Chapter 9 of Sudden Jim is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Sudden Jim is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Jim rapped on the door of Zaanan Frame’s office. At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business. The sound of his own knuckles on the panel decided him. “Come in,” called Zaanan’s voice. Jim entered and saw the old justice sitting behind his desk, a sheep-bound volume propped up before him.
Chapter 9 of Sudden Jim is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “Jim entered and saw the old justice sitting behind his desk, a sheep-bound volume propped up before him.”
the quality of being just or fair
From this reading “Jim entered and saw the old justice sitting behind his desk, a sheep-bound volume propped up before him.”
(used in the plural) a small metal weapon; worn over the knuckles on the back of the hand
From this reading “The sound of his own knuckles on the panel decided him.”
plural of “mind” — that which is responsible for one's thoughts, feelings, and conscious brain functions; the seat of the faculty of reason
From this reading “At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.”
sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something
From this reading “The sound of his own knuckles on the panel decided him.”
inflected form of “prop” — support by placing against something solid or rigid
From this reading “Jim entered and saw the old justice sitting behind his desk, a sheep-bound volume propped up before him.”
inflected form of “rap” — strike sharply
From this reading “Jim rapped on the door of Zaanan Frame’s office.”
the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading “Jim entered and saw the old justice sitting behind his desk, a sheep-bound volume propped up before him.”
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.
the latest possible moment
In this reading “At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.”
place into the hands or custody of
In this reading “At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.”
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 Jim entered and saw the old justice sitting behind his desk, a sheep-bound volume propped up before him.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Jim entered and saw the old justice sitting behind his desk, a sheep-bound volume propped up before him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Jim entered and saw the old justice sitting behind his desk, a sheep-bound volume propped up before him.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Jim entered and saw the old justice sitting behind his desk, a sheep-bound volume propped up before him.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “Come in,” called Zaanan’s voice.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Come in,” called Zaanan’s voice.
recognizable; marked
From this reading The sound of his own knuckles on the panel decided him.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading Jim entered and saw the old justice sitting behind his desk, a sheep-bound volume propped up before him.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Jim rapped on the door of Zaanan Frame’s office.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Jim entered and saw the old justice sitting behind his desk, a sheep-bound volume propped up before him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim rapped on the door of Zaanan Frame’s office.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The sound of his own knuckles on the panel decided him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim rapped on the door of Zaanan Frame’s office.
the quality of being just or fair
From this reading Jim entered and saw the old justice sitting behind his desk, a sheep-bound volume propped up before him.
(used in the plural) a small metal weapon; worn over the knuckles on the back of the hand
From this reading The sound of his own knuckles on the panel decided him.
immediately past
From this reading At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.
plural of “mind” — that which is responsible for one's thoughts, feelings, and conscious brain functions; the seat of the faculty of reason
From this reading At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Jim rapped on the door of Zaanan Frame’s office.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Jim rapped on the door of Zaanan Frame’s office.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Jim entered and saw the old justice sitting behind his desk, a sheep-bound volume propped up before him.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Jim rapped on the door of Zaanan Frame’s office.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading The sound of his own knuckles on the panel decided him.
sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something
From this reading The sound of his own knuckles on the panel decided him.
go across or through
From this reading At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.
inflected form of “prop” — support by placing against something solid or rigid
From this reading Jim entered and saw the old justice sitting behind his desk, a sheep-bound volume propped up before him.
inflected form of “rap” — strike sharply
From this reading Jim rapped on the door of Zaanan Frame’s office.
cut with a saw
From this reading Jim entered and saw the old justice sitting behind his desk, a sheep-bound volume propped up before him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim entered and saw the old justice sitting behind his desk, a sheep-bound volume propped up before him.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Jim entered and saw the old justice sitting behind his desk, a sheep-bound volume propped up before him.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The sound of his own knuckles on the panel decided him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Jim rapped on the door of Zaanan Frame’s office.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Jim entered and saw the old justice sitting behind his desk, a sheep-bound volume propped up before him.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “Come in,” called Zaanan’s voice.
the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading Jim entered and saw the old justice sitting behind his desk, a sheep-bound volume propped up before him.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading At the last minute he had been of two minds whether he should go in or pass on about his business.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim rapped on the door of Zaanan Frame’s office.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Come in,” called Zaanan’s voice.
Chapter 9 of Sudden Jim by Clarence Budington Kelland holds 209 sentences, grouped into 42 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 209 sentences of Sudden Jim, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Sudden Jim by Clarence Budington Kelland exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 209 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 Sudden Jim by Clarence Budington Kelland on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5112 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44079 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44079, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 426 minutes of reading across 1023 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sudden Jim section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Sudden Jim 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 Sudden Jim, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
