Chapter 9 of The Black Monk, and Other Stories is here in full — 416 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 Black Monk, and Other Stories is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Around the room stand beds, screwed to the floor. Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men. It is the lunatic asylum, and these arc the lunatics. There are only five patients. One is of noble birth, the others arc men of lower origin.
Chapter 9 of The Black Monk, and Other Stories is here in full — 416 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.
electrical conduction through a gas in an applied electric field
From this reading “It is the lunatic asylum, and these arc the lunatics.”
a shelter from danger or hardship
From this reading “It is the lunatic asylum, and these arc the lunatics.”
plural of “forefather” — the founder of a family
From this reading “Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.”
insane and believed to be affected by the phases of the moon
From this reading “It is the lunatic asylum, and these arc the lunatics.”
plural of “lunatic” — an insane person
From this reading “It is the lunatic asylum, and these arc the lunatics.”
the place where something begins, where it springs into being
From this reading “One is of noble birth, the others arc men of lower origin.”
plural of “patient” — a person who requires medical care
From this reading “There are only five patients.”
past form of “screw” — have sexual intercourse with
From this reading “Around the room stand beds, screwed to the floor.”
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 “It is the lunatic asylum, and these arc the lunatics.”
In this reading “One is of noble birth, the others arc men of lower origin.”
In this reading “Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.”
In this reading “Around the room stand beds, screwed to the floor.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.
electrical conduction through a gas in an applied electric field
From this reading It is the lunatic asylum, and these arc the lunatics.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Around the room stand beds, screwed to the floor.
a shelter from danger or hardship
From this reading It is the lunatic asylum, and these arc the lunatics.
plural of “bed” — a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Around the room stand beds, screwed to the floor.
the time when something begins (especially life)
From this reading One is of noble birth, the others arc men of lower origin.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading There are only five patients.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Around the room stand beds, screwed to the floor.
plural of “forefather” — the founder of a family
From this reading Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is the lunatic asylum, and these arc the lunatics.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is the lunatic asylum, and these arc the lunatics.
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading One is of noble birth, the others arc men of lower origin.
insane and believed to be affected by the phases of the moon
From this reading It is the lunatic asylum, and these arc the lunatics.
plural of “lunatic” — an insane person
From this reading It is the lunatic asylum, and these arc the lunatics.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.
the force of workers available
From this reading Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.
impressive in appearance
From this reading One is of noble birth, the others arc men of lower origin.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One is of noble birth, the others arc men of lower origin.
and nothing more
From this reading There are only five patients.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.
the place where something begins, where it springs into being
From this reading One is of noble birth, the others arc men of lower origin.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One is of noble birth, the others arc men of lower origin.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.
plural of “patient” — a person who requires medical care
From this reading There are only five patients.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Around the room stand beds, screwed to the floor.
past form of “screw” — have sexual intercourse with
From this reading Around the room stand beds, screwed to the floor.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.
be standing; be upright
From this reading Around the room stand beds, screwed to the floor.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Around the room stand beds, screwed to the floor.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There are only five patients.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading It is the lunatic asylum, and these arc the lunatics.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Around the room stand beds, screwed to the floor.
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
From this reading Sitting or lying on them, dressed in blue dressing-gowns, and wearing nightcaps after the manner of our forefathers, are men.
Chapter 9 of The Black Monk, and Other Stories by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov holds 416 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 416 sentences of The Black Monk, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Black Monk, and Other Stories by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 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 Black Monk, and Other Stories by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4457 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55307 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55307, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 371 minutes of reading across 892 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Black Monk, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Black Monk, and Other Stories 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 Black Monk, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
