Chapter 9 of Some Persons Unknown 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 Some Persons Unknown is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word. Then her song had awakened a memory, but nothing more! So ran her thoughts. "Your explanation, Miss Winfrey?" "We knew each other years ago."
Chapter 9 of Some Persons Unknown 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.
aroused or activated
From this reading “Then her song had awakened a memory, but nothing more!”
a person or firm that employs workers
From this reading “The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.”
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading “"Your explanation, Miss Winfrey?"”
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading “The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.”
a woman entrusted with the care and supervision of a child (especially in a private home)
From this reading “The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.”
a short musical composition with words
From this reading “Then her song had awakened a memory, but nothing more!”
directly and without evasion; not roundabout
From this reading “The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.”
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading “The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.”
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.
In this reading “The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.”
nearly do something
In this reading “The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.”
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 The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.
in the past
From this reading "We knew each other years ago."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.
aroused or activated
From this reading Then her song had awakened a memory, but nothing more!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Then her song had awakened a memory, but nothing more!
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading "We knew each other years ago."
a person or firm that employs workers
From this reading The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading "Your explanation, Miss Winfrey?"
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.
a woman entrusted with the care and supervision of a child (especially in a private home)
From this reading The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then her song had awakened a memory, but nothing more!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "We knew each other years ago."
The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.
From this reading Then her song had awakened a memory, but nothing more!
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Your explanation, Miss Winfrey?"
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Then her song had awakened a memory, but nothing more!
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Then her song had awakened a memory, but nothing more!
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "We knew each other years ago."
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading So ran her thoughts.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So ran her thoughts.
a short musical composition with words
From this reading Then her song had awakened a memory, but nothing more!
directly and without evasion; not roundabout
From this reading The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then her song had awakened a memory, but nothing more!
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading So ran her thoughts.
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We knew each other years ago."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Your explanation, Miss Winfrey?"
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading The governess came close to the threshold and faced her employer squarely, though without a word.
a late time of life
From this reading "We knew each other years ago."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Your explanation, Miss Winfrey?"
Chapter 9 of Some Persons Unknown by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung 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 Some Persons Unknown, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Some Persons Unknown by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung 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 Some Persons Unknown by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4071 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45732 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45732, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 339 minutes of reading across 815 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Some Persons Unknown section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Some Persons Unknown 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 Some Persons Unknown, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
