Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Dad
Dad

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of Dad is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Dad
Context Illustration Reading 1/30 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.
Its three engines were gay in polished brass and red smokestacks.
All three were decked with sooty American flags.
At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.
The day was stiflingly hot.
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.

Dad

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of Dad is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/30 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.
Line 2
Its three engines were gay in polished brass and red smokestacks.
/ɪts θriː ˈendʒənz wɜːr ɡeɪ ɪn ˈpɑːlɪʃt bræs ənd red ˈsmoʊkstæks/
Line 3
All three were decked with sooty American flags.
/ɔːl θriː wɜːr dekt wɪð ˈsuːti əˈmerəkən flæɡz/
Line 4
At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.
Line 5
The day was stiflingly hot.

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.

Cincinnati noun US /ˌsɪnsəˈnæti/

a city in southern Ohio on the Ohio river

From this reading “A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.”

decked verb US /dekt/

past form of “deck” — be beautiful to look at

From this reading “All three were decked with sooty American flags.”

drafts noun US /dræfts/

plural of “draft” — a document ordering the payment of money; drawn by one person or bank on another

From this reading “At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.”

interminably adverb US /ˈɪntərmɪnæbli/

all the time; seemingly without stopping

From this reading “A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.”

puffed adjective US /pʌft/

gathered for protruding fullness

From this reading “A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.”

recruits noun US /rəˈkruːts/

plural of “recruit” — a recently enlisted soldier

From this reading “At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.”

smokestacks noun US /ˈsmoʊkstæks/

plural of “smokestack” — a large tall chimney through which combustion gases and smoke can be evacuated

From this reading “Its three engines were gay in polished brass and red smokestacks.”

sooty adjective US /ˈsuːti/

of the blackest black; similar to the color of jet or coal

From this reading “All three were decked with sooty American flags.”

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.

polished brass adjective + noun

In this reading “Its three engines were gay in polished brass and red smokestacks.”

brass band noun + noun

a group of musicians playing only brass and percussion instruments

In this reading “At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.”

Ten days noun + noun

In this reading “A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.”

At the station preposition + article + noun counted as “at … station”

In this reading “At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.”

All three adjective + noun

In this reading “All three were decked with sooty American flags.”

All words in this reading · 57

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 A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.

AlladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 All three were decked with sooty American flags.

AmericannounUS /əˈmerəkən/

a native or inhabitant of the United States

From this reading All three were decked with sooty American flags.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Its three engines were gay in polished brass and red smokestacks.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

bandnounUS /bænd/

an unofficial association of people or groups

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

bearingnounUS /ˈberɪŋ/

relevant relation or interconnection

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

brassnounUS /bræs/

an alloy of copper and zinc

From this reading Its three engines were gay in polished brass and red smokestacks.

braying

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

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

brazen-lunged

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

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

cheeringnounUS /ˈtʃɪrɪŋ/

encouragement in the form of cheers from spectators

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

CincinnatinounUS /ˌsɪnsəˈnæti/

a city in southern Ohio on the Ohio river

From this reading A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.

crowdverbUS /kraʊd/

cause to herd, drive, or crowd together

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading The day was stiflingly hot.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.

deckedverbUS /dekt/

past form of “deck” — be beautiful to look at

From this reading All three were decked with sooty American flags.

draftsnounUS /dræfts/

plural of “draft” — a document ordering the payment of money; drawn by one person or bank on another

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

enginesnounUS /ˈendʒənz/

plural of “engine” — motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work

From this reading Its three engines were gay in polished brass and red smokestacks.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

flagsnounUS /flæɡz/

plural of “flag” — emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design

From this reading All three were decked with sooty American flags.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

gayadjectiveUS /ɡeɪ/

bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer

From this reading Its three engines were gay in polished brass and red smokestacks.

hotadjectiveUS /hɑːt/

used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning

From this reading The day was stiflingly hot.

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.

interminablyadverbUS /ˈɪntərmɪnæbli/

all the time; seemingly without stopping

From this reading A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.

ItsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Its three engines were gay in polished brass and red smokestacks.

lateradverbUS /ˈleɪtər/

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.

LESSONnounUS /ˈlesən/

a unit of instruction

From this reading A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.

MANNERSnounUS /ˈmænərz/

social deportment

From this reading A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.

outsideadjectiveUS /ˈaʊtˈsaɪd/

relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

polishedadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːlɪʃt/

perfected or made shiny and smooth

From this reading Its three engines were gay in polished brass and red smokestacks.

puffedadjectiveUS /pʌft/

gathered for protruding fullness

From this reading A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.

recruitsnounUS /rəˈkruːts/

plural of “recruit” — a recently enlisted soldier

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

rednounUS /red/

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

From this reading Its three engines were gay in polished brass and red smokestacks.

severaladjectiveUS /ˈsevrəl/

(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

smokestacksnounUS /ˈsmoʊkstæks/

plural of “smokestack” — a large tall chimney through which combustion gases and smoke can be evacuated

From this reading Its three engines were gay in polished brass and red smokestacks.

sootyadjectiveUS /ˈsuːti/

of the blackest black; similar to the color of jet or coal

From this reading All three were decked with sooty American flags.

stationnounUS /ˈsteɪʃən/

a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose

From this reading A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.

stiflingly

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

From this reading The day was stiflingly hot.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

TennounUS /ten/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading Its three engines were gay in polished brass and red smokestacks.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

training-camps

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

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

transport-train

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

From this reading A LESSON IN MANNERS Ten days later an interminably long transport-train puffed out of the Cincinnati station.

troop-trains

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

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

WashingtonnounUS /ˈwɑːʃɪŋtən/

the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791

From this reading At the station a brass band was braying and a brazen-lunged crowd was still cheering, for this was the first of the several troop-trains, bearing drafts of recruits from Cincinnati to the training-camps outside of Washington.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Its three engines were gay in polished brass and red smokestacks.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading All three were decked with sooty American flags.

Chapter 9 of Dad by Albert Payson Terhune holds 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 9 of Dad contain?

Chapter 9 holds 150 sentences of Dad, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of Dad by Albert Payson Terhune exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 Dad?

Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 30 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 Dad

Common questions about reading Dad by Albert Payson Terhune on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Dad?

Yes. All 4988 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65641 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Dad is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #65641, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Dad take to read?

About 415 minutes of reading across 998 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Dad section by section

How to work through Dad section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 34 chapters of Dad 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 Dad

Words and structures a reader meets early in Dad, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dad; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fighter
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dad; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Caleb
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dad; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Conover
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dad; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.