Chapter 9 of On the Church Steps is here in full — 69 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of On the Church Steps is here in full — 69 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
But was that all? Was she wearing away the slow months in passionate unbelief of me? I could not tell. But before I slept that night I had taken my resolve. I would sail for home by the next steamer.
Chapter 9 of On the Church Steps is here in full — 69 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 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.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading “Was she wearing away the slow months in passionate unbelief of me?”
having or expressing strong emotions
From this reading “Was she wearing away the slow months in passionate unbelief of me?”
bring to an end; settle conclusively
From this reading “But before I slept that night I had taken my resolve.”
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading “I would sail for home by the next steamer.”
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading “But before I slept that night I had taken my resolve.”
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading “Was she wearing away the slow months in passionate unbelief of me?”
a clam that is usually steamed in the shell
From this reading “I would sail for home by the next steamer.”
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
From this reading “Was she wearing away the slow months in passionate unbelief of me?”
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.
(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 But was that all?
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Was she wearing away the slow months in passionate unbelief of me?
earlier than; in front of
From this reading But before I slept that night I had taken my resolve.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But was that all?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I would sail for home by the next steamer.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I could not tell.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I would sail for home by the next steamer.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But before I slept that night I had taken my resolve.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading I would sail for home by the next steamer.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I could not tell.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Was she wearing away the slow months in passionate unbelief of me?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Was she wearing away the slow months in passionate unbelief of me?
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading Was she wearing away the slow months in passionate unbelief of me?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading But before I slept that night I had taken my resolve.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading I would sail for home by the next steamer.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading But before I slept that night I had taken my resolve.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I could not tell.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Was she wearing away the slow months in passionate unbelief of me?
having or expressing strong emotions
From this reading Was she wearing away the slow months in passionate unbelief of me?
bring to an end; settle conclusively
From this reading But before I slept that night I had taken my resolve.
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading I would sail for home by the next steamer.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Was she wearing away the slow months in passionate unbelief of me?
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading But before I slept that night I had taken my resolve.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading Was she wearing away the slow months in passionate unbelief of me?
a clam that is usually steamed in the shell
From this reading I would sail for home by the next steamer.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading But before I slept that night I had taken my resolve.
express in words
From this reading I could not tell.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But was that all?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Was she wearing away the slow months in passionate unbelief of me?
a rejection of belief
From this reading Was she wearing away the slow months in passionate unbelief of me?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But was that all?
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
From this reading Was she wearing away the slow months in passionate unbelief of me?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I would sail for home by the next steamer.
Chapter 9 of On the Church Steps by Sarah C. Hallowell holds 69 sentences, grouped into 14 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 69 sentences of On the Church Steps, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of On the Church Steps by Sarah C. Hallowell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 69 sentences, grouped into 14 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 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 14 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 On the Church Steps by Sarah C. Hallowell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1614 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17559 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17559, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 134 minutes of reading across 323 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through On the Church Steps section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of On the Church Steps 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 On the Church Steps, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
