Chapter 9 of Our Nig is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Our Nig is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DEATH. We have now But a small portion of what men call time, To hold communion. SPRING opened, and James, instead of rallying, as was hoped, grew worse daily. Aunt Abby and Frado were the constant allies of Susan. Mrs. Bellmont dared not lift him.
Chapter 9 of Our Nig is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
the alliance of nations that fought the Axis in World War II and which (with subsequent additions) signed the charter of the United Nations in 1945
From this reading “Aunt Abby and Frado were the constant allies of Susan.”
the act of participating in the celebration of the Eucharist
From this reading “We have now But a small portion of what men call time, To hold communion.”
unvarying in nature
From this reading “Aunt Abby and Frado were the constant allies of Susan.”
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading “Mrs. Bellmont dared not lift him.”
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading “SPRING opened, and James, instead of rallying, as was hoped, grew worse daily.”
raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading “Mrs. Bellmont dared not lift him.”
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading “We have now But a small portion of what men call time, To hold communion.”
the act of mobilizing for a common purpose
From this reading “SPRING opened, and James, instead of rallying, as was hoped, grew worse daily.”
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 We have now But a small portion of what men call time, To hold communion.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Aunt Abby and Frado were the constant allies of Susan.
the alliance of nations that fought the Axis in World War II and which (with subsequent additions) signed the charter of the United Nations in 1945
From this reading Aunt Abby and Frado were the constant allies of Susan.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading SPRING opened, and James, instead of rallying, as was hoped, grew worse daily.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading SPRING opened, and James, instead of rallying, as was hoped, grew worse daily.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading Aunt Abby and Frado were the constant allies of Susan.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Bellmont dared not lift him.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading We have now But a small portion of what men call time, To hold communion.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading We have now But a small portion of what men call time, To hold communion.
the act of participating in the celebration of the Eucharist
From this reading We have now But a small portion of what men call time, To hold communion.
unvarying in nature
From this reading Aunt Abby and Frado were the constant allies of Susan.
every day; without missing a day
From this reading SPRING opened, and James, instead of rallying, as was hoped, grew worse daily.
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading Mrs. Bellmont dared not lift him.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading DEATH.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Aunt Abby and Frado were the constant allies of Susan.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading SPRING opened, and James, instead of rallying, as was hoped, grew worse daily.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading We have now But a small portion of what men call time, To hold communion.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Mrs. Bellmont dared not lift him.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading We have now But a small portion of what men call time, To hold communion.
past form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading SPRING opened, and James, instead of rallying, as was hoped, grew worse daily.
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading SPRING opened, and James, instead of rallying, as was hoped, grew worse daily.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading SPRING opened, and James, instead of rallying, as was hoped, grew worse daily.
raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading Mrs. Bellmont dared not lift him.
the force of workers available
From this reading We have now But a small portion of what men call time, To hold communion.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Bellmont dared not lift him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Mrs. Bellmont dared not lift him.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading We have now But a small portion of what men call time, To hold communion.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We have now But a small portion of what men call time, To hold communion.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading SPRING opened, and James, instead of rallying, as was hoped, grew worse daily.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading We have now But a small portion of what men call time, To hold communion.
the act of mobilizing for a common purpose
From this reading SPRING opened, and James, instead of rallying, as was hoped, grew worse daily.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading We have now But a small portion of what men call time, To hold communion.
the season of growth
From this reading SPRING opened, and James, instead of rallying, as was hoped, grew worse daily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Aunt Abby and Frado were the constant allies of Susan.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Aunt Abby and Frado were the constant allies of Susan.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading We have now But a small portion of what men call time, To hold communion.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We have now But a small portion of what men call time, To hold communion.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading SPRING opened, and James, instead of rallying, as was hoped, grew worse daily.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We have now But a small portion of what men call time, To hold communion.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Aunt Abby and Frado were the constant allies of Susan.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading We have now But a small portion of what men call time, To hold communion.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading SPRING opened, and James, instead of rallying, as was hoped, grew worse daily.
Chapter 9 of Our Nig by Harriet E. Wilson holds 143 sentences, grouped into 29 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 143 sentences of Our Nig, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Our Nig by Harriet E. Wilson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 Our Nig by Harriet E. Wilson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1477 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #584 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #584, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 123 minutes of reading across 296 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Our Nig section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Our Nig 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 Our Nig, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
