Chapter 9 of Far-Away Stories is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Far-Away Stories is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Why did you insult me by sending me the cheque for fifteen shillings?" "It was a legal formality with which I was bound to comply." "_De minimis non curet lex_," said Sir Hildebrand. "No one pays barley-corn rent or farthing damages or the shilling consideration in a contract. Your action implies malicious agreement with Lady Oates' opinion of me."
Chapter 9 of Far-Away Stories is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
a written order directing a bank to pay money
From this reading “"Why did you insult me by sending me the cheque for fifteen shillings?"”
act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes
From this reading “"It was a legal formality with which I was bound to comply."”
a sum of money paid in compensation for loss or injury
From this reading “"No one pays barley-corn rent or farthing damages or the shilling consideration in a contract.”
a former British bronze coin worth a quarter of a penny
From this reading “"No one pays barley-corn rent or farthing damages or the shilling consideration in a contract.”
a requirement of etiquette or custom
From this reading “"It was a legal formality with which I was bound to comply."”
the Italian pope who fought to establish the supremacy of the pope over the Roman Catholic Church and the supremacy of the church over the state (1020-1085)
From this reading “"_De minimis non curet lex_," said Sir Hildebrand.”
third-person singular of “imply” — express or state indirectly
From this reading “Your action implies malicious agreement with Lady Oates' opinion of me."”
English conspirator who claimed that there was a Jesuit plot to assassinate Charles II (1649-1705)
From this reading “Your action implies malicious agreement with Lady Oates' opinion of me."”
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 “"Why did you insult me by sending me the cheque for fifteen shillings?"”
In this reading “"Why did you insult me by sending me the cheque for fifteen shillings?"”
In this reading “"Why did you insult me by sending me the cheque for fifteen shillings?"”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "It was a legal formality with which I was bound to comply."
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading Your action implies malicious agreement with Lady Oates' opinion of me."
the statement (oral or written) of an exchange of promises
From this reading Your action implies malicious agreement with Lady Oates' opinion of me."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No one pays barley-corn rent or farthing damages or the shilling consideration in a contract.
confined by bonds
From this reading "It was a legal formality with which I was bound to comply."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Why did you insult me by sending me the cheque for fifteen shillings?"
a written order directing a bank to pay money
From this reading "Why did you insult me by sending me the cheque for fifteen shillings?"
act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes
From this reading "It was a legal formality with which I was bound to comply."
the process of giving careful thought to something
From this reading "No one pays barley-corn rent or farthing damages or the shilling consideration in a contract.
enter into a contractual arrangement
From this reading "No one pays barley-corn rent or farthing damages or the shilling consideration in a contract.
a surgical instrument shaped like a scoop to remove tissue from a bodily cavity
From this reading "_De minimis non curet lex_," said Sir Hildebrand.
a sum of money paid in compensation for loss or injury
From this reading "No one pays barley-corn rent or farthing damages or the shilling consideration in a contract.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading "_De minimis non curet lex_," said Sir Hildebrand.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Why did you insult me by sending me the cheque for fifteen shillings?"
a former British bronze coin worth a quarter of a penny
From this reading "No one pays barley-corn rent or farthing damages or the shilling consideration in a contract.
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading "Why did you insult me by sending me the cheque for fifteen shillings?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Why did you insult me by sending me the cheque for fifteen shillings?"
a requirement of etiquette or custom
From this reading "It was a legal formality with which I was bound to comply."
the Italian pope who fought to establish the supremacy of the pope over the Roman Catholic Church and the supremacy of the church over the state (1020-1085)
From this reading "_De minimis non curet lex_," said Sir Hildebrand.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "It was a legal formality with which I was bound to comply."
third-person singular of “imply” — express or state indirectly
From this reading Your action implies malicious agreement with Lady Oates' opinion of me."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "No one pays barley-corn rent or farthing damages or the shilling consideration in a contract.
a rude expression intended to offend or hurt
From this reading "Why did you insult me by sending me the cheque for fifteen shillings?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It was a legal formality with which I was bound to comply."
a polite name for any woman
From this reading Your action implies malicious agreement with Lady Oates' opinion of me."
established by or founded upon law or official or accepted rules
From this reading "It was a legal formality with which I was bound to comply."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_De minimis non curet lex_," said Sir Hildebrand.
having the nature of or resulting from malice
From this reading Your action implies malicious agreement with Lady Oates' opinion of me."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Why did you insult me by sending me the cheque for fifteen shillings?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_De minimis non curet lex_," said Sir Hildebrand.
not any; not one
From this reading "No one pays barley-corn rent or farthing damages or the shilling consideration in a contract.
negation of a word or group of words
From this reading "_De minimis non curet lex_," said Sir Hildebrand.
English conspirator who claimed that there was a Jesuit plot to assassinate Charles II (1649-1705)
From this reading Your action implies malicious agreement with Lady Oates' opinion of me."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Your action implies malicious agreement with Lady Oates' opinion of me."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "No one pays barley-corn rent or farthing damages or the shilling consideration in a contract.
a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty
From this reading Your action implies malicious agreement with Lady Oates' opinion of me."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "No one pays barley-corn rent or farthing damages or the shilling consideration in a contract.
plural of “pay” — something that remunerates
From this reading "No one pays barley-corn rent or farthing damages or the shilling consideration in a contract.
let for money
From this reading "No one pays barley-corn rent or farthing damages or the shilling consideration in a contract.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "_De minimis non curet lex_," said Sir Hildebrand.
the act of causing something to go (especially messages)
From this reading "Why did you insult me by sending me the cheque for fifteen shillings?"
the basic unit of money in Uganda; equal to 100 cents
From this reading "No one pays barley-corn rent or farthing damages or the shilling consideration in a contract.
plural of “shilling” — the basic unit of money in Uganda; equal to 100 cents
From this reading "Why did you insult me by sending me the cheque for fifteen shillings?"
term of address for a man
From this reading "_De minimis non curet lex_," said Sir Hildebrand.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Why did you insult me by sending me the cheque for fifteen shillings?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It was a legal formality with which I was bound to comply."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It was a legal formality with which I was bound to comply."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "It was a legal formality with which I was bound to comply."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why did you insult me by sending me the cheque for fifteen shillings?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "It was a legal formality with which I was bound to comply."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why did you insult me by sending me the cheque for fifteen shillings?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Your action implies malicious agreement with Lady Oates' opinion of me."
Chapter 9 of Far-Away Stories by William John Locke holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of Far-Away Stories, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Far-Away Stories by William John Locke exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Far-Away Stories by William John Locke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3796 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50479 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50479, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 316 minutes of reading across 760 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Far-Away Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Far-Away Stories 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 Far-Away Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
