Chapter 9 of Boris Lensky is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Boris Lensky is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"No; naturally not," replies Colia, mechanically, while he continues to tear up letters. "Colia!" The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch. Then he clutches his temples and stamps on the ground. "That is not to be borne," cries he.
Chapter 9 of Boris Lensky is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
possessive form of “artist” — a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination
From this reading “The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch.”
the act of grasping
From this reading “Then he clutches his temples and stamps on the ground.”
third-person singular of “continue” — continue a certain state, condition, or activity
From this reading “"No; naturally not," replies Colia, mechanically, while he continues to tear up letters.”
plural of “lay” — a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
From this reading “The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch.”
plural of “notice” — an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading “The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch.”
plural of “reply” — a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading “"No; naturally not," replies Colia, mechanically, while he continues to tear up letters.”
plural of “shrink” — a physician who specializes in psychiatry
From this reading “The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch.”
plural of “stamp” — the distinctive form in which a thing is made
From this reading “Then he clutches his temples and stamps on the ground.”
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.
In this reading “Then he clutches his temples and stamps on the ground.”
In this reading “Then he clutches his temples and stamps on the ground.”
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 Then he clutches his temples and stamps on the ground.
possessive form of “artist” — a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination
From this reading The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "That is not to be borne," cries he.
inflected form of “bear” — have
From this reading "That is not to be borne," cries he.
the act of grasping
From this reading Then he clutches his temples and stamps on the ground.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No; naturally not," replies Colia, mechanically, while he continues to tear up letters.
third-person singular of “continue” — continue a certain state, condition, or activity
From this reading "No; naturally not," replies Colia, mechanically, while he continues to tear up letters.
plural of “cry” — a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading "That is not to be borne," cries he.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading Then he clutches his temples and stamps on the ground.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "No; naturally not," replies Colia, mechanically, while he continues to tear up letters.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "That is not to be borne," cries he.
plural of “lay” — a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
From this reading The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch.
the literary culture
From this reading "No; naturally not," replies Colia, mechanically, while he continues to tear up letters.
in a mechanical manner; by a mechanism
From this reading "No; naturally not," replies Colia, mechanically, while he continues to tear up letters.
as might be expected
From this reading "No; naturally not," replies Colia, mechanically, while he continues to tear up letters.
not any; not one
From this reading "No; naturally not," replies Colia, mechanically, while he continues to tear up letters.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "No; naturally not," replies Colia, mechanically, while he continues to tear up letters.
plural of “notice” — an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch.
plural of “reply” — a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading "No; naturally not," replies Colia, mechanically, while he continues to tear up letters.
plural of “shrink” — a physician who specializes in psychiatry
From this reading The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch.
the part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm
From this reading The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch.
possessive form of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch.
plural of “stamp” — the distinctive form in which a thing is made
From this reading Then he clutches his temples and stamps on the ground.
separate or cause to separate abruptly
From this reading "No; naturally not," replies Colia, mechanically, while he continues to tear up letters.
plural of “temple” — place of worship consisting of an edifice for the worship of a deity
From this reading Then he clutches his temples and stamps on the ground.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he clutches his temples and stamps on the ground.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "No; naturally not," replies Colia, mechanically, while he continues to tear up letters.
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch.
disease of livestock and especially cattle poisoned by eating certain kinds of snakeroot
From this reading The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "No; naturally not," replies Colia, mechanically, while he continues to tear up letters.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The artist's voice trembles, he lays his hand on his son's sleeve, he notices that he shrinks at his touch.
during the time that
From this reading "No; naturally not," replies Colia, mechanically, while he continues to tear up letters.
Chapter 9 of Boris Lensky by Ossip Schubin holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of Boris Lensky, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Boris Lensky by Ossip Schubin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Boris Lensky by Ossip Schubin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5128 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35491 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35491, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 427 minutes of reading across 1026 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Boris Lensky section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Boris Lensky 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 Boris Lensky, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
