Chapter 9 of Shallow Soil is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Shallow Soil is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What are you talking about?" "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house? Are you going to sell it?" "What good is it to us?" Pause.
Chapter 9 of Shallow Soil is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading “"Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?”
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading “"Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?”
everything you own; all of your assets (whether real property or personal property) and liabilities
From this reading “"Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?”
joined in matrimony
From this reading “"Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?”
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading “Pause.”
exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent
From this reading “Are you going to sell it?"”
in the near future
From this reading “"Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?”
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading “"What are you talking about?"”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "What are you talking about?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "What are you talking about?"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?
obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?
everything you own; all of your assets (whether real property or personal property) and liabilities
From this reading "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?
the act of departing
From this reading "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "What good is it to us?"
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What good is it to us?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Are you going to sell it?"
joined in matrimony
From this reading "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading Pause.
exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent
From this reading Are you going to sell it?"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?
in the near future
From this reading "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading "What are you talking about?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "What good is it to us?"
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What are you talking about?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What are you talking about?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, I thought that you might want to buy my country estate now--You are going to be married soon, so--" "Your country house?
Chapter 9 of Shallow Soil by Knut Hamsun holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of Shallow Soil, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Shallow Soil by Knut Hamsun exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Shallow Soil by Knut Hamsun on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5660 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7537 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7537, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 471 minutes of reading across 1132 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shallow Soil section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Shallow Soil 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 Shallow Soil, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
