Chapter 9 of Peter Ruff and the Double Four is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Peter Ruff and the Double Four is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark. He returned his secretary’s morning greeting a little absently, and seated himself at his desk. “Violet,” he asked, “have you ever been to Paris?” She looked at him compassionately. “More times than you, I think, Peter,” she answered.
Chapter 9 of Peter Ruff and the Double Four is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading “Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark.”
in a compassionate manner
From this reading “She looked at him compassionately.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “He returned his secretary’s morning greeting a little absently, and seated himself at his desk.”
(usually plural) an acknowledgment or expression of good will (especially on meeting)
From this reading “He returned his secretary’s morning greeting a little absently, and seated himself at his desk.”
a cancellation mark stamped on mail by postal officials; indicates the post office and date of mailing
From this reading “Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark.”
an external body part consisting of feathers or hair about the neck of a bird or other animal
From this reading “Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark.”
possessive form of “secretary” — a person who is head of an administrative department of government
any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading ““Violet,” he asked, “have you ever been to Paris?””
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 Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark.
in an absentminded or preoccupied manner
From this reading He returned his secretary’s morning greeting a little absently, and seated himself at his desk.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He returned his secretary’s morning greeting a little absently, and seated himself at his desk.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “More times than you, I think, Peter,” she answered.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Violet,” he asked, “have you ever been to Paris?”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He returned his secretary’s morning greeting a little absently, and seated himself at his desk.
relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “Violet,” he asked, “have you ever been to Paris?”
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark.
in a compassionate manner
From this reading She looked at him compassionately.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading He returned his secretary’s morning greeting a little absently, and seated himself at his desk.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark.
at any time
From this reading “Violet,” he asked, “have you ever been to Paris?”
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark.
(usually plural) an acknowledgment or expression of good will (especially on meeting)
From this reading He returned his secretary’s morning greeting a little absently, and seated himself at his desk.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Violet,” he asked, “have you ever been to Paris?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He returned his secretary’s morning greeting a little absently, and seated himself at his desk.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She looked at him compassionately.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He returned his secretary’s morning greeting a little absently, and seated himself at his desk.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “More times than you, I think, Peter,” she answered.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He returned his secretary’s morning greeting a little absently, and seated himself at his desk.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked at him compassionately.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “More times than you, I think, Peter,” she answered.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading He returned his secretary’s morning greeting a little absently, and seated himself at his desk.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark.
the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce
From this reading “Violet,” he asked, “have you ever been to Paris?”
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark.
a cancellation mark stamped on mail by postal officials; indicates the post office and date of mailing
From this reading Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading He returned his secretary’s morning greeting a little absently, and seated himself at his desk.
an external body part consisting of feathers or hair about the neck of a bird or other animal
From this reading Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading He returned his secretary’s morning greeting a little absently, and seated himself at his desk.
possessive form of “secretary” — a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading He returned his secretary’s morning greeting a little absently, and seated himself at his desk.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She looked at him compassionately.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading “More times than you, I think, Peter,” she answered.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “More times than you, I think, Peter,” she answered.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading “More times than you, I think, Peter,” she answered.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark.
any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading “Violet,” he asked, “have you ever been to Paris?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading Peter Ruff came down to his office with a single letter in his hand, bearing a French postmark.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Violet,” he asked, “have you ever been to Paris?”
Chapter 9 of Peter Ruff and the Double Four by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim holds 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 398 sentences of Peter Ruff and the Double Four, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Peter Ruff and the Double Four by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 398 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.
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.
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 Peter Ruff and the Double Four by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9756 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1976 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1976, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1952 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Peter Ruff and the Double Four section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Peter Ruff and the Double Four 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 Peter Ruff and the Double Four, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
