Chapter 9 of Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Tom took the glass, and nodded. "Here's my darling little Jessie. God bless her! and may she soon be happy with the man of her choice." He looked maliciously at the young man as he spoke; but Tom set down his glass untasted. "I can't drink that," he said sternly.
Chapter 9 of Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
give a benediction to
From this reading “God bless her! and may she soon be happy with the man of her choice."”
the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading “God bless her! and may she soon be happy with the man of her choice."”
a special loved one
From this reading “"Here's my darling little Jessie.”
take in liquids
From this reading “"I can't drink that," he said sternly.”
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading “Tom took the glass, and nodded.”
with malice; in a malicious manner
From this reading “He looked maliciously at the young man as he spoke; but Tom set down his glass untasted.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “Tom took the glass, and nodded.”
with sternness; in a severe manner
From this reading “"I can't drink that," he said sternly.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
a teenager or a young adult male
In this reading “He looked maliciously at the young man as he spoke; but Tom set down his glass untasted.”
put down in writing; of texts, musical compositions, etc.
In this reading “He looked maliciously at the young man as he spoke; but Tom set down his glass untasted.”
In this reading “Tom took the glass, and nodded.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Tom took the glass, and nodded.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He looked maliciously at the young man as he spoke; but Tom set down his glass untasted.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He looked maliciously at the young man as he spoke; but Tom set down his glass untasted.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading God bless her! and may she soon be happy with the man of her choice."
give a benediction to
From this reading God bless her! and may she soon be happy with the man of her choice."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He looked maliciously at the young man as he spoke; but Tom set down his glass untasted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I can't drink that," he said sternly.
the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading God bless her! and may she soon be happy with the man of her choice."
a special loved one
From this reading "Here's my darling little Jessie.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He looked maliciously at the young man as he spoke; but Tom set down his glass untasted.
take in liquids
From this reading "I can't drink that," he said sternly.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading Tom took the glass, and nodded.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading God bless her! and may she soon be happy with the man of her choice."
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading God bless her! and may she soon be happy with the man of her choice."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked maliciously at the young man as he spoke; but Tom set down his glass untasted.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading God bless her! and may she soon be happy with the man of her choice."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Here's my darling little Jessie.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He looked maliciously at the young man as he spoke; but Tom set down his glass untasted.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I can't drink that," he said sternly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Here's my darling little Jessie.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Here's my darling little Jessie.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked maliciously at the young man as he spoke; but Tom set down his glass untasted.
with malice; in a malicious manner
From this reading He looked maliciously at the young man as he spoke; but Tom set down his glass untasted.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading God bless her! and may she soon be happy with the man of her choice."
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading God bless her! and may she soon be happy with the man of her choice."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Here's my darling little Jessie.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading Tom took the glass, and nodded.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading God bless her! and may she soon be happy with the man of her choice."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I can't drink that," he said sternly.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He looked maliciously at the young man as he spoke; but Tom set down his glass untasted.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading God bless her! and may she soon be happy with the man of her choice."
in the near future
From this reading God bless her! and may she soon be happy with the man of her choice."
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading He looked maliciously at the young man as he spoke; but Tom set down his glass untasted.
with sternness; in a severe manner
From this reading "I can't drink that," he said sternly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I can't drink that," he said sternly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Tom took the glass, and nodded.
male cat
From this reading Tom took the glass, and nodded.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Tom took the glass, and nodded.
still full
From this reading He looked maliciously at the young man as he spoke; but Tom set down his glass untasted.
in the company of; together with
From this reading God bless her! and may she soon be happy with the man of her choice."
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading He looked maliciously at the young man as he spoke; but Tom set down his glass untasted.
Chapter 9 of Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree by George Manville Fenn holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4105 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40674 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40674, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 342 minutes of reading across 821 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree 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 Sawn Off: A Tale of a Family Tree, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
