The Children of France A Book of Stories

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of The Children of France A Book of Stories is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Ruth Royce • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Children of France A Book of Stories

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

GENE AND THE BAVARIAN DRAGOONS "The story of Gene and the Bavarian dragoons, is one of the best, to my mind, that has developed in this war," said Captain Favor, beginning a new story.

"Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

"Gene's mother had been ill for months.

She had been bedridden all that time, leaving to the little girl the heavy work of the home, for the father, too, was in poor health.

Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IX Reading 1/23

The Children of France A Book of Stories Ruth Royce

Chapter IX

Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of The Children of France A Book of Stories is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

GENE AND THE BAVARIAN DRAGOONS "The story of Gene and the Bavarian dragoons, is one of the best, to my mind, that has developed in this war," said Captain Favor, beginning a new story. "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently. "Gene's mother had been ill for months. She had been bedridden all that time, leaving to the little girl the heavy work of the home, for the father, too, was in poor health. Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

The Children of France A Book of Stories

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of The Children of France A Book of Stories is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/23 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

GENE AND THE BAVARIAN DRAGOONS "The story of Gene and the Bavarian dragoons, is one of the best, to my mind, that has developed in this war," said Captain Favor, beginning a new story.

Line 2

"Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

/sʌtʃ kwɪk ˈθɪŋkɪŋ æz hərz ɪn ðə feɪs ʌv æn ɪˈmɜːrdʒənsi ɪz ˈveri rer ɪn ə tʃaɪld wɪtʃ meɪks dʒiːnz əˈtʃiːvmənt stænd aʊt soʊ ˈprɑːmənəntli/

Line 3

"Gene's mother had been ill for months.

/dʒiːnz ˈmʌðər hæd bɪn ɪl fɔːr mʌnθs/

Line 4

She had been bedridden all that time, leaving to the little girl the heavy work of the home, for the father, too, was in poor health.

/ʃiː hæd bɪn ˈbedrɪdən ɔːl ðæt taɪm ˈliːvɪŋ tuː ðə ˈlɪtəl ɡɜːrl ðə ˈhevi wɜːrk ʌv ðə hoʊm fɔːr ðə ˈfɑːðər tuː wɑːz ɪn puːr helθ/

Line 5

Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

Learner Dictionary

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.

achievement noun US /əˈtʃiːvmənt/

the action of accomplishing something

From this reading “"Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.”

battles noun US /ˈbætəlz/

plural of “battle” — a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war

From this reading “Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.”

bavarian noun US /bəˈveriən/

a native or an inhabitant of Bavaria

From this reading “GENE AND THE BAVARIAN DRAGOONS "The story of Gene and the Bavarian dragoons, is one of the best, to my mind, that has developed in this war," said Captain Favor, beginning a new story.”

bedridden adjective US /ˈbedrɪdən/

confined to bed (by illness)

From this reading “She had been bedridden all that time, leaving to the little girl the heavy work of the home, for the father, too, was in poor health.”

emergency noun US /ɪˈmɜːrdʒənsi/

a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action

From this reading “"Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.”

gene noun US /dʒiːn/

(genetics) a segment of DNA that is involved in producing a polypeptide chain; it can include regions preceding and following the coding DNA as well as introns between the exons; it is considered a unit of heredity

Gene's noun US /dʒiːnz/

possessive form of “gene” — (genetics) a segment of DNA that is involved in producing a polypeptide chain; it can include regions preceding and following the coding DNA as well as introns between the exons; it is considered a unit of heredity

From this reading “"Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.”

prominently adverb US /ˈprɑːmənəntli/

in a prominent way

From this reading “"Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.”

All words in this reading · 84

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading GENE AND THE BAVARIAN DRAGOONS "The story of Gene and the Bavarian dragoons, is one of the best, to my mind, that has developed in this war," said Captain Favor, beginning a new story.

achievementnounUS /əˈtʃiːvmənt/

the action of accomplishing something

From this reading "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

agenounUS /eɪdʒ/

how long something has existed

From this reading Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading She had been bedridden all that time, leaving to the little girl the heavy work of the home, for the father, too, was in poor health.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

battlesnounUS /ˈbætəlz/

plural of “battle” — a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war

From this reading Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

BAVARIANnounUS /bəˈveriən/

a native or an inhabitant of Bavaria

bedriddenadjectiveUS /ˈbedrɪdən/

confined to bed (by illness)

From this reading She had been bedridden all that time, leaving to the little girl the heavy work of the home, for the father, too, was in poor health.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading "Gene's mother had been ill for months.

beginningnounUS /bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/

the event consisting of the start of something

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

capableadjectiveUS /ˈkeɪpəbəl/

(usually followed by “of”) having capacity or ability

From this reading Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

CaptainnounUS /ˈkæptən/

an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

childnounUS /tʃaɪld/

a young person of either sex

From this reading "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

developedadjectiveUS /dɪˈveləpt/

being changed over time so as to be e.g. stronger or more complete or more useful

DRAGOONS

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

emergencynounUS /ɪˈmɜːrdʒənsi/

a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action

From this reading "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading She had been bedridden all that time, leaving to the little girl the heavy work of the home, for the father, too, was in poor health.

FavorverbUS /ˈfeɪvər/

promote over another

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "Gene's mother had been ill for months.

GENEnounUS /dʒiːn/

Gene'snounUS /dʒiːnz/

From this reading "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading She had been bedridden all that time, leaving to the little girl the heavy work of the home, for the father, too, was in poor health.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading "Gene's mother had been ill for months.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

healthnounUS /helθ/

a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease

From this reading She had been bedridden all that time, leaving to the little girl the heavy work of the home, for the father, too, was in poor health.

heavyadjectiveUS /ˈhevi/

of comparatively great physical weight or density

From this reading She had been bedridden all that time, leaving to the little girl the heavy work of the home, for the father, too, was in poor health.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

herspronounUS /hərz/

the one or ones belonging to her

From this reading "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading She had been bedridden all that time, leaving to the little girl the heavy work of the home, for the father, too, was in poor health.

how

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

illadjectiveUS /ɪl/

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading "Gene's mother had been ill for months.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

leavingnounUS /ˈliːvɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading She had been bedridden all that time, leaving to the little girl the heavy work of the home, for the father, too, was in poor health.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading She had been bedridden all that time, leaving to the little girl the heavy work of the home, for the father, too, was in poor health.

makesnounUS /meɪks/

plural of “make” — a recognizable kind

From this reading "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

monthsnounUS /mʌnθs/

plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading "Gene's mother had been ill for months.

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading "Gene's mother had been ill for months.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

pooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading She had been bedridden all that time, leaving to the little girl the heavy work of the home, for the father, too, was in poor health.

prominentlyadverbUS /ˈprɑːmənəntli/

in a prominent way

From this reading "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

quickadjectiveUS /kwɪk/

accomplished rapidly and without delay

From this reading "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

rareadjectiveUS /rer/

not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness

From this reading "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

resoluteadjectiveUS /ˈrezəluːt/

firm in purpose or belief; characterized by firmness and determination

From this reading Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She had been bedridden all that time, leaving to the little girl the heavy work of the home, for the father, too, was in poor health.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

standverbUS /stænd/

be standing; be upright

From this reading "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

storynounUS /ˈstɔːri/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

SuchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

tennounUS /ten/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

thinkingnounUS /ˈθɪŋkɪŋ/

the process of using your mind to consider something carefully

From this reading "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading She had been bedridden all that time, leaving to the little girl the heavy work of the home, for the father, too, was in poor health.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading She had been bedridden all that time, leaving to the little girl the heavy work of the home, for the father, too, was in poor health.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

warnounUS /wɔːr/

the waging of armed conflict against an enemy

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading She had been bedridden all that time, leaving to the little girl the heavy work of the home, for the father, too, was in poor health.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gene's achievement stand out so prominently.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

wonnounUS /wʌn/

the basic unit of money in South Korea

From this reading Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading She had been bedridden all that time, leaving to the little girl the heavy work of the home, for the father, too, was in poor health.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Gene, though only ten years of age, was a resolute and capable child, as you will see when I tell you the story of how she won two little battles of her own.

Chapter 9 of The Children of France A Book of Stories by Ruth Royce holds 118 sentences, grouped into 24 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.

What does chapter 9 of The Children of France A Book of Stories contain?

Chapter 9 holds 118 sentences of The Children of France A Book of Stories, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of The Children of France A Book of Stories by Ruth Royce exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 118 sentences, grouped into 24 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.

How do I study chapter 9 of The Children of France A Book of Stories?

Work through the 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 24 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.

Can chapter 9 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Children of France A Book of Stories

Common questions about reading The Children of France A Book of Stories by Ruth Royce on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Children of France A Book of Stories?

Yes. All 1818 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16437 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Children of France A Book of Stories is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #16437, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Children of France A Book of Stories take to read?

About 151 minutes of reading across 364 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Children of France A Book of Stories section by section

How to work through The Children of France A Book of Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Children of France A Book of Stories to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Children of France A Book of Stories

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Children of France A Book of Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Squire's: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Children of France A Book of Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Neighborhood: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Children of France A Book of Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Children: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Children of France A Book of Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sight: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Children of France A Book of Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

What does chapter 9 of The Children of France A Book of Stories contain?

How do I study chapter 9 of The Children of France A Book of Stories?

Can chapter 9 be read aloud to me?

Questions about reading The Children of France A Book of Stories

How to read The Children of France A Book of Stories section by section

Open a chapter

Read one section

Listen and tap

Vocabulary met early in The Children of France A Book of Stories