Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
At the Back of the North Wind
At the Back of the North Wind

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of At the Back of the North Wind is here in full — 381 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for At the Back of the North Wind
Context Illustration Reading 1/76 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother already seated at the table.
They were both busy with their bread and butter, and Diamond sat himself down in his usual place.
His mother looked up at him, and, after watching him for a moment, said:
I don't think the boy is looking well, husband.”
Don't you?
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

At the Back of the North Wind

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of At the Back of the North Wind is here in full — 381 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/76 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother already seated at the table.
Line 2
They were both busy with their bread and butter, and Diamond sat himself down in his usual place.
Line 3
His mother looked up at him, and, after watching him for a moment, said:
Line 4
I don't think the boy is looking well, husband.”
Line 5
Don't you?

All words in this reading · 49

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.

a

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

From this reading His mother looked up at him, and, after watching him for a moment, said:

after

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

From this reading His mother looked up at him, and, after watching him for a moment, said:

already

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

From this reading WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother already seated at the table.

and

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

From this reading WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother already seated at the table.

at

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

From this reading WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother already seated at the table.

both

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

From this reading They were both busy with their bread and butter, and Diamond sat himself down in his usual place.

boy

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

From this reading “I don't think the boy is looking well, husband.”

bread

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

From this reading They were both busy with their bread and butter, and Diamond sat himself down in his usual place.

breakfast

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

From this reading WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother already seated at the table.

busy

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

From this reading They were both busy with their bread and butter, and Diamond sat himself down in his usual place.

butter

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

From this reading They were both busy with their bread and butter, and Diamond sat himself down in his usual place.

Diamond

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

From this reading WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother already seated at the table.

don't

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

From this reading “I don't think the boy is looking well, husband.”

down

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

From this reading They were both busy with their bread and butter, and Diamond sat himself down in his usual place.

father

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

From this reading WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother already seated at the table.

for

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

From this reading His mother looked up at him, and, after watching him for a moment, said:

found

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

From this reading WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother already seated at the table.

he

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

From this reading WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother already seated at the table.

him

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

From this reading His mother looked up at him, and, after watching him for a moment, said:

himself

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

From this reading They were both busy with their bread and butter, and Diamond sat himself down in his usual place.

his

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

From this reading WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother already seated at the table.

home

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

From this reading WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother already seated at the table.

husband

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

From this reading “I don't think the boy is looking well, husband.”

I

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

From this reading “I don't think the boy is looking well, husband.”

in

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

From this reading They were both busy with their bread and butter, and Diamond sat himself down in his usual place.

is

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

From this reading “I don't think the boy is looking well, husband.”

looked

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

From this reading His mother looked up at him, and, after watching him for a moment, said:

looking

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

From this reading “I don't think the boy is looking well, husband.”

moment

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

From this reading His mother looked up at him, and, after watching him for a moment, said:

mother

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

From this reading WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother already seated at the table.

place

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

From this reading They were both busy with their bread and butter, and Diamond sat himself down in his usual place.

said

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

From this reading His mother looked up at him, and, after watching him for a moment, said:

sat

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

From this reading They were both busy with their bread and butter, and Diamond sat himself down in his usual place.

seated

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

From this reading WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother already seated at the table.

table

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

From this reading WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother already seated at the table.

the

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

From this reading WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother already seated at the table.

their

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

From this reading They were both busy with their bread and butter, and Diamond sat himself down in his usual place.

They

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

From this reading They were both busy with their bread and butter, and Diamond sat himself down in his usual place.

think

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

From this reading “I don't think the boy is looking well, husband.”

to

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

From this reading WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother already seated at the table.

up

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

From this reading His mother looked up at him, and, after watching him for a moment, said:

usual

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

From this reading They were both busy with their bread and butter, and Diamond sat himself down in his usual place.

watching

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

From this reading His mother looked up at him, and, after watching him for a moment, said:

well

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

From this reading “I don't think the boy is looking well, husband.”

went

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

From this reading WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother already seated at the table.

were

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

From this reading They were both busy with their bread and butter, and Diamond sat himself down in his usual place.

WHEN

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

From this reading WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother already seated at the table.

with

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

From this reading They were both busy with their bread and butter, and Diamond sat himself down in his usual place.

you

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

From this reading “Don't you?

Chapter 9 of At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald holds 381 sentences, grouped into 77 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.

What does chapter 9 of At the Back of the North Wind contain?

Chapter 9 holds 381 sentences of At the Back of the North Wind, unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 381 sentences, grouped into 77 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 9 of At the Back of the North Wind?

Work through the 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 77 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 9 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading At the Back of the North Wind

Common questions about reading At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of At the Back of the North Wind?

Yes. All 6064 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #225 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of At the Back of the North Wind is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #225, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does At the Back of the North Wind take to read?

About 505 minutes of reading across 1213 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read At the Back of the North Wind section by section

How to work through At the Back of the North Wind section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 38 chapters of At the Back of the North Wind to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in At the Back of the North Wind

Words and structures a reader meets early in At the Back of the North Wind, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Asked
A word that appears in the opening chapter of At the Back of the North Wind; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
North
A word that appears in the opening chapter of At the Back of the North Wind; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Greek
A word that appears in the opening chapter of At the Back of the North Wind; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Writer
A word that appears in the opening chapter of At the Back of the North Wind; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.