Chapter 9 of Oldport Days is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Oldport Days is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Where's t' other?" said the sententious policeman, whose ears were always open for suspicious disappearances. "Didn't you hear?" cried the incredulous lady. "Scattered! Gone! Went off one day with a box of snakes and two monkeys.
Chapter 9 of Oldport Days is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading “Went off one day with a box of snakes and two monkeys.”
plural of “disappearance” — the act of leaving secretly or without explanation
From this reading “"Where's t' other?" said the sententious policeman, whose ears were always open for suspicious disappearances.”
not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
From this reading “"Didn't you hear?" cried the incredulous lady.”
plural of “monkey” — any of various long-tailed primates (excluding the prosimians)
From this reading “Went off one day with a box of snakes and two monkeys.”
a member of a police force
From this reading “"Where's t' other?" said the sententious policeman, whose ears were always open for suspicious disappearances.”
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading “"Scattered!”
plural of “snake” — limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading “Went off one day with a box of snakes and two monkeys.”
openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
From this reading “"Where's t' other?" said the sententious policeman, whose ears were always open for suspicious disappearances.”
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 Went off one day with a box of snakes and two monkeys.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "Where's t' other?" said the sententious policeman, whose ears were always open for suspicious disappearances.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Went off one day with a box of snakes and two monkeys.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading Went off one day with a box of snakes and two monkeys.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Didn't you hear?" cried the incredulous lady.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Went off one day with a box of snakes and two monkeys.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Didn't you hear?" cried the incredulous lady.
plural of “disappearance” — the act of leaving secretly or without explanation
From this reading "Where's t' other?" said the sententious policeman, whose ears were always open for suspicious disappearances.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading "Where's t' other?" said the sententious policeman, whose ears were always open for suspicious disappearances.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Where's t' other?" said the sententious policeman, whose ears were always open for suspicious disappearances.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Gone!
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "Didn't you hear?" cried the incredulous lady.
not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
From this reading "Didn't you hear?" cried the incredulous lady.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading "Didn't you hear?" cried the incredulous lady.
plural of “monkey” — any of various long-tailed primates (excluding the prosimians)
From this reading Went off one day with a box of snakes and two monkeys.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Went off one day with a box of snakes and two monkeys.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Went off one day with a box of snakes and two monkeys.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Went off one day with a box of snakes and two monkeys.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading "Where's t' other?" said the sententious policeman, whose ears were always open for suspicious disappearances.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "Where's t' other?" said the sententious policeman, whose ears were always open for suspicious disappearances.
a member of a police force
From this reading "Where's t' other?" said the sententious policeman, whose ears were always open for suspicious disappearances.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Where's t' other?" said the sententious policeman, whose ears were always open for suspicious disappearances.
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading "Scattered!
abounding in or given to pompous or aphoristic moralizing
From this reading "Where's t' other?" said the sententious policeman, whose ears were always open for suspicious disappearances.
plural of “snake” — limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading Went off one day with a box of snakes and two monkeys.
openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
From this reading "Where's t' other?" said the sententious policeman, whose ears were always open for suspicious disappearances.
a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading "Where's t' other?" said the sententious policeman, whose ears were always open for suspicious disappearances.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Where's t' other?" said the sententious policeman, whose ears were always open for suspicious disappearances.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Went off one day with a box of snakes and two monkeys.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Went off one day with a box of snakes and two monkeys.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Where's t' other?" said the sententious policeman, whose ears were always open for suspicious disappearances.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Where's t' other?" said the sententious policeman, whose ears were always open for suspicious disappearances.
belonging to which person
From this reading "Where's t' other?" said the sententious policeman, whose ears were always open for suspicious disappearances.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Went off one day with a box of snakes and two monkeys.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Didn't you hear?" cried the incredulous lady.
Chapter 9 of Oldport Days by Thomas Wentworth Higginson holds 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 137 sentences of Oldport Days, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Oldport Days by Thomas Wentworth Higginson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 Oldport Days by Thomas Wentworth Higginson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2003 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2418 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2418, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 166 minutes of reading across 401 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Oldport Days section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Oldport Days 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 Oldport Days, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
