Chapter 9 of A Duet, with an Occasional Chorus is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of A Duet, with an Occasional Chorus is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
One night, just before the trial, Wingfield, the accountant of the Society, came down to Woking. He had managed the case all through for the directors. His visit was a sort of ultimatum. ‘We are still ready to pay our own law-costs,’ said he, ‘if you will allow the original claim.’ ‘I can’t do that,’ said Frank doggedly.
Chapter 9 of A Duet, with an Occasional Chorus is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 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.
someone who maintains and audits business accounts
From this reading “One night, just before the trial, Wingfield, the accountant of the Society, came down to Woking.”
an assertion of a right (as to money or property)
From this reading “‘We are still ready to pay our own law-costs,’ said he, ‘if you will allow the original claim.’”
plural of “director” — someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading “He had managed the case all through for the directors.”
with obstinate determination
From this reading “‘I can’t do that,’ said Frank doggedly.”
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading “He had managed the case all through for the directors.”
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading “‘We are still ready to pay our own law-costs,’ said he, ‘if you will allow the original claim.’”
the act of testing something
From this reading “One night, just before the trial, Wingfield, the accountant of the Society, came down to Woking.”
a final peremptory demand
From this reading “His visit was a sort of ultimatum.”
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 His visit was a sort of ultimatum.
someone who maintains and audits business accounts
From this reading One night, just before the trial, Wingfield, the accountant of the Society, came down to Woking.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading He had managed the case all through for the directors.
make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading ‘We are still ready to pay our own law-costs,’ said he, ‘if you will allow the original claim.’
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading ‘We are still ready to pay our own law-costs,’ said he, ‘if you will allow the original claim.’
earlier than; in front of
From this reading One night, just before the trial, Wingfield, the accountant of the Society, came down to Woking.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading One night, just before the trial, Wingfield, the accountant of the Society, came down to Woking.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘I can’t do that,’ said Frank doggedly.
an occurrence of something
From this reading He had managed the case all through for the directors.
an assertion of a right (as to money or property)
From this reading ‘We are still ready to pay our own law-costs,’ said he, ‘if you will allow the original claim.’
plural of “director” — someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading He had managed the case all through for the directors.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading ‘I can’t do that,’ said Frank doggedly.
with obstinate determination
From this reading ‘I can’t do that,’ said Frank doggedly.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading One night, just before the trial, Wingfield, the accountant of the Society, came down to Woking.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He had managed the case all through for the directors.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading ‘I can’t do that,’ said Frank doggedly.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had managed the case all through for the directors.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had managed the case all through for the directors.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His visit was a sort of ultimatum.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ‘I can’t do that,’ said Frank doggedly.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading ‘We are still ready to pay our own law-costs,’ said he, ‘if you will allow the original claim.’
and nothing more
From this reading One night, just before the trial, Wingfield, the accountant of the Society, came down to Woking.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘We are still ready to pay our own law-costs,’ said he, ‘if you will allow the original claim.’
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading He had managed the case all through for the directors.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading One night, just before the trial, Wingfield, the accountant of the Society, came down to Woking.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One night, just before the trial, Wingfield, the accountant of the Society, came down to Woking.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One night, just before the trial, Wingfield, the accountant of the Society, came down to Woking.
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading ‘We are still ready to pay our own law-costs,’ said he, ‘if you will allow the original claim.’
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading ‘We are still ready to pay our own law-costs,’ said he, ‘if you will allow the original claim.’
have ownership or possession of
From this reading ‘We are still ready to pay our own law-costs,’ said he, ‘if you will allow the original claim.’
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading ‘We are still ready to pay our own law-costs,’ said he, ‘if you will allow the original claim.’
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading ‘We are still ready to pay our own law-costs,’ said he, ‘if you will allow the original claim.’
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘We are still ready to pay our own law-costs,’ said he, ‘if you will allow the original claim.’
an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading One night, just before the trial, Wingfield, the accountant of the Society, came down to Woking.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading His visit was a sort of ultimatum.
not in physical motion
From this reading ‘We are still ready to pay our own law-costs,’ said he, ‘if you will allow the original claim.’
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading ‘I can’t do that,’ said Frank doggedly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading One night, just before the trial, Wingfield, the accountant of the Society, came down to Woking.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading He had managed the case all through for the directors.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading One night, just before the trial, Wingfield, the accountant of the Society, came down to Woking.
the act of testing something
From this reading One night, just before the trial, Wingfield, the accountant of the Society, came down to Woking.
a final peremptory demand
From this reading His visit was a sort of ultimatum.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading His visit was a sort of ultimatum.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His visit was a sort of ultimatum.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading ‘We are still ready to pay our own law-costs,’ said he, ‘if you will allow the original claim.’
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading ‘We are still ready to pay our own law-costs,’ said he, ‘if you will allow the original claim.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One night, just before the trial, Wingfield, the accountant of the Society, came down to Woking.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One night, just before the trial, Wingfield, the accountant of the Society, came down to Woking.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘We are still ready to pay our own law-costs,’ said he, ‘if you will allow the original claim.’
Chapter 9 of A Duet, with an Occasional Chorus by Arthur Conan Doyle holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 411 sentences of A Duet, with an Occasional Chorus, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of A Duet, with an Occasional Chorus by Arthur Conan Doyle exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Duet, with an Occasional Chorus by Arthur Conan Doyle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5435 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5260 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5260, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 452 minutes of reading across 1087 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Duet, with an Occasional Chorus section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of A Duet, with an Occasional Chorus 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 Duet, with an Occasional Chorus, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
