Chapter 9 of Members of the Family is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Members of the Family is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“More horses on the bridge,” says Parrigin. We could all see ’em. It was packhorses creepin’ along. Behind ’em trailed a man ridin’, and that was Kultus Jake. “Then what has happened?” somebody says.
Chapter 9 of Members of the Family is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading “It was packhorses creepin’ along.”
at or toward the back of something
From this reading “Behind ’em trailed a man ridin’, and that was Kultus Jake.”
a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
From this reading ““More horses on the bridge,” says Parrigin.”
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading ““Then what has happened?” somebody says.”
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading ““More horses on the bridge,” says Parrigin.”
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading ““More horses on the bridge,” says Parrigin.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading ““Then what has happened?” somebody says.”
past form of “trail” — to lag or linger behind
From this reading “Behind ’em trailed a man ridin’, and that was Kultus Jake.”
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 ““More horses on the bridge,” says Parrigin.”
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 Behind ’em trailed a man ridin’, and that was Kultus Jake.
(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 We could all see ’em.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading It was packhorses creepin’ along.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Behind ’em trailed a man ridin’, and that was Kultus Jake.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Behind ’em trailed a man ridin’, and that was Kultus Jake.
a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
From this reading “More horses on the bridge,” says Parrigin.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading We could all see ’em.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was packhorses creepin’ along.
a quad with a square body
From this reading We could all see ’em.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “Then what has happened?” somebody says.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Then what has happened?” somebody says.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading “More horses on the bridge,” says Parrigin.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was packhorses creepin’ along.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind ’em trailed a man ridin’, and that was Kultus Jake.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind ’em trailed a man ridin’, and that was Kultus Jake.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Behind ’em trailed a man ridin’, and that was Kultus Jake.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “More horses on the bridge,” says Parrigin.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “More horses on the bridge,” says Parrigin.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was packhorses creepin’ along.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “More horses on the bridge,” says Parrigin.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind ’em trailed a man ridin’, and that was Kultus Jake.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading “More horses on the bridge,” says Parrigin.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading We could all see ’em.
a person, without saying who
From this reading “Then what has happened?” somebody says.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Behind ’em trailed a man ridin’, and that was Kultus Jake.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “More horses on the bridge,” says Parrigin.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Then what has happened?” somebody says.
past form of “trail” — to lag or linger behind
From this reading Behind ’em trailed a man ridin’, and that was Kultus Jake.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was packhorses creepin’ along.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We could all see ’em.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Then what has happened?” somebody says.
Chapter 9 of Members of the Family by Owen Wister holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 424 sentences of Members of the Family, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Members of the Family by Owen Wister exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Members of the Family by Owen Wister on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4162 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56717 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56717, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 346 minutes of reading across 833 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Members of the Family section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Members of the Family 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 Members of the Family, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
