Chapter 9 of Silver Cross is here in full — 242 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Silver Cross is here in full — 242 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander. The Abbot had said, “Would he be helpful? It is for the glory of Silver Cross church, which, truly, is for him his lady whom he must serve!” The Prior shook his head. “No!
Chapter 9 of Silver Cross is here in full — 242 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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 superior of an abbey of monks
From this reading “The Abbot had said, “Would he be helpful?”
providing assistance or serving a useful function
From this reading “The Abbot had said, “Would he be helpful?”
uneducated in general; lacking knowledge or sophistication
From this reading “William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.”
plural of “machination” — a crafty and involved plot to achieve your (usually sinister) ends
From this reading “William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.”
earlier in time
From this reading “The Prior shook his head.”
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading “William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.”
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading “William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.”
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading “William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.”
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.
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.
the superior of an abbey of monks
From this reading The Abbot had said, “Would he be helpful?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading It is for the glory of Silver Cross church, which, truly, is for him his lady whom he must serve!”
travel across or pass over
From this reading It is for the glory of Silver Cross church, which, truly, is for him his lady whom he must serve!”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It is for the glory of Silver Cross church, which, truly, is for him his lady whom he must serve!”
a state of high honor
From this reading It is for the glory of Silver Cross church, which, truly, is for him his lady whom he must serve!”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The Abbot had said, “Would he be helpful?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Abbot had said, “Would he be helpful?
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The Prior shook his head.
providing assistance or serving a useful function
From this reading The Abbot had said, “Would he be helpful?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It is for the glory of Silver Cross church, which, truly, is for him his lady whom he must serve!”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It is for the glory of Silver Cross church, which, truly, is for him his lady whom he must serve!”
uneducated in general; lacking knowledge or sophistication
From this reading William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is for the glory of Silver Cross church, which, truly, is for him his lady whom he must serve!”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is for the glory of Silver Cross church, which, truly, is for him his lady whom he must serve!”
a polite name for any woman
From this reading It is for the glory of Silver Cross church, which, truly, is for him his lady whom he must serve!”
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.
plural of “machination” — a crafty and involved plot to achieve your (usually sinister) ends
From this reading William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading It is for the glory of Silver Cross church, which, truly, is for him his lady whom he must serve!”
not any; not one
From this reading “No!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.
earlier in time
From this reading The Prior shook his head.
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The Abbot had said, “Would he be helpful?
serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading It is for the glory of Silver Cross church, which, truly, is for him his lady whom he must serve!”
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading The Prior shook his head.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading It is for the glory of Silver Cross church, which, truly, is for him his lady whom he must serve!”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading It is for the glory of Silver Cross church, which, truly, is for him his lady whom he must serve!”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It is for the glory of Silver Cross church, which, truly, is for him his lady whom he must serve!”
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It is for the glory of Silver Cross church, which, truly, is for him his lady whom he must serve!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading William, Lord of Montjoy, was ignorant of what machinations might be in progress up the Vale of Wander.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The Abbot had said, “Would he be helpful?
Chapter 9 of Silver Cross by Mary Johnston holds 242 sentences, grouped into 49 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 242 sentences of Silver Cross, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Silver Cross by Mary Johnston exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 242 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 Silver Cross by Mary Johnston on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5108 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50557 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50557, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 425 minutes of reading across 1022 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Silver Cross section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of Silver Cross 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 Silver Cross, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
