Chapter 9 of Molly, the Drummer Boy is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Molly, the Drummer Boy is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ANOTHER MESSAGE FOR DEBBY. He was alone! The others had departed. Washington had said that at break of day they might rejoin the army. The sun was streaking the sky and a chiller air stirred the bare trees.
Chapter 9 of Molly, the Drummer Boy is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
completely unclothed
From this reading “The sun was streaking the sky and a chiller air stirred the bare trees.”
excitation that makes your hair stand up or that chills your bones
From this reading “The sun was streaking the sky and a chiller air stirred the bare trees.”
well in the past; former
From this reading “The others had departed.”
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading “ANOTHER MESSAGE FOR DEBBY.”
join again
From this reading “Washington had said that at break of day they might rejoin the army.”
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading “The sun was streaking the sky and a chiller air stirred the bare trees.”
-ing form of “streak” — move quickly in a straight line
From this reading “The sun was streaking the sky and a chiller air stirred the bare trees.”
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading “Washington had said that at break of day they might rejoin the army.”
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 “The sun was streaking the sky and a chiller air stirred the bare trees.”
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 The sun was streaking the sky and a chiller air stirred the bare trees.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The sun was streaking the sky and a chiller air stirred the bare trees.
Having no one else present.
From this reading He was alone!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The sun was streaking the sky and a chiller air stirred the bare trees.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading ANOTHER MESSAGE FOR DEBBY.
a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading Washington had said that at break of day they might rejoin the army.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Washington had said that at break of day they might rejoin the army.
completely unclothed
From this reading The sun was streaking the sky and a chiller air stirred the bare trees.
terminate
From this reading Washington had said that at break of day they might rejoin the army.
excitation that makes your hair stand up or that chills your bones
From this reading The sun was streaking the sky and a chiller air stirred the bare trees.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Washington had said that at break of day they might rejoin the army.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ANOTHER MESSAGE FOR DEBBY.
well in the past; former
From this reading The others had departed.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading ANOTHER MESSAGE FOR DEBBY.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The others had departed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was alone!
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading ANOTHER MESSAGE FOR DEBBY.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Washington had said that at break of day they might rejoin the army.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Washington had said that at break of day they might rejoin the army.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The others had departed.
join again
From this reading Washington had said that at break of day they might rejoin the army.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Washington had said that at break of day they might rejoin the army.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The sun was streaking the sky and a chiller air stirred the bare trees.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading The sun was streaking the sky and a chiller air stirred the bare trees.
-ing form of “streak” — move quickly in a straight line
From this reading The sun was streaking the sky and a chiller air stirred the bare trees.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The sun was streaking the sky and a chiller air stirred the bare trees.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Washington had said that at break of day they might rejoin the army.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The others had departed.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Washington had said that at break of day they might rejoin the army.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The sun was streaking the sky and a chiller air stirred the bare trees.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was alone!
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading Washington had said that at break of day they might rejoin the army.
Chapter 9 of Molly, the Drummer Boy by Harriet T. (Harriet Theresa) Comstock holds 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 112 sentences of Molly, the Drummer Boy, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Molly, the Drummer Boy by Harriet T. (Harriet Theresa) Comstock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 Molly, the Drummer Boy by Harriet T. (Harriet Theresa) Comstock on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1076 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62589 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62589, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 89 minutes of reading across 216 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Molly, the Drummer Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Molly, the Drummer Boy 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 Molly, the Drummer Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
