Chapter 9 of A Book of Ghosts 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 A Book of Ghosts is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You seem to have a lively knowledge of antiquities," I observed. "Of course I have. There come archæologists here and eat their sandwiches above me, and talk prehistoric antiquities till I am sick. Give me life! Give me something interesting!"
Chapter 9 of A Book of Ghosts 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.
plural of “antiquity” — the historic period preceding the Middle Ages in Europe
From this reading “"You seem to have a lively knowledge of antiquities," I observed.”
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading “Give me something interesting!"”
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading “"You seem to have a lively knowledge of antiquities," I observed.”
full of life and energy
From this reading “"You seem to have a lively knowledge of antiquities," I observed.”
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading “"You seem to have a lively knowledge of antiquities," I observed.”
belonging to or existing in times before recorded history
From this reading “There come archæologists here and eat their sandwiches above me, and talk prehistoric antiquities till I am sick.”
plural of “sandwich” — two (or more) slices of bread with a filling between them
From this reading “There come archæologists here and eat their sandwiches above me, and talk prehistoric antiquities till I am sick.”
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “There come archæologists here and eat their sandwiches above me, and talk prehistoric antiquities till I am sick.”
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.
as might be expected
In this reading “"Of course I have.”
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 "You seem to have a lively knowledge of antiquities," I observed.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading There come archæologists here and eat their sandwiches above me, and talk prehistoric antiquities till I am sick.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading There come archæologists here and eat their sandwiches above me, and talk prehistoric antiquities till I am sick.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There come archæologists here and eat their sandwiches above me, and talk prehistoric antiquities till I am sick.
plural of “antiquity” — the historic period preceding the Middle Ages in Europe
From this reading "You seem to have a lively knowledge of antiquities," I observed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There come archæologists here and eat their sandwiches above me, and talk prehistoric antiquities till I am sick.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading There come archæologists here and eat their sandwiches above me, and talk prehistoric antiquities till I am sick.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Of course I have.
take in solid food
From this reading There come archæologists here and eat their sandwiches above me, and talk prehistoric antiquities till I am sick.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Give me life!
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You seem to have a lively knowledge of antiquities," I observed.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading There come archæologists here and eat their sandwiches above me, and talk prehistoric antiquities till I am sick.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "You seem to have a lively knowledge of antiquities," I observed.
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading Give me something interesting!"
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading "You seem to have a lively knowledge of antiquities," I observed.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Give me life!
full of life and energy
From this reading "You seem to have a lively knowledge of antiquities," I observed.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading There come archæologists here and eat their sandwiches above me, and talk prehistoric antiquities till I am sick.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading "You seem to have a lively knowledge of antiquities," I observed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "You seem to have a lively knowledge of antiquities," I observed.
belonging to or existing in times before recorded history
From this reading There come archæologists here and eat their sandwiches above me, and talk prehistoric antiquities till I am sick.
plural of “sandwich” — two (or more) slices of bread with a filling between them
From this reading There come archæologists here and eat their sandwiches above me, and talk prehistoric antiquities till I am sick.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "You seem to have a lively knowledge of antiquities," I observed.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading There come archæologists here and eat their sandwiches above me, and talk prehistoric antiquities till I am sick.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Give me something interesting!"
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading There come archæologists here and eat their sandwiches above me, and talk prehistoric antiquities till I am sick.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading There come archæologists here and eat their sandwiches above me, and talk prehistoric antiquities till I am sick.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There come archæologists here and eat their sandwiches above me, and talk prehistoric antiquities till I am sick.
up to a particular time
From this reading There come archæologists here and eat their sandwiches above me, and talk prehistoric antiquities till I am sick.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You seem to have a lively knowledge of antiquities," I observed.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You seem to have a lively knowledge of antiquities," I observed.
Chapter 9 of A Book of Ghosts by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould 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 A Book of Ghosts, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of A Book of Ghosts by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould 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 A Book of Ghosts by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7626 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36638 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36638, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1526 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Book of Ghosts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of A Book of Ghosts 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 A Book of Ghosts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
