Chapter IX of King of the Air, “A Bolt from the Blue,” is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IX
Chapter IX of King of the Air, “A Bolt from the Blue,” is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill. “I don’t think I ever spent a more miserable night.” “Anything happened?” “No. It wouldn’t have been so bad if anything had. If I’d had something to do—somebody to fight, or something!”
Chapter IX of King of the Air, “A Bolt from the Blue,” is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading ““Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill.”
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading “If I’d had something to do—somebody to fight, or something!””
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading ““Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill.”
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading ““Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill.”
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading ““I don’t think I ever spent a more miserable night.””
a person, without saying who
From this reading “If I’d had something to do—somebody to fight, or something!””
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading ““I don’t think I ever spent a more miserable night.””
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading ““Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill.”
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.
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 “I don’t think I ever spent a more miserable night.”
any thing at all
From this reading “Anything happened?”
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “No. It wouldn’t have been so bad if anything had.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “No. It wouldn’t have been so bad if anything had.
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading “Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading If I’d had something to do—somebody to fight, or something!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t think I ever spent a more miserable night.”
at any time
From this reading “I don’t think I ever spent a more miserable night.”
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading If I’d had something to do—somebody to fight, or something!”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “No. It wouldn’t have been so bad if anything had.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “Anything happened?”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “No. It wouldn’t have been so bad if anything had.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading “Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading “Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I don’t think I ever spent a more miserable night.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If I’d had something to do—somebody to fight, or something!”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “No. It wouldn’t have been so bad if anything had.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “No. It wouldn’t have been so bad if anything had.
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading “I don’t think I ever spent a more miserable night.”
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “I don’t think I ever spent a more miserable night.”
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “I don’t think I ever spent a more miserable night.”
not any; not one
From this reading “No. It wouldn’t have been so bad if anything had.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading If I’d had something to do—somebody to fight, or something!”
above and across; more than
From this reading “Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “No. It wouldn’t have been so bad if anything had.
a person, without saying who
From this reading If I’d had something to do—somebody to fight, or something!”
a thing, without saying which
From this reading If I’d had something to do—somebody to fight, or something!”
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading “I don’t think I ever spent a more miserable night.”
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading “Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “I don’t think I ever spent a more miserable night.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If I’d had something to do—somebody to fight, or something!”
male cat
From this reading “Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill.
at the time that
From this reading “Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No. It wouldn’t have been so bad if anything had.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Thank Heaven you are back!” said Oliphant when Tom appeared over the brow of the hill.
Chapter 9 of King of the Air by Herbert Strang holds 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 177 sentences of King of the Air, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of King of the Air by Herbert Strang exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 King of the Air by Herbert Strang on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3425 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36443 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36443, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 285 minutes of reading across 685 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through King of the Air section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of King of the Air 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 King of the Air, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
