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Oswald Bastable and Others
Oswald Bastable and Others

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of Oswald Bastable and Others is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Oswald Bastable and Others
Context Illustration Reading 1/79 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Exploring expeditions were fitted out to find the edge of the toffee.
It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.
The King had ships built at once to sail on the real sea and carry merchandise to other lands.
And so Allexanassa and Plurimiregia grew richer and richer every day.
The merchandise, of course, is toffee, and half the men in the kingdoms work in the great toffee-mines.
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Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Oswald Bastable and Others

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of Oswald Bastable and Others is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Exploring expeditions were fitted out to find the edge of the toffee.
/ɪkˈsplɔːrɪŋ ˌekspəˈdɪʃənz wɜːr ˈfɪtəd aʊt tuː faɪnd ðə edʒ ʌv ðə ˈtɑːfi/
Line 2
It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.
Line 3
The King had ships built at once to sail on the real sea and carry merchandise to other lands.
/ðə kɪŋ hæd ʃɪps bɪlt æt wʌns tuː seɪl ɑːn ðə riːl siː ənd ˈkæri ˈmɜːrtʃəndaɪz tuː ˈʌðər lændz/
Line 4
And so Allexanassa and Plurimiregia grew richer and richer every day.
Line 5
The merchandise, of course, is toffee, and half the men in the kingdoms work in the great toffee-mines.

Learner Dictionary

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.

cliffs noun US /klɪfs/

plural of “cliff” — a steep high face of rock

From this reading “It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.”

expeditions noun US /ˌekspəˈdɪʃənz/

plural of “expedition” — a military campaign designed to achieve a specific objective in a foreign country

From this reading “Exploring expeditions were fitted out to find the edge of the toffee.”

Exploring verb US /ɪkˈsplɔːrɪŋ/

-ing form of “explore” — inquire into

From this reading “Exploring expeditions were fitted out to find the edge of the toffee.”

kingdoms noun US /ˈkɪŋdəmz/

plural of “kingdom” — a domain in which something is dominant

From this reading “The merchandise, of course, is toffee, and half the men in the kingdoms work in the great toffee-mines.”

merchandise noun US /ˈmɜːrtʃəndaɪz/

commodities offered for sale

From this reading “The King had ships built at once to sail on the real sea and carry merchandise to other lands.”

overhanging verb US /ˈoʊvərhæŋɪŋ/

-ing form of “overhang” — project over

From this reading “It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.”

richer adjective US /ˈrɪtʃər/

comparative of “rich” — possessing material wealth

From this reading “And so Allexanassa and Plurimiregia grew richer and richer every day.”

toffee noun US /ˈtɑːfi/

caramelized sugar cooled in thin sheets

From this reading “Exploring expeditions were fitted out to find the edge of the toffee.”

All words in this reading · 55

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.

Allexanassa

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And so Allexanassa and Plurimiregia grew richer and richer every day.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The King had ships built at once to sail on the real sea and carry merchandise to other lands.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The King had ships built at once to sail on the real sea and carry merchandise to other lands.

builtadjectiveUS /bɪlt/

(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness

From this reading The King had ships built at once to sail on the real sea and carry merchandise to other lands.

carryverbUS /ˈkæri/

move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body

From this reading The King had ships built at once to sail on the real sea and carry merchandise to other lands.

cliffsnounUS /klɪfs/

plural of “cliff” — a steep high face of rock

From this reading It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.

coursenounUS /kɔːrs/

education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings

From this reading The merchandise, of course, is toffee, and half the men in the kingdoms work in the great toffee-mines.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading And so Allexanassa and Plurimiregia grew richer and richer every day.

edgenounUS /edʒ/

the boundary of a surface

From this reading Exploring expeditions were fitted out to find the edge of the toffee.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading And so Allexanassa and Plurimiregia grew richer and richer every day.

expeditionsnounUS /ˌekspəˈdɪʃənz/

plural of “expedition” — a military campaign designed to achieve a specific objective in a foreign country

From this reading Exploring expeditions were fitted out to find the edge of the toffee.

ExploringverbUS /ɪkˈsplɔːrɪŋ/

-ing form of “explore” — inquire into

From this reading Exploring expeditions were fitted out to find the edge of the toffee.

feetnounUS /fiːt/

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.

findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading Exploring expeditions were fitted out to find the edge of the toffee.

fittedadjectiveUS /ˈfɪtəd/

being the right size and shape to fit as desired

From this reading Exploring expeditions were fitted out to find the edge of the toffee.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading The merchandise, of course, is toffee, and half the men in the kingdoms work in the great toffee-mines.

grewverbUS /ɡruː/

inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

From this reading And so Allexanassa and Plurimiregia grew richer and richer every day.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The King had ships built at once to sail on the real sea and carry merchandise to other lands.

halfadjectiveUS /hæf/

consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity

From this reading The merchandise, of course, is toffee, and half the men in the kingdoms work in the great toffee-mines.

highadjectiveUS /haɪ/

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.

hundrednounUS /ˈhʌndrəd/

ten 10s

From this reading It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The merchandise, of course, is toffee, and half the men in the kingdoms work in the great toffee-mines.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.

KingnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading The King had ships built at once to sail on the real sea and carry merchandise to other lands.

kingdomsnounUS /ˈkɪŋdəmz/

plural of “kingdom” — a domain in which something is dominant

From this reading The merchandise, of course, is toffee, and half the men in the kingdoms work in the great toffee-mines.

landsnounUS /lændz/

plural of “land” — the land on which real estate is located

From this reading The King had ships built at once to sail on the real sea and carry merchandise to other lands.

liveverbUS /laɪv/

be an inhabitant of or reside in

From this reading It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading The merchandise, of course, is toffee, and half the men in the kingdoms work in the great toffee-mines.

merchandisenounUS /ˈmɜːrtʃəndaɪz/

commodities offered for sale

From this reading The King had ships built at once to sail on the real sea and carry merchandise to other lands.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Exploring expeditions were fitted out to find the edge of the toffee.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The King had ships built at once to sail on the real sea and carry merchandise to other lands.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading The King had ships built at once to sail on the real sea and carry merchandise to other lands.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading The King had ships built at once to sail on the real sea and carry merchandise to other lands.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Exploring expeditions were fitted out to find the edge of the toffee.

overhangingverbUS /ˈoʊvərhæŋɪŋ/

-ing form of “overhang” — project over

From this reading It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.

Plurimiregia

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And so Allexanassa and Plurimiregia grew richer and richer every day.

realadjectiveUS /riːl/

being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory

From this reading It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.

richeradjectiveUS /ˈrɪtʃər/

comparative of “rich” — possessing material wealth

From this reading And so Allexanassa and Plurimiregia grew richer and richer every day.

sailverbUS /seɪl/

traverse or travel on (a body of water)

From this reading The King had ships built at once to sail on the real sea and carry merchandise to other lands.

salt-watery

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.

seanounUS /siː/

a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land

From this reading It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.

shipsnounUS /ʃɪps/

plural of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight

From this reading The King had ships built at once to sail on the real sea and carry merchandise to other lands.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading And so Allexanassa and Plurimiregia grew richer and richer every day.

standverbUS /stænd/

be standing; be upright

From this reading It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Exploring expeditions were fitted out to find the edge of the toffee.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Exploring expeditions were fitted out to find the edge of the toffee.

toffeenounUS /ˈtɑːfi/

caramelized sugar cooled in thin sheets

From this reading Exploring expeditions were fitted out to find the edge of the toffee.

toffee-mines

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The merchandise, of course, is toffee, and half the men in the kingdoms work in the great toffee-mines.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was found to stand up in cliffs two hundred feet high, overhanging the real, live, salt-watery sea.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Exploring expeditions were fitted out to find the edge of the toffee.

workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading The merchandise, of course, is toffee, and half the men in the kingdoms work in the great toffee-mines.

Chapter 9 of Oswald Bastable and Others by E. (Edith) Nesbit holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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.

What does chapter 9 of Oswald Bastable and Others contain?

Chapter 9 holds 399 sentences of Oswald Bastable and Others, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of Oswald Bastable and Others by E. (Edith) Nesbit exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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.

How do I study chapter 9 of Oswald Bastable and Others?

Work through the 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 80 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.

Can chapter 9 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Oswald Bastable and Others

Common questions about reading Oswald Bastable and Others by E. (Edith) Nesbit on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Oswald Bastable and Others?

Yes. All 4483 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28804 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Oswald Bastable and Others is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #28804, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Oswald Bastable and Others take to read?

About 373 minutes of reading across 897 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Oswald Bastable and Others section by section

How to work through Oswald Bastable and Others section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 11 chapters of Oswald Bastable and Others to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Oswald Bastable and Others

Words and structures a reader meets early in Oswald Bastable and Others, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

First
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Re-issued
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Edition
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Published
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