Last of the Incas: A Romance of the Pampas

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of Last of the Incas: A Romance of the Pampas is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Gustave Aimard • Curated US English Learning Edition

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DON SYLVIO D'ARENAL.

An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face.

His name was Don Sylvio d'Arenal, and he belonged to one of the richest and most respected families in Buenos Aires.

The death of a relative had endowed him with a fortune of 500,000 piastres a year; that is to say, about one hundred thousand a year--a fortune large even for this country, where gold is so common.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IX Reading 1/26

Last of the Incas: A Romance of the Pampas Gustave Aimard

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of Last of the Incas: A Romance of the Pampas is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

DON SYLVIO D'ARENAL. An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter. This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face. His name was Don Sylvio d'Arenal, and he belonged to one of the richest and most respected families in Buenos Aires. The death of a relative had endowed him with a fortune of 500,000 piastres a year; that is to say, about one hundred thousand a year--a fortune large even for this country, where gold is so common.

Last of the Incas: A Romance of the Pampas

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of Last of the Incas: A Romance of the Pampas is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

DON SYLVIO D'ARENAL.

Line 2

An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

Line 3

This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face.

Line 4

His name was Don Sylvio d'Arenal, and he belonged to one of the richest and most respected families in Buenos Aires.

Line 5

The death of a relative had endowed him with a fortune of 500,000 piastres a year; that is to say, about one hundred thousand a year--a fortune large even for this country, where gold is so common.

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.

Aires noun US /ˈeriz/

plural of “aire” — a river in northern England that flows southeast through West Yorkshire

From this reading “His name was Don Sylvio d'Arenal, and he belonged to one of the richest and most respected families in Buenos Aires.”

distinction noun US /dɪˈstɪŋkʃən/

a discrimination between things as different and distinct on the basis of their characteristics or attributes

From this reading “This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face.”

elegantly adverb US /ˈelɪɡəntliː/

with elegance; in a tastefully elegant manner

From this reading “This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face.”

endowed adjective US /enˈdaʊd/

provided or supplied or equipped with (especially as by inheritance or nature)

From this reading “The death of a relative had endowed him with a fortune of 500,000 piastres a year; that is to say, about one hundred thousand a year--a fortune large even for this country, where gold is so common.”

relative noun US /ˈrelətɪv/

a person related by blood or marriage

respected adjective US /rɪˈspektɪd/

receiving deferential regard

From this reading “His name was Don Sylvio d'Arenal, and he belonged to one of the richest and most respected families in Buenos Aires.”

richest adjective US /ˈrɪtʃəst/

superlative of “rich” — possessing material wealth

From this reading “His name was Don Sylvio d'Arenal, and he belonged to one of the richest and most respected families in Buenos Aires.”

Valentine noun US /ˈvæləntaɪn/

a sweetheart chosen to receive a greeting on Saint Valentine's Day

From this reading “An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.”

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.

hundred thousand noun + noun

the cardinal number that is the fifth power of ten

In this reading “The death of a relative had endowed him with a fortune of 500,000 piastres a year; that is to say, about one hundred thousand a year--a fortune large even for this country, where gold is so common.”

most respected adverb + adjective

In this reading “His name was Don Sylvio d'Arenal, and he belonged to one of the richest and most respected families in Buenos Aires.”

greeted by verb + particle counted as “greet by”

In this reading “An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.”

All words in this reading · 74

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.

500,000

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

From this reading The death of a relative had endowed him with a fortune of 500,000 piastres a year; that is to say, about one hundred thousand a year--a fortune large even for this country, where gold is so common.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face.

agenounUS /eɪdʒ/

how long something has existed

From this reading This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face.

AiresnounUS /ˈeriz/

plural of “aire” — a river in northern England that flows southeast through West Yorkshire

From this reading His name was Don Sylvio d'Arenal, and he belonged to one of the richest and most respected families in Buenos Aires.

AndeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

arrivalnounUS /ərˈaɪvəl/

accomplishment of an objective

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

belongedverbUS /bɪˈlɔːŋd/

past form of “belong” — be owned by; be in the possession of

From this reading His name was Don Sylvio d'Arenal, and he belonged to one of the richest and most respected families in Buenos Aires.

bomberos

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

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

Buenos

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

From this reading His name was Don Sylvio d'Arenal, and he belonged to one of the richest and most respected families in Buenos Aires.

builtadjectiveUS /bɪlt/

(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness

From this reading This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

cleveradjectiveUS /ˈklevər/

showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others

From this reading This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face.

commonadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːmən/

belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public

countrynounUS /ˈkʌntri/

a politically organized body of people under a single government

D'ARENAL

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

From this reading DON SYLVIO D'ARENAL.

daughternounUS /ˈdɔːtər/

a female human offspring

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

distinctionnounUS /dɪˈstɪŋkʃən/

a discrimination between things as different and distinct on the basis of their characteristics or attributes

From this reading This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face.

DONnounUS /dɑːn/

a Spanish gentleman or nobleman

From this reading DON SYLVIO D'ARENAL.

eagerlyadverbUS /ˈiːɡərli/

with eagerness; in an eager manner

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

eight-and-twenty

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

From this reading This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face.

elegantlyadverbUS /ˈelɪɡəntliː/

with elegance; in a tastefully elegant manner

From this reading This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face.

endowedadjectiveUS /enˈdaʊd/

provided or supplied or equipped with (especially as by inheritance or nature)

estancia

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

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face.

familiesnounUS /ˈfæməliz/

plural of “family” — a social unit living together

From this reading His name was Don Sylvio d'Arenal, and he belonged to one of the richest and most respected families in Buenos Aires.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

fortunenounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃən/

an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

goldnounUS /ɡoʊld/

coins made of gold

greetedverbUS /ˈɡriːtəd/

past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading His name was Don Sylvio d'Arenal, and he belonged to one of the richest and most respected families in Buenos Aires.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

hournounUS /ˈaʊər/

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

hundrednounUS /ˈhʌndrəd/

ten 10s

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading His name was Don Sylvio d'Arenal, and he belonged to one of the richest and most respected families in Buenos Aires.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face.

mannersnounUS /ˈmænərz/

social deportment

From this reading This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading His name was Don Sylvio d'Arenal, and he belonged to one of the richest and most respected families in Buenos Aires.

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading His name was Don Sylvio d'Arenal, and he belonged to one of the richest and most respected families in Buenos Aires.

nobleadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊbəl/

impressive in appearance

From this reading This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading His name was Don Sylvio d'Arenal, and he belonged to one of the richest and most respected families in Buenos Aires.

piastres

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

possessedadjectiveUS /pəˈzest/

influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion

From this reading This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face.

presentedverbUS /priˈzentɪd/

past form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

relativenounUS /ˈrelətɪv/

a person related by blood or marriage

respectedadjectiveUS /rɪˈspektɪd/

receiving deferential regard

From this reading His name was Don Sylvio d'Arenal, and he belonged to one of the richest and most respected families in Buenos Aires.

richestadjectiveUS /ˈrɪtʃəst/

superlative of “rich” — possessing material wealth

From this reading His name was Don Sylvio d'Arenal, and he belonged to one of the richest and most respected families in Buenos Aires.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

SYLVIO

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

From this reading DON SYLVIO D'ARENAL.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face.

thousandnounUS /ˈθaʊzənd/

the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading His name was Don Sylvio d'Arenal, and he belonged to one of the richest and most respected families in Buenos Aires.

ValentinenounUS /ˈvæləntaɪn/

a sweetheart chosen to receive a greeting on Saint Valentine's Day

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

visitornounUS /ˈvɪzɪtər/

someone who visits

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading An hour before the bomberos' arrival at the estancia, a visitor had presented himself, who was eagerly greeted by Don Valentine and his daughter.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

yearnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading This visitor, about eight-and-twenty years of age, and elegantly built, possessed the manners of a man of distinction, and a clever, noble face.

Chapter 9 of Last of the Incas: A Romance of the Pampas by Gustave Aimard holds 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 Last of the Incas: A Romance of the Pampas contain?

Chapter 9 holds 133 sentences of Last of the Incas: A Romance of the Pampas, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of Last of the Incas: A Romance of the Pampas by Gustave Aimard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 Last of the Incas: A Romance of the Pampas?

Work through the 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 27 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.

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Yes. All 3757 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44514 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #44514, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 313 minutes of reading across 752 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Last of the Incas: A Romance of the Pampas

Words and structures a reader meets early in Last of the Incas: A Romance of the Pampas, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Romance: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Last of the Incas: A Romance of the Pampas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pampas: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Last of the Incas: A Romance of the Pampas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Slayer: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Last of the Incas: A Romance of the Pampas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Seekers: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Last of the Incas: A Romance of the Pampas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter IX

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Vocabulary met early in Last of the Incas: A Romance of the Pampas