Chapter 9 of The Best Made Plans is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Best Made Plans is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness. One by one, the points of light winked out. And then, there was nothing. As their intended victim whirled to crush Maurie, Gerry Kelton poked at his brother. "Come on," he urged.
Chapter 9 of The Best Made Plans is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 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.
the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
From this reading “For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.”
come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority
From this reading “As their intended victim whirled to crush Maurie, Gerry Kelton poked at his brother.”
physically or spiritually devastating; often used in combination
From this reading “For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.”
(of solid matter) reduced to a liquid form
From this reading “For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.”
past form of “poke” — poke or thrust abruptly
From this reading “As their intended victim whirled to crush Maurie, Gerry Kelton poked at his brother.”
plural of “speck” — a very small spot
From this reading “For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.”
past form of “whirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading “As their intended victim whirled to crush Maurie, Gerry Kelton poked at his brother.”
past form of “wink” — signal by winking
From this reading “One by one, the points of light winked out.”
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 For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And then, there was nothing.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As their intended victim whirled to crush Maurie, Gerry Kelton poked at his brother.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading As their intended victim whirled to crush Maurie, Gerry Kelton poked at his brother.
the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
From this reading For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading As their intended victim whirled to crush Maurie, Gerry Kelton poked at his brother.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading One by one, the points of light winked out.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come on," he urged.
come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority
From this reading As their intended victim whirled to crush Maurie, Gerry Kelton poked at his brother.
physically or spiritually devastating; often used in combination
From this reading For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.
(of solid matter) reduced to a liquid form
From this reading For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As their intended victim whirled to crush Maurie, Gerry Kelton poked at his brother.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As their intended victim whirled to crush Maurie, Gerry Kelton poked at his brother.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading As their intended victim whirled to crush Maurie, Gerry Kelton poked at his brother.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.
and nothing more
From this reading For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As their intended victim whirled to crush Maurie, Gerry Kelton poked at his brother.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading One by one, the points of light winked out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As their intended victim whirled to crush Maurie, Gerry Kelton poked at his brother.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading And then, there was nothing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One by one, the points of light winked out.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Come on," he urged.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One by one, the points of light winked out.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading One by one, the points of light winked out.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.
plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading One by one, the points of light winked out.
past form of “poke” — poke or thrust abruptly
From this reading As their intended victim whirled to crush Maurie, Gerry Kelton poked at his brother.
plural of “speck” — a very small spot
From this reading For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.
process or result of distributing or extending over a wide expanse of space
From this reading For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading As their intended victim whirled to crush Maurie, Gerry Kelton poked at his brother.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.
in or at that place or location
From this reading And then, there was nothing.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As their intended victim whirled to crush Maurie, Gerry Kelton poked at his brother.
past form of “urge” — force or impel in an indicated direction
From this reading "Come on," he urged.
an unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance
From this reading As their intended victim whirled to crush Maurie, Gerry Kelton poked at his brother.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And then, there was nothing.
past form of “whirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading As their intended victim whirled to crush Maurie, Gerry Kelton poked at his brother.
past form of “wink” — signal by winking
From this reading One by one, the points of light winked out.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading For just an instant, he felt crushing pain, then the world dissolved into bright specks in a spreading blackness.
Chapter 9 of The Best Made Plans by Everett B. Cole holds 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 434 sentences of The Best Made Plans, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Best Made Plans by Everett B. Cole exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Best Made Plans by Everett B. Cole on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Best Made Plans section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Best Made Plans 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 Best Made Plans, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
