Chapter 9 of The Big Four is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Big Four is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"No, no, you do not understand. She is safe and well. She has never been in their hands for one instant." "But I got a cable from Bronsen?" "No, no, you did not.
Chapter 9 of The Big Four is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 telegram sent abroad
From this reading “"But I got a cable from Bronsen?"”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “"But I got a cable from Bronsen?"”
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading “She has never been in their hands for one instant."”
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading “She has never been in their hands for one instant."”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “She has never been in their hands for one instant."”
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading “She is safe and well.”
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading “"No, no, you do not understand.”
(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 “She is safe and well.”
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.
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 "But I got a cable from Bronsen?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She is safe and well.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She has never been in their hands for one instant."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But I got a cable from Bronsen?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But I got a cable from Bronsen?"
a telegram sent abroad
From this reading "But I got a cable from Bronsen?"
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "No, no, you did not.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "No, no, you do not understand.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She has never been in their hands for one instant."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "But I got a cable from Bronsen?"
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "But I got a cable from Bronsen?"
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading She has never been in their hands for one instant."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She has never been in their hands for one instant."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "But I got a cable from Bronsen?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She has never been in their hands for one instant."
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading She has never been in their hands for one instant."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She is safe and well.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading She has never been in their hands for one instant."
not any; not one
From this reading "No, no, you do not understand.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "No, no, you do not understand.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She has never been in their hands for one instant."
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading She is safe and well.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She is safe and well.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading She has never been in their hands for one instant."
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading "No, no, you do not understand.
(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 She is safe and well.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "No, no, you do not understand.
Chapter 9 of The Big Four by Agatha Christie holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 417 sentences of The Big Four, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Big Four by Agatha Christie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Big Four by Agatha Christie 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 Big Four section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Big Four 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 Big Four, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
