Chapter 9 of The Bat is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Bat is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Dale swiftly informed him of the situation. “Aunt Cornelia says people have been trying to break into this house for days—at night.” Brooks ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of bewilderment. Then he seemed to catch at a hope. “What sort of people?” he queried sharply.
Chapter 9 of The Bat is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
confusion resulting from failure to understand
From this reading “Brooks ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of bewilderment.”
United States literary critic and historian (1886-1963)
From this reading “Brooks ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of bewilderment.”
an open river valley (in a hilly area)
From this reading “Dale swiftly informed him of the situation.”
motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading “Brooks ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of bewilderment.”
having much knowledge or education
From this reading “Dale swiftly informed him of the situation.”
inflected form of “query” — pose a question
From this reading ““What sort of people?” he queried sharply.”
in an aggressive manner
From this reading ““What sort of people?” he queried sharply.”
in a swift manner
From this reading “Dale swiftly informed him of the situation.”
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 Brooks ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of bewilderment.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Aunt Cornelia says people have been trying to break into this house for days—at night.”
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading “Aunt Cornelia says people have been trying to break into this house for days—at night.”
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “Aunt Cornelia says people have been trying to break into this house for days—at night.”
confusion resulting from failure to understand
From this reading Brooks ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of bewilderment.
terminate
From this reading “Aunt Cornelia says people have been trying to break into this house for days—at night.”
United States literary critic and historian (1886-1963)
From this reading Brooks ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of bewilderment.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Then he seemed to catch at a hope.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Aunt Cornelia says people have been trying to break into this house for days—at night.”
an open river valley (in a hilly area)
From this reading Dale swiftly informed him of the situation.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading “Aunt Cornelia says people have been trying to break into this house for days—at night.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Aunt Cornelia says people have been trying to break into this house for days—at night.”
motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading Brooks ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of bewilderment.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading Brooks ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of bewilderment.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Brooks ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of bewilderment.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Aunt Cornelia says people have been trying to break into this house for days—at night.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then he seemed to catch at a hope.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Dale swiftly informed him of the situation.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Brooks ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of bewilderment.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading Then he seemed to catch at a hope.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “Aunt Cornelia says people have been trying to break into this house for days—at night.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Brooks ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of bewilderment.
having much knowledge or education
From this reading Dale swiftly informed him of the situation.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading “Aunt Cornelia says people have been trying to break into this house for days—at night.”
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “Aunt Cornelia says people have been trying to break into this house for days—at night.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Dale swiftly informed him of the situation.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading “Aunt Cornelia says people have been trying to break into this house for days—at night.”
inflected form of “query” — pose a question
From this reading “What sort of people?” he queried sharply.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Brooks ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of bewilderment.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading “Aunt Cornelia says people have been trying to break into this house for days—at night.”
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Then he seemed to catch at a hope.
in an aggressive manner
From this reading “What sort of people?” he queried sharply.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading Dale swiftly informed him of the situation.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading “What sort of people?” he queried sharply.
in a swift manner
From this reading Dale swiftly informed him of the situation.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Dale swiftly informed him of the situation.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he seemed to catch at a hope.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Aunt Cornelia says people have been trying to break into this house for days—at night.”
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Brooks ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of bewilderment.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Aunt Cornelia says people have been trying to break into this house for days—at night.”
hard to endure
From this reading “Aunt Cornelia says people have been trying to break into this house for days—at night.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What sort of people?” he queried sharply.
Chapter 9 of The Bat by Stephen Vincent Benét holds 222 sentences, grouped into 45 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 222 sentences of The Bat, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Bat by Stephen Vincent Benét exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 222 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 Bat by Stephen Vincent Benét on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4997 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2019 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2019, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 416 minutes of reading across 1000 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Bat 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 Bat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
