she send me a message, or—or anything?”
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He appeared to think that she might have sent him a trinket or a lock of her hair.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Morris asked.
first wife of Henry VIII; Henry VIII's divorce from her was the initial step of the Reformation in England (1485-1536)
From this reading XVI THEY had of course immediately spoken of Catherine.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading XVI THEY had of course immediately spoken of Catherine.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Did she send me a message, or—or anything?”
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was slightly embarrassed, for she had not told her niece of her intended expedition.
a military campaign designed to achieve a specific objective in a foreign country
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was slightly embarrassed, for she had not told her niece of her intended expedition.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was slightly embarrassed, for she had not told her niece of her intended expedition.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading XVI THEY had of course immediately spoken of Catherine.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading He appeared to think that she might have sent him a trinket or a lock of her hair.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He appeared to think that she might have sent him a trinket or a lock of her hair.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He appeared to think that she might have sent him a trinket or a lock of her hair.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He appeared to think that she might have sent him a trinket or a lock of her hair.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He appeared to think that she might have sent him a trinket or a lock of her hair.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading XVI THEY had of course immediately spoken of Catherine.
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was slightly embarrassed, for she had not told her niece of her intended expedition.
fasten with a lock
From this reading He appeared to think that she might have sent him a trinket or a lock of her hair.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Did she send me a message, or—or anything?”
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading “Did she send me a message, or—or anything?”
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading He appeared to think that she might have sent him a trinket or a lock of her hair.
United States suffragist in Wyoming (1814-1902)
From this reading Morris asked.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was slightly embarrassed, for she had not told her niece of her intended expedition.
a daughter of your brother or sister
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was slightly embarrassed, for she had not told her niece of her intended expedition.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was slightly embarrassed, for she had not told her niece of her intended expedition.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading XVI THEY had of course immediately spoken of Catherine.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “Did she send me a message, or—or anything?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was slightly embarrassed, for she had not told her niece of her intended expedition.
cause to go somewhere
From this reading “Did she send me a message, or—or anything?”
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading He appeared to think that she might have sent him a trinket or a lock of her hair.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Did she send me a message, or—or anything?”
to a small degree or extent
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was slightly embarrassed, for she had not told her niece of her intended expedition.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading XVI THEY had of course immediately spoken of Catherine.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He appeared to think that she might have sent him a trinket or a lock of her hair.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading XVI THEY had of course immediately spoken of Catherine.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading He appeared to think that she might have sent him a trinket or a lock of her hair.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He appeared to think that she might have sent him a trinket or a lock of her hair.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was slightly embarrassed, for she had not told her niece of her intended expedition.
cheap showy jewelry or ornament on clothing
From this reading He appeared to think that she might have sent him a trinket or a lock of her hair.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was slightly embarrassed, for she had not told her niece of her intended expedition.
the cardinal number that is the sum of fifteen and one
From this reading XVI THEY had of course immediately spoken of Catherine.
Chapter 9 of Washington Square by Henry James holds 177 sentences, grouped into 36 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 177 sentences of Washington Square, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Washington Square by Henry James exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 Washington Square by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3988 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2870 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2870, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 332 minutes of reading across 798 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Washington Square section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Washington Square 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 Washington Square, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
