Chapter IX of Clubfoot the Avenger, “The Top Flat,” is here in full — 359 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IX
Chapter IX of Clubfoot the Avenger, “The Top Flat,” is here in full — 359 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room. “You’ve got to get dressed at once,” he announced. “We’re off to London!” “Oh, I say!” protested Francis, rubbing sleepy eyes. “One of the confidential typists at the Air Ministry has been murdered .
Chapter IX of Clubfoot the Avenger, “The Top Flat,” is here in full — 359 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/71 · 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 “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
entrusted with private information and the confidence of another
From this reading ““One of the confidential typists at the Air Ministry has been murdered .”
religious ministers collectively (especially Presbyterian)
From this reading ““One of the confidential typists at the Air Ministry has been murdered .”
killed unlawfully
From this reading ““One of the confidential typists at the Air Ministry has been murdered .”
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading ““Oh, I say!” protested Francis, rubbing sleepy eyes.”
the resistance encountered when one body is moved in contact with another
From this reading ““Oh, I say!” protested Francis, rubbing sleepy eyes.”
ready to fall asleep
From this reading ““Oh, I say!” protested Francis, rubbing sleepy eyes.”
plural of “typist” — someone paid to operate a typewriter
From this reading ““One of the confidential typists at the Air Ministry has been murdered .”
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.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading ““You’ve got to get dressed at once,” he announced.”
In this reading “At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.”
In this reading ““Oh, I say!” protested Francis, rubbing sleepy eyes.”
In this reading “At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading “One of the confidential typists at the Air Ministry has been murdered .
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading “You’ve got to get dressed at once,” he announced.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “One of the confidential typists at the Air Ministry has been murdered .
possessive form of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.
entrusted with private information and the confidence of another
From this reading “One of the confidential typists at the Air Ministry has been murdered .
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading “You’ve got to get dressed at once,” he announced.
being one more than seven
From this reading At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.
opinion or judgment
From this reading “Oh, I say!” protested Francis, rubbing sleepy eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, I say!” protested Francis, rubbing sleepy eyes.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “You’ve got to get dressed at once,” he announced.
destroyed or killed
From this reading At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “You’ve got to get dressed at once,” he announced.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “One of the confidential typists at the Air Ministry has been murdered .
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You’ve got to get dressed at once,” he announced.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Oh, I say!” protested Francis, rubbing sleepy eyes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading “We’re off to London!”
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.
religious ministers collectively (especially Presbyterian)
From this reading “One of the confidential typists at the Air Ministry has been murdered .
killed unlawfully
From this reading “One of the confidential typists at the Air Ministry has been murdered .
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.
according to the clock
From this reading At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “One of the confidential typists at the Air Ministry has been murdered .
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “We’re off to London!”
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, I say!” protested Francis, rubbing sleepy eyes.
on one occasion
From this reading “You’ve got to get dressed at once,” he announced.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “One of the confidential typists at the Air Ministry has been murdered .
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading “Oh, I say!” protested Francis, rubbing sleepy eyes.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.
the resistance encountered when one body is moved in contact with another
From this reading “Oh, I say!” protested Francis, rubbing sleepy eyes.
express in words
From this reading “Oh, I say!” protested Francis, rubbing sleepy eyes.
ready to fall asleep
From this reading “Oh, I say!” protested Francis, rubbing sleepy eyes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “One of the confidential typists at the Air Ministry has been murdered .
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At eight o’clock, not many hours after they had gone to bed, Desmond appeared in his brother’s room.
plural of “typist” — someone paid to operate a typewriter
From this reading “One of the confidential typists at the Air Ministry has been murdered .
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We’re off to London!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’ve got to get dressed at once,” he announced.
Chapter 9 of Clubfoot the Avenger by Valentine Williams holds 359 sentences, grouped into 72 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 359 sentences of Clubfoot the Avenger, unabridged, divided into 72 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Clubfoot the Avenger by Valentine Williams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 359 sentences, grouped into 72 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 72 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 72 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 Clubfoot the Avenger by Valentine Williams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4123 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65416 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65416, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 343 minutes of reading across 825 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Clubfoot the Avenger section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Clubfoot the Avenger 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 Clubfoot the Avenger, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
