Chapter 9 of Watch and ward is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Watch and ward is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“George,” she said, “I have taken you at your word.” “My word? O yes!” cried George, bravely. She saw that he was changed, and not for the better. He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.
Chapter 9 of Watch and ward is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 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.
in a courageous manner
From this reading “O yes!” cried George, bravely.”
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading “She saw that he was changed, and not for the better.”
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading “He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.”
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading ““George,” she said, “I have taken you at your word.””
the formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses
From this reading “He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.”
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading “He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.”
in fortunate circumstances financially; moderately rich
From this reading “He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.”
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading ““George,” she said, “I have taken you at your word.””
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 “He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She saw that he was changed, and not for the better.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “George,” she said, “I have taken you at your word.”
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading She saw that he was changed, and not for the better.
in a courageous manner
From this reading O yes!” cried George, bravely.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading She saw that he was changed, and not for the better.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading O yes!” cried George, bravely.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She saw that he was changed, and not for the better.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading “George,” she said, “I have taken you at your word.”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “George,” she said, “I have taken you at your word.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She saw that he was changed, and not for the better.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “George,” she said, “I have taken you at your word.”
the formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses
From this reading He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My word?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She saw that he was changed, and not for the better.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading O yes!” cried George, bravely.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.
in fortunate circumstances financially; moderately rich
From this reading He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “George,” she said, “I have taken you at your word.”
cut with a saw
From this reading She saw that he was changed, and not for the better.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “George,” she said, “I have taken you at your word.”
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading “George,” she said, “I have taken you at your word.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She saw that he was changed, and not for the better.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She saw that he was changed, and not for the better.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading He looked older, he was better dressed and more prosperous; but as Nora looked at him, she felt that she had asked too much of her imagination.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She saw that he was changed, and not for the better.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading “George,” she said, “I have taken you at your word.”
an affirmative
From this reading O yes!” cried George, bravely.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “George,” she said, “I have taken you at your word.”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “George,” she said, “I have taken you at your word.”
Chapter 9 of Watch and ward by Henry James holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of Watch and ward, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Watch and ward by Henry James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Watch and ward by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Watch and ward section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Watch and ward 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 Watch and ward, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
