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The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02
The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02 is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02
Context Illustration Reading 1/80 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.
"JAMES R. COLSTON.
"P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.
I forego my intention to keep it on my body to explain the manner of my death, which is not important.
It will serve to explain the manner of yours.
0:00 / 0:00
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.

The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02 is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.
/aɪ ʃæl ber ðɪs ˈraɪtɪŋ ɑːn maɪ ˈbɑːdi ðə ˈfaɪndər wɪl pliːz hænd ɪt tuː ðə ˈkɔːrənər/
Line 2
"JAMES R. COLSTON.
Line 3
"P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.
Line 4
I forego my intention to keep it on my body to explain the manner of my death, which is not important.
/aɪ fɔːrˈɡoʊ maɪ ˌɪnˈtentʃən tuː kiːp ɪt ɑːn maɪ ˈbɑːdi tuː ɪkˈspleɪn ðə ˈmænər ʌv maɪ deθ wɪtʃ ɪz nɑːt ˌɪmˈpɔːrtənt/
Line 5
It will serve to explain the manner of yours.
/ɪt wɪl sɜːrv tuː ɪkˈspleɪn ðə ˈmænər ʌv jʊrz/

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.

coroner noun US /ˈkɔːrənər/

a public official who investigates by inquest any death not due to natural causes

From this reading “"I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.”

designated verb US /ˈdezɪɡneɪtɪd/

past form of “designate” — assign a name or title to

From this reading “"P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.”

fifteenth adjective US /fɪfˈtiːnθ/

coming next after the fourteenth and just before the sixteenth in position

From this reading “"P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.”

finder noun US /ˈfaɪndər/

someone who comes upon something after searching

From this reading “"I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.”

forego verb US /fɔːrˈɡoʊ/

be earlier in time; go back further

From this reading “I forego my intention to keep it on my body to explain the manner of my death, which is not important.”

manuscript noun US /ˈmæn.jə.skrɪpt/

A book, document, or piece of music written by hand rather than typed or printed.

From this reading “"P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.”

Marsh noun US /mɑːrʃ/

low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation; usually is a transition zone between land and water

From this reading “"P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.”

Willard noun US /ˈwɪlərd/

United States advocate of temperance and women's suffrage (1839-1898)

From this reading “"P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.”

All words in this reading · 53

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.

agreedadjectiveUS /əˈɡriːd/

united by being of the same opinion

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

bearverbUS /ber/

have

From this reading "I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.

bodynounUS /ˈbɑːdi/

the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)

From this reading "I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.

COLSTON

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

From this reading "JAMES R. COLSTON.

conditionsnounUS /kənˈdɪʃənz/

the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

coronernounUS /ˈkɔːrənər/

a public official who investigates by inquest any death not due to natural causes

From this reading "I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading I forego my intention to keep it on my body to explain the manner of my death, which is not important.

designatedverbUS /ˈdezɪɡneɪtɪd/

past form of “designate” — assign a name or title to

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

explainverbUS /ɪkˈspleɪn/

make plain and comprehensible

From this reading I forego my intention to keep it on my body to explain the manner of my death, which is not important.

fataladjectiveUS /ˈfeɪtəl/

bringing death

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

fifteenthadjectiveUS /fɪfˈtiːnθ/

coming next after the fourteenth and just before the sixteenth in position

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

findernounUS /ˈfaɪndər/

someone who comes upon something after searching

From this reading "I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.

foregoverbUS /fɔːrˈɡoʊ/

be earlier in time; go back further

From this reading I forego my intention to keep it on my body to explain the manner of my death, which is not important.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading "I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.

importantadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɔːrtənt/

of great significance or value

From this reading I forego my intention to keep it on my body to explain the manner of my death, which is not important.

intentionnounUS /ˌɪnˈtentʃən/

an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions

From this reading I forego my intention to keep it on my body to explain the manner of my death, which is not important.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading I forego my intention to keep it on my body to explain the manner of my death, which is not important.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.

JAMESnounUS /dʒeɪmz/

a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)

From this reading "JAMES R. COLSTON.

JulynounUS /ˌdʒuːˈlaɪ/

the month following June and preceding August

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

keepverbUS /kiːp/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading I forego my intention to keep it on my body to explain the manner of my death, which is not important.

mannernounUS /ˈmænər/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading I forego my intention to keep it on my body to explain the manner of my death, which is not important.

manuscriptnounUS /ˈmæn.jə.skrɪpt/

A book, document, or piece of music written by hand rather than typed or printed.

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

MarshnounUS /mɑːrʃ/

low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation; usually is a transition zone between land and water

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I forego my intention to keep it on my body to explain the manner of my death, which is not important.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading "I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.

openedadjectiveUS /ˈoʊpənd/

used of mouth or eyes

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

PnounUS /piː/

a multivalent nonmetallic element of the nitrogen family that occurs commonly in inorganic phosphate rocks and as organic phosphates in all living cells; is highly reactive and occurs in several allotropic forms

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

pleaseverbUS /pliːz/

give pleasure to or be pleasing to

From this reading "I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.

RnounUS /ɑːr/

a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air

From this reading "JAMES R. COLSTON.

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

SnounUS /es/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

serveverbUS /sɜːrv/

serve a purpose, role, or function

From this reading It will serve to explain the manner of yours.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading "I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading "I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading "I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.

WillardnounUS /ˈwɪlərd/

United States advocate of temperance and women's suffrage (1839-1898)

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

writingnounUS /ˈraɪtɪŋ/

the act of creating written works

From this reading "I shall bear this writing on my body; the finder will please hand it to the coroner.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "P.S.--Willard Marsh, on this the fatal fifteenth day of July I hand you this manuscript, to be opened and read under the conditions agreed upon, and at the place which I designated.

yourspronounUS /jʊrz/

the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to

From this reading It will serve to explain the manner of yours.

Chapter 9 of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02 by Ambrose Bierce holds 403 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.

What does chapter 9 of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02 contain?

Chapter 9 holds 403 sentences of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02 by Ambrose Bierce exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 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.

How do I study chapter 9 of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02?

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.

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 Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02

Common questions about reading The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02 by Ambrose Bierce on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02?

Yes. All 3636 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13334 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #13334, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02 take to read?

About 303 minutes of reading across 728 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02 section by section

How to work through The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02 to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Denied
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Existence
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Chief
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Publishing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 02; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.