Chapter 21 of Making the Nine is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Making the Nine is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A GLOOMY PROSPECT DICKINSON was in his room. He had just returned, also planning for a long pull at his books, the usual evening routine for him. Melvin banged at the door, then jerked it open with little ceremony. Dickinson looked up in mild wonder. “Hello!
Chapter 21 of Making the Nine is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
past form of “bang” — strike violently
From this reading “Melvin banged at the door, then jerked it open with little ceremony.”
a formal event performed on a special occasion
From this reading “Melvin banged at the door, then jerked it open with little ceremony.”
United States poet noted for her mystical and unrhymed poems (1830-1886)
From this reading “A GLOOMY PROSPECT DICKINSON was in his room.”
an expression of greeting
From this reading ““Hello!”
past form of “jerk” — pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading “Melvin banged at the door, then jerked it open with little ceremony.”
moderate in type or degree or effect or force; far from extreme
From this reading “Dickinson looked up in mild wonder.”
an act of formulating a program for a definite course of action
From this reading “He had just returned, also planning for a long pull at his books, the usual evening routine for him.”
an unvarying or habitual method or procedure
From this reading “He had just returned, also planning for a long pull at his books, the usual evening routine for him.”
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.
seek information from
In this reading “Dickinson looked up in mild wonder.”
In this reading “Melvin banged at the door, then jerked it open with little ceremony.”
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 A GLOOMY PROSPECT DICKINSON was in his room.
in addition
From this reading He had just returned, also planning for a long pull at his books, the usual evening routine for him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He had just returned, also planning for a long pull at his books, the usual evening routine for him.
past form of “bang” — strike violently
From this reading Melvin banged at the door, then jerked it open with little ceremony.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading He had just returned, also planning for a long pull at his books, the usual evening routine for him.
a formal event performed on a special occasion
From this reading Melvin banged at the door, then jerked it open with little ceremony.
United States poet noted for her mystical and unrhymed poems (1830-1886)
From this reading A GLOOMY PROSPECT DICKINSON was in his room.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Melvin banged at the door, then jerked it open with little ceremony.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading He had just returned, also planning for a long pull at his books, the usual evening routine for him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He had just returned, also planning for a long pull at his books, the usual evening routine for him.
depressingly dark
From this reading A GLOOMY PROSPECT DICKINSON was in his room.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had just returned, also planning for a long pull at his books, the usual evening routine for him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had just returned, also planning for a long pull at his books, the usual evening routine for him.
an expression of greeting
From this reading “Hello!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He had just returned, also planning for a long pull at his books, the usual evening routine for him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A GLOOMY PROSPECT DICKINSON was in his room.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A GLOOMY PROSPECT DICKINSON was in his room.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Melvin banged at the door, then jerked it open with little ceremony.
past form of “jerk” — pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading Melvin banged at the door, then jerked it open with little ceremony.
and nothing more
From this reading He had just returned, also planning for a long pull at his books, the usual evening routine for him.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Melvin banged at the door, then jerked it open with little ceremony.
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 He had just returned, also planning for a long pull at his books, the usual evening routine for him.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Dickinson looked up in mild wonder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Melvin banged at the door, then jerked it open with little ceremony.
moderate in type or degree or effect or force; far from extreme
From this reading Dickinson looked up in mild wonder.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Melvin banged at the door, then jerked it open with little ceremony.
an act of formulating a program for a definite course of action
From this reading He had just returned, also planning for a long pull at his books, the usual evening routine for him.
the possibility of future success
From this reading A GLOOMY PROSPECT DICKINSON was in his room.
cause to move by pulling
From this reading He had just returned, also planning for a long pull at his books, the usual evening routine for him.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading He had just returned, also planning for a long pull at his books, the usual evening routine for him.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading A GLOOMY PROSPECT DICKINSON was in his room.
an unvarying or habitual method or procedure
From this reading He had just returned, also planning for a long pull at his books, the usual evening routine for him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He had just returned, also planning for a long pull at his books, the usual evening routine for him.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Melvin banged at the door, then jerked it open with little ceremony.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Dickinson looked up in mild wonder.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading He had just returned, also planning for a long pull at his books, the usual evening routine for him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A GLOOMY PROSPECT DICKINSON was in his room.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Melvin banged at the door, then jerked it open with little ceremony.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading Dickinson looked up in mild wonder.
Chapter 21 of Making the Nine by Albertus T. (Albertus True) Dudley holds 131 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.
Chapter 21 holds 131 sentences of Making the Nine, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Making the Nine by Albertus T. (Albertus True) Dudley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 131 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.
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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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 Making the Nine by Albertus T. (Albertus True) Dudley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3577 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56415 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56415, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 298 minutes of reading across 716 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Making the Nine section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Making the Nine 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 Making the Nine, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
