Chapter 9 of The Border Legion is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Border Legion is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice. “Is that so black a thing?” queried Kells, evidently nettled, and he glared at her. “I--I don't know,” faltered Joan. “Is this--this boy a criminal yet?” “No. He's only a fine, decent young chap gone wild--gone bad for some girl.
Chapter 9 of The Border Legion is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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 boy or man
From this reading ““No. He's only a fine, decent young chap gone wild--gone bad for some girl.”
bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure
From this reading ““Is this--this boy a criminal yet?””
socially or conventionally correct; refined or virtuous
From this reading ““No. He's only a fine, decent young chap gone wild--gone bad for some girl.”
past form of “falter” — be unsure or weak
From this reading ““I--I don't know,” faltered Joan.”
past form of “glare” — look at with a fixed gaze
From this reading ““Is that so black a thing?” queried Kells, evidently nettled, and he glared at her.”
aroused to impatience or anger
From this reading ““Is that so black a thing?” queried Kells, evidently nettled, and he glared at her.”
win approval or support for
From this reading ““I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice.”
inflected form of “query” — pose a question
From this reading ““Is that so black a thing?” queried Kells, evidently nettled, and he glared at her.”
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 “Is that so black a thing?” queried Kells, evidently nettled, and he glared at her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Is that so black a thing?” queried Kells, evidently nettled, and he glared at her.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “No. He's only a fine, decent young chap gone wild--gone bad for some girl.
an unofficial association of people or groups
From this reading “I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading “Is that so black a thing?” queried Kells, evidently nettled, and he glared at her.
a youthful male person
From this reading “Is this--this boy a criminal yet?”
a boy or man
From this reading “No. He's only a fine, decent young chap gone wild--gone bad for some girl.
power to direct or determine
From this reading “I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice.
bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure
From this reading “Is this--this boy a criminal yet?”
socially or conventionally correct; refined or virtuous
From this reading “No. He's only a fine, decent young chap gone wild--gone bad for some girl.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I--I don't know,” faltered Joan.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “Is that so black a thing?” queried Kells, evidently nettled, and he glared at her.
past form of “falter” — be unsure or weak
From this reading “I--I don't know,” faltered Joan.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading “No. He's only a fine, decent young chap gone wild--gone bad for some girl.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “No. He's only a fine, decent young chap gone wild--gone bad for some girl.
a young female
From this reading “No. He's only a fine, decent young chap gone wild--gone bad for some girl.
past form of “glare” — look at with a fixed gaze
From this reading “Is that so black a thing?” queried Kells, evidently nettled, and he glared at her.
destroyed or killed
From this reading “No. He's only a fine, decent young chap gone wild--gone bad for some girl.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Is that so black a thing?” queried Kells, evidently nettled, and he glared at her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No. He's only a fine, decent young chap gone wild--gone bad for some girl.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I--I don't know,” faltered Joan.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Is that so black a thing?” queried Kells, evidently nettled, and he glared at her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice.
become part of; become a member of a group or organization
From this reading “I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Is that so black a thing?” queried Kells, evidently nettled, and he glared at her.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I--I don't know,” faltered Joan.
aroused to impatience or anger
From this reading “Is that so black a thing?” queried Kells, evidently nettled, and he glared at her.
not any; not one
From this reading “No. He's only a fine, decent young chap gone wild--gone bad for some girl.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice.
and nothing more
From this reading “No. He's only a fine, decent young chap gone wild--gone bad for some girl.
win approval or support for
From this reading “I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice.
inflected form of “query” — pose a question
From this reading “Is that so black a thing?” queried Kells, evidently nettled, and he glared at her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “Is that so black a thing?” queried Kells, evidently nettled, and he glared at her.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “No. He's only a fine, decent young chap gone wild--gone bad for some girl.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Is that so black a thing?” queried Kells, evidently nettled, and he glared at her.
a special situation
From this reading “Is that so black a thing?” queried Kells, evidently nettled, and he glared at her.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Is this--this boy a criminal yet?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading “No. He's only a fine, decent young chap gone wild--gone bad for some girl.
but in spite of that
From this reading “I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “No. He's only a fine, decent young chap gone wild--gone bad for some girl.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I'm to help persuade him to join your band?” asked Joan, and she could not yet control her voice.
Chapter 9 of The Border Legion by Zane Grey holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 402 sentences of The Border Legion, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Border Legion by Zane Grey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Border Legion by Zane Grey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8730 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4552 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4552, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1746 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Border Legion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Border Legion 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 Border Legion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
