Chapter 9 of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MRS. ALDEN AN ABETTOR. “A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN. “What is it, Nathan?” Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.
Chapter 9 of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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 outstanding poet and dramatist of the Restoration (1631-1700)
From this reading ““A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.”
housing that someone is living in
From this reading “Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.”
(music) the speed at which a composition is to be played
From this reading “Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.”
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading “Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.”
filled with satisfaction
From this reading ““A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.”
plural of “smile” — a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading ““A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.”
plural of “stride” — a step in walking or running
From this reading “Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.”
Moral excellence and goodness of character; the highest human attainment in Stoic philosophy.
From this reading ““A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.”
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 porch for the front door
In this reading “Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.”
In this reading ““A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.”
In this reading ““A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.”
find unexpectedly
In this reading “Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.”
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 “A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.
one who helps or encourages or incites another
From this reading ALDEN AN ABETTOR.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ALDEN AN ABETTOR.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading ALDEN AN ABETTOR.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.
feeling or showing anger
From this reading Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading “A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.
the outstanding poet and dramatist of the Restoration (1631-1700)
From this reading “A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.
housing that someone is living in
From this reading Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.
an opposing military force
From this reading “A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What is it, Nathan?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “What is it, Nathan?”
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading “A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading “A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading “A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MRS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What is it, Nathan?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.
(music) the speed at which a composition is to be played
From this reading Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.
filled with satisfaction
From this reading “A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading “A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.
plural of “smile” — a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.
plural of “stride” — a step in walking or running
From this reading Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.
Moral excellence and goodness of character; the highest human attainment in Stoic philosophy.
From this reading “A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What is it, Nathan?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading Mrs. Alden had come upon her husband pacing the front porch of their dwelling with angry strides.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading “A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “A settled virtue Makes itself a judge: and satisfied within, Smiles at that common enemy, the world.”--DRYDEN.
Chapter 9 of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost by Martha Finley holds 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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 94 sentences of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost by Martha Finley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 Signing the Contract, and What It Cost by Martha Finley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4162 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48249 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48249, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 346 minutes of reading across 833 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Signing the Contract, and What It Cost section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost 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 Signing the Contract, and What It Cost, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
