A Nine Days' Wonder

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of A Nine Days' Wonder is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By B. M. (Bithia Mary) Croker • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for A Nine Days' Wonder

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

“I don’t rightly know whether I am on me head or my heels!” declared her ladyship, when she had taken a seat in the corner, with her back against the wall, and proceeded to gaze about her.

“What a power of people!

I suppose this is a glimpse of what Father Daly calls ‘the world.’

No,” to the ready waiter, “no broth!”

The man, with blank, impassive face, bowed, and offered soup to Miss Usher.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

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/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XX Reading 1/20

A Nine Days' Wonder

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of A Nine Days' Wonder is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

“I don’t rightly know whether I am on me head or my heels!” declared her ladyship, when she had taken a seat in the corner, with her back against the wall, and proceeded to gaze about her.

Line 2

“What a power of people!

/wʌt ə ˈpaʊər ʌv ˈpiːpəl/

Line 3

I suppose this is a glimpse of what Father Daly calls ‘the world.’

Line 4

No,” to the ready waiter, “no broth!”

/noʊ tuː ðə ˈredi ˈweɪtər noʊ brɔːθ/

Line 5

The man, with blank, impassive face, bowed, and offered soup to Miss Usher.

/ðə mæn wɪð blæŋk ˌɪmˈpæsɪv feɪs baʊd ənd ˈɔːfərd suːp tuː mɪs ˈʌʃər/

Learner Dictionary

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.

blank adjective US /blæŋk/

(of a surface) not written or printed on

From this reading “The man, with blank, impassive face, bowed, and offered soup to Miss Usher.”

broth noun US /brɔːθ/

liquid in which meat and vegetables are simmered; used as a basis for e.g. soups or sauces

From this reading “No,” to the ready waiter, “no broth!””

glimpse noun US /ɡlɪmps/

a quick look

From this reading “I suppose this is a glimpse of what Father Daly calls ‘the world.’”

impassive adjective US /ˌɪmˈpæsɪv/

having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited

From this reading “The man, with blank, impassive face, bowed, and offered soup to Miss Usher.”

rightly adverb US /ˈraɪtli/

with honesty

From this reading ““I don’t rightly know whether I am on me head or my heels!” declared her ladyship, when she had taken a seat in the corner, with her back against the wall, and proceeded to gaze about her.”

soup noun US /suːp/

liquid food especially of meat or fish or vegetable stock often containing pieces of solid food

From this reading “The man, with blank, impassive face, bowed, and offered soup to Miss Usher.”

Usher verb US /ˈʌʃər/

take (someone) to their seats, as in theaters or auditoriums

From this reading “The man, with blank, impassive face, bowed, and offered soup to Miss Usher.”

waiter noun US /ˈweɪtər/

a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)

From this reading “No,” to the ready waiter, “no broth!””

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

impassive face adjective + noun

In this reading “The man, with blank, impassive face, bowed, and offered soup to Miss Usher.”

against the wall preposition + article + noun counted as “against … wall”

In this reading ““I don’t rightly know whether I am on me head or my heels!” declared her ladyship, when she had taken a seat in the corner, with her back against the wall, and proceeded to gaze about her.”

in the corner preposition + article + noun counted as “in … corner”

All words in this reading · 58

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading “I don’t rightly know whether I am on me head or my heels!” declared her ladyship, when she had taken a seat in the corner, with her back against the wall, and proceeded to gaze about her.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

blankadjectiveUS /blæŋk/

(of a surface) not written or printed on

From this reading The man, with blank, impassive face, bowed, and offered soup to Miss Usher.

bowedadjectiveUS /baʊd/

of a stringed instrument; sounded by stroking with a bow

From this reading The man, with blank, impassive face, bowed, and offered soup to Miss Usher.

brothnounUS /brɔːθ/

liquid in which meat and vegetables are simmered; used as a basis for e.g. soups or sauces

From this reading No,” to the ready waiter, “no broth!”

callsnounUS /kɔːlz/

plural of “call” — a telephone connection

From this reading I suppose this is a glimpse of what Father Daly calls ‘the world.’

cornernounUS /ˈkɔːrnər/

a place off to the side of an area

Daly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I suppose this is a glimpse of what Father Daly calls ‘the world.’

declaredadjectiveUS /dɪˈklerd/

made known or openly avowed

don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading The man, with blank, impassive face, bowed, and offered soup to Miss Usher.

FathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading I suppose this is a glimpse of what Father Daly calls ‘the world.’

gazenounUS /ɡeɪz/

a long fixed look

glimpsenounUS /ɡlɪmps/

a quick look

From this reading I suppose this is a glimpse of what Father Daly calls ‘the world.’

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

heelsnounUS /hiːlz/

plural of “heel” — the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

impassiveadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpæsɪv/

having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited

From this reading The man, with blank, impassive face, bowed, and offered soup to Miss Usher.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading I suppose this is a glimpse of what Father Daly calls ‘the world.’

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

ladyshipnoun

a title used to address any peeress except a duchess

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading The man, with blank, impassive face, bowed, and offered soup to Miss Usher.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

MissverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading The man, with blank, impassive face, bowed, and offered soup to Miss Usher.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading No,” to the ready waiter, “no broth!”

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “What a power of people!

offeredverbUS /ˈɔːfərd/

past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish

From this reading The man, with blank, impassive face, bowed, and offered soup to Miss Usher.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading “What a power of people!

powernounUS /ˈpaʊər/

possession of controlling influence

From this reading “What a power of people!

proceededverbUS /prəˈsiːdɪd/

past form of “proceed” — continue talking

readyadjectiveUS /ˈredi/

completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress

From this reading No,” to the ready waiter, “no broth!”

rightlyadverbUS /ˈraɪtli/

with honesty

seatnounUS /siːt/

a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

soupnounUS /suːp/

liquid food especially of meat or fish or vegetable stock often containing pieces of solid food

From this reading The man, with blank, impassive face, bowed, and offered soup to Miss Usher.

supposeverbUS /səˈpoʊz/

express a supposition

From this reading I suppose this is a glimpse of what Father Daly calls ‘the world.’

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading I suppose this is a glimpse of what Father Daly calls ‘the world.’

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

UsherverbUS /ˈʌʃər/

take (someone) to their seats, as in theaters or auditoriums

From this reading The man, with blank, impassive face, bowed, and offered soup to Miss Usher.

waiternounUS /ˈweɪtər/

a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)

From this reading No,” to the ready waiter, “no broth!”

wallnounUS /wɔːl/

an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading “What a power of people!

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

whetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading I suppose this is a glimpse of what Father Daly calls ‘the world.’

Chapter 20 of A Nine Days' Wonder by B. M. (Bithia Mary) Croker holds 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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.

What does chapter 20 of A Nine Days' Wonder contain?

Chapter 20 holds 104 sentences of A Nine Days' Wonder, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of A Nine Days' Wonder by B. M. (Bithia Mary) Croker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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.

How do I study chapter 20 of A Nine Days' Wonder?

Work through the 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 21 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.

Can chapter 20 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 20 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.

Questions about reading A Nine Days' Wonder

Common questions about reading A Nine Days' Wonder by B. M. (Bithia Mary) Croker on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Nine Days' Wonder?

Yes. All 5274 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65634 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Nine Days' Wonder is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #65634, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Nine Days' Wonder take to read?

About 439 minutes of reading across 1055 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in A Nine Days' Wonder

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Nine Days' Wonder, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Grey-haired: A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Nine Days' Wonder; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Soldier: A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Nine Days' Wonder; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Professionally: A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Nine Days' Wonder; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Straight: A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Nine Days' Wonder; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XX

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