Chapter 9 of Ptomaine Street: The Tale of Warble Petticoat is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Ptomaine Street: The Tale of Warble Petticoat is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Lotta Munn ran in occasionally. She was of the anecdotal type. The stories she told made one gasp. They were always prefaced by an “Oh, my dear, I can't tell you _that_ one--it's _too_ awful!” Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.
Chapter 9 of Ptomaine Street: The Tale of Warble Petticoat is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
having the character of an anecdote
From this reading “She was of the anecdotal type.”
a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open
From this reading “The stories she told made one gasp.”
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading “Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.”
past form of “preface” — furnish with a preface or introduction
From this reading “They were always prefaced by an “Oh, my dear, I can't tell you _that_ one--it's _too_ awful!””
restricted to something
From this reading “Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.”
plural of “tale” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.”
a subdivision of a particular kind of thing
From this reading “She was of the anecdotal type.”
sing or play with trills, alternating with the half note above or below
From this reading “Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.”
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 Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading They were always prefaced by an “Oh, my dear, I can't tell you _that_ one--it's _too_ awful!”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading They were always prefaced by an “Oh, my dear, I can't tell you _that_ one--it's _too_ awful!”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.
having the character of an anecdote
From this reading She was of the anecdotal type.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading They were always prefaced by an “Oh, my dear, I can't tell you _that_ one--it's _too_ awful!”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They were always prefaced by an “Oh, my dear, I can't tell you _that_ one--it's _too_ awful!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were always prefaced by an “Oh, my dear, I can't tell you _that_ one--it's _too_ awful!”
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.
dearly loved
From this reading They were always prefaced by an “Oh, my dear, I can't tell you _that_ one--it's _too_ awful!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.
many times at short intervals
From this reading Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.
a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open
From this reading The stories she told made one gasp.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading They were always prefaced by an “Oh, my dear, I can't tell you _that_ one--it's _too_ awful!”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Lotta Munn ran in occasionally.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were always prefaced by an “Oh, my dear, I can't tell you _that_ one--it's _too_ awful!”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lotta Munn ran in occasionally.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The stories she told made one gasp.
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lotta Munn ran in occasionally.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading They were always prefaced by an “Oh, my dear, I can't tell you _that_ one--it's _too_ awful!”
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading Lotta Munn ran in occasionally.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She was of the anecdotal type.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading They were always prefaced by an “Oh, my dear, I can't tell you _that_ one--it's _too_ awful!”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The stories she told made one gasp.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.
past form of “preface” — furnish with a preface or introduction
From this reading They were always prefaced by an “Oh, my dear, I can't tell you _that_ one--it's _too_ awful!”
restricted to something
From this reading Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Lotta Munn ran in occasionally.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was of the anecdotal type.
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading The stories she told made one gasp.
plural of “tale” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.
express in words
From this reading They were always prefaced by an “Oh, my dear, I can't tell you _that_ one--it's _too_ awful!”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They were always prefaced by an “Oh, my dear, I can't tell you _that_ one--it's _too_ awful!”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She was of the anecdotal type.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were always prefaced by an “Oh, my dear, I can't tell you _that_ one--it's _too_ awful!”
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading The stories she told made one gasp.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading They were always prefaced by an “Oh, my dear, I can't tell you _that_ one--it's _too_ awful!”
a subdivision of a particular kind of thing
From this reading She was of the anecdotal type.
sing or play with trills, alternating with the half note above or below
From this reading Warble didn't care much for these tales, indeed, frequently missed the point, and laughed purely from a sense of duty.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was of the anecdotal type.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were always prefaced by an “Oh, my dear, I can't tell you _that_ one--it's _too_ awful!”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading They were always prefaced by an “Oh, my dear, I can't tell you _that_ one--it's _too_ awful!”
Chapter 9 of Ptomaine Street: The Tale of Warble Petticoat by Carolyn Wells holds 168 sentences, grouped into 34 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 168 sentences of Ptomaine Street: The Tale of Warble Petticoat, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Ptomaine Street: The Tale of Warble Petticoat by Carolyn Wells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 168 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Ptomaine Street: The Tale of Warble Petticoat by Carolyn Wells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1812 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8386 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8386, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 151 minutes of reading across 363 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ptomaine Street: The Tale of Warble Petticoat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Ptomaine Street: The Tale of Warble Petticoat 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 Ptomaine Street: The Tale of Warble Petticoat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
