Chapter 9 of The Assassination Bureau, Ltd. is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Assassination Bureau, Ltd. is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There was a moment’s shocked silence. Starkington walked over and slowly seated himself. His eyes roved the stern faces of his companions before he spoke. “Well, gentlemen,” he said softly, “we are being decimated. The total remaining members of the Assassination Bureau are within this room at this moment.
Chapter 9 of The Assassination Bureau, Ltd. is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
an attack intended to ruin someone's reputation
From this reading “The total remaining members of the Assassination Bureau are within this room at this moment.”
an administrative unit of government
From this reading “The total remaining members of the Assassination Bureau are within this room at this moment.”
past form of “decimate” — kill one in every ten, as of mutineers in Roman armies
From this reading ““Well, gentlemen,” he said softly, “we are being decimated.”
plural of “member” — one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization)
From this reading “The total remaining members of the Assassination Bureau are within this room at this moment.”
possessive form of “moment” — a particular point in time
not used up
From this reading “The total remaining members of the Assassination Bureau are within this room at this moment.”
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading “There was a moment’s shocked silence.”
add up in number or quantity
From this reading “The total remaining members of the Assassination Bureau are within this room at this moment.”
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 total remaining members of the Assassination Bureau are within this room at this moment.”
In this reading “His eyes roved the stern faces of his companions before he spoke.”
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 There was a moment’s shocked silence.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Starkington walked over and slowly seated himself.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Well, gentlemen,” he said softly, “we are being decimated.
an attack intended to ruin someone's reputation
From this reading The total remaining members of the Assassination Bureau are within this room at this moment.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The total remaining members of the Assassination Bureau are within this room at this moment.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading His eyes roved the stern faces of his companions before he spoke.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading “Well, gentlemen,” he said softly, “we are being decimated.
an administrative unit of government
From this reading The total remaining members of the Assassination Bureau are within this room at this moment.
plural of “companion” — a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading His eyes roved the stern faces of his companions before he spoke.
past form of “decimate” — kill one in every ten, as of mutineers in Roman armies
From this reading “Well, gentlemen,” he said softly, “we are being decimated.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His eyes roved the stern faces of his companions before he spoke.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His eyes roved the stern faces of his companions before he spoke.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading “Well, gentlemen,” he said softly, “we are being decimated.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His eyes roved the stern faces of his companions before he spoke.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Starkington walked over and slowly seated himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His eyes roved the stern faces of his companions before he spoke.
plural of “member” — one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization)
From this reading The total remaining members of the Assassination Bureau are within this room at this moment.
a particular point in time
From this reading The total remaining members of the Assassination Bureau are within this room at this moment.
possessive form of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading There was a moment’s shocked silence.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His eyes roved the stern faces of his companions before he spoke.
above and across; more than
From this reading Starkington walked over and slowly seated himself.
not used up
From this reading The total remaining members of the Assassination Bureau are within this room at this moment.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The total remaining members of the Assassination Bureau are within this room at this moment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His eyes roved the stern faces of his companions before he spoke.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Well, gentlemen,” he said softly, “we are being decimated.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading Starkington walked over and slowly seated himself.
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading There was a moment’s shocked silence.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading There was a moment’s shocked silence.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Starkington walked over and slowly seated himself.
with low volume
From this reading “Well, gentlemen,” he said softly, “we are being decimated.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading His eyes roved the stern faces of his companions before he spoke.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Starkington walked over and slowly seated himself.
of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
From this reading His eyes roved the stern faces of his companions before he spoke.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His eyes roved the stern faces of his companions before he spoke.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a moment’s shocked silence.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The total remaining members of the Assassination Bureau are within this room at this moment.
add up in number or quantity
From this reading The total remaining members of the Assassination Bureau are within this room at this moment.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Starkington walked over and slowly seated himself.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a moment’s shocked silence.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Well, gentlemen,” he said softly, “we are being decimated.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well, gentlemen,” he said softly, “we are being decimated.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading The total remaining members of the Assassination Bureau are within this room at this moment.
Chapter 9 of The Assassination Bureau, Ltd. by Jack London holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 430 sentences of The Assassination Bureau, Ltd., unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Assassination Bureau, Ltd. by Jack London exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 The Assassination Bureau, Ltd. by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4653 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75562 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75562, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 387 minutes of reading across 931 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Assassination Bureau, Ltd. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Assassination Bureau, Ltd. 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 The Assassination Bureau, Ltd., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
