Chapter 9 of Sink or Swim is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Sink or Swim is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FIRE! James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond. Over the trick which Tom and he had played upon our hero he passed rather lightly. “It seems there were two of you,” said the squire. “Why didn’t you give him such a lesson as he would have remembered?”
Chapter 9 of Sink or Swim is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading “James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.”
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading “Over the trick which Tom and he had played upon our hero he passed rather lightly.”
a unit of instruction
From this reading ““Why didn’t you give him such a lesson as he would have remembered?””
without good reason
From this reading “Over the trick which Tom and he had played upon our hero he passed rather lightly.”
a feeling of righteous anger
From this reading “James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.”
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading “James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.”
young nobleman attendant on a knight
From this reading ““It seems there were two of you,” said the squire.”
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading “Over the trick which Tom and he had played upon our hero he passed rather lightly.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Over the trick which Tom and he had played upon our hero he passed rather lightly.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Why didn’t you give him such a lesson as he would have remembered?”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why didn’t you give him such a lesson as he would have remembered?”
fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
start firing a weapon
From this reading FIRE!
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “Why didn’t you give him such a lesson as he would have remembered?”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Why didn’t you give him such a lesson as he would have remembered?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading Over the trick which Tom and he had played upon our hero he passed rather lightly.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Why didn’t you give him such a lesson as he would have remembered?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It seems there were two of you,” said the squire.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
a unit of instruction
From this reading “Why didn’t you give him such a lesson as he would have remembered?”
without good reason
From this reading Over the trick which Tom and he had played upon our hero he passed rather lightly.
engage in
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Over the trick which Tom and he had played upon our hero he passed rather lightly.
a feeling of righteous anger
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
above and across; more than
From this reading Over the trick which Tom and he had played upon our hero he passed rather lightly.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Over the trick which Tom and he had played upon our hero he passed rather lightly.
(of games) engaged in
From this reading Over the trick which Tom and he had played upon our hero he passed rather lightly.
on the contrary
From this reading Over the trick which Tom and he had played upon our hero he passed rather lightly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading “Why didn’t you give him such a lesson as he would have remembered?”
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “It seems there were two of you,” said the squire.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “It seems there were two of you,” said the squire.
young nobleman attendant on a knight
From this reading “It seems there were two of you,” said the squire.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “Why didn’t you give him such a lesson as he would have remembered?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “It seems there were two of you,” said the squire.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
male cat
From this reading Over the trick which Tom and he had played upon our hero he passed rather lightly.
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading Over the trick which Tom and he had played upon our hero he passed rather lightly.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “It seems there were two of you,” said the squire.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Over the trick which Tom and he had played upon our hero he passed rather lightly.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “It seems there were two of you,” said the squire.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading James did not fail to make a report to his father of the outrage which he had received at the hands of Harry Raymond.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why didn’t you give him such a lesson as he would have remembered?”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “Why didn’t you give him such a lesson as he would have remembered?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “It seems there were two of you,” said the squire.
Chapter 9 of Sink or Swim by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 98 sentences of Sink or Swim, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Sink or Swim by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Sink or Swim by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4592 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59517 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59517, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 382 minutes of reading across 919 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sink or Swim section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of Sink or Swim 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 Sink or Swim, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
