Chapter 9 of Murder by the clock is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Murder by the clock is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down. Lieutenant Valcour drew another up beside her. He began with the usual distant skirmishing before launching the main body of his attack. “I will explain why I wanted to see you,” he said. “It’s concerning Mr. Endicott—concerning his condition.”
Chapter 9 of Murder by the clock is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
-ing form of “concern” — be relevant to
From this reading ““It’s concerning Mr. Endicott—concerning his condition.””
born in England; in 1629 he became the founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (1588-1665)
From this reading ““It’s concerning Mr. Endicott—concerning his condition.””
with indifference; in an indifferent manner
From this reading “11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.”
the act of moving a newly built vessel into the water for the first time
From this reading “He began with the usual distant skirmishing before launching the main body of his attack.”
a commissioned military officer
From this reading “Lieutenant Valcour drew another up beside her.”
United States biochemist (born in England) honored for his discovery that some genes contain introns (born in 1943)
From this reading “11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.”
-ing form of “skirmish” — engage in a skirmish
From this reading “He began with the usual distant skirmishing before launching the main body of his attack.”
an act that exploits or victimizes someone (treats them unfairly)
From this reading “11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.”
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 “He began with the usual distant skirmishing before launching the main body of his attack.”
In this reading ““I will explain why I wanted to see you,” he said.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Lieutenant Valcour drew another up beside her.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading He began with the usual distant skirmishing before launching the main body of his attack.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He began with the usual distant skirmishing before launching the main body of his attack.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He began with the usual distant skirmishing before launching the main body of his attack.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Lieutenant Valcour drew another up beside her.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading He began with the usual distant skirmishing before launching the main body of his attack.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
-ing form of “concern” — be relevant to
From this reading “It’s concerning Mr. Endicott—concerning his condition.”
a state at a particular time
From this reading “It’s concerning Mr. Endicott—concerning his condition.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading He began with the usual distant skirmishing before launching the main body of his attack.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Lieutenant Valcour drew another up beside her.
born in England; in 1629 he became the founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (1588-1665)
From this reading “It’s concerning Mr. Endicott—concerning his condition.”
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “I will explain why I wanted to see you,” he said.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He began with the usual distant skirmishing before launching the main body of his attack.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Lieutenant Valcour drew another up beside her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He began with the usual distant skirmishing before launching the main body of his attack.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I will explain why I wanted to see you,” he said.
with indifference; in an indifferent manner
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s concerning Mr. Endicott—concerning his condition.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
the act of moving a newly built vessel into the water for the first time
From this reading He began with the usual distant skirmishing before launching the main body of his attack.
a commissioned military officer
From this reading Lieutenant Valcour drew another up beside her.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
most important element
From this reading He began with the usual distant skirmishing before launching the main body of his attack.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “It’s concerning Mr. Endicott—concerning his condition.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He began with the usual distant skirmishing before launching the main body of his attack.
a multivalent nonmetallic element of the nitrogen family that occurs commonly in inorganic phosphate rocks and as organic phosphates in all living cells; is highly reactive and occurs in several allotropic forms
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
United States biochemist (born in England) honored for his discovery that some genes contain introns (born in 1943)
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I will explain why I wanted to see you,” he said.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “I will explain why I wanted to see you,” he said.
-ing form of “skirmish” — engage in a skirmish
From this reading He began with the usual distant skirmishing before launching the main body of his attack.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Lieutenant Valcour drew another up beside her.
an act that exploits or victimizes someone (treats them unfairly)
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading He began with the usual distant skirmishing before launching the main body of his attack.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lieutenant Valcour drew another up beside her.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading “I will explain why I wanted to see you,” he said.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading 11:55 p. m.—Queer Deeps Roberts went indifferently to the chair that Jane had been using and sat down.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “I will explain why I wanted to see you,” he said.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “I will explain why I wanted to see you,” he said.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He began with the usual distant skirmishing before launching the main body of his attack.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I will explain why I wanted to see you,” he said.
Chapter 9 of Murder by the clock by Rufus King holds 124 sentences, grouped into 25 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 124 sentences of Murder by the clock, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Murder by the clock by Rufus King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 124 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Murder by the clock by Rufus King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4710 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75500 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75500, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 392 minutes of reading across 942 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Murder by the clock section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of Murder by the clock 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 Murder by the clock, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
