Chapter 9 of The Desert and the Sown is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Desert and the Sown is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What you say? Whose surface diggin's is these? I never know anybody do some mining here.” “That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words. “I was looking round here for something I lost.”
Chapter 9 of The Desert and the Sown is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
any person at all
From this reading “I never know anybody do some mining here.””
having a back or backing, usually of a specified type
From this reading ““That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words.”
very pleasing to the eye
From this reading ““That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words.”
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading ““That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words.”
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading ““That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words.”
the act of extracting ores or coal etc from the earth
From this reading “I never know anybody do some mining here.””
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading ““That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words.”
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading “Whose surface diggin's is these?”
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 “That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words.
any person at all
From this reading I never know anybody do some mining here.”
having a back or backing, usually of a specified type
From this reading “That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words.
very pleasing to the eye
From this reading “That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading “That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Whose surface diggin's is these?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I never know anybody do some mining here.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I was looking round here for something I lost.”
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading I never know anybody do some mining here.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I never know anybody do some mining here.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Whose surface diggin's is these?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I never know anybody do some mining here.”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading “I was looking round here for something I lost.”
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading “I was looking round here for something I lost.”
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words.
the act of extracting ores or coal etc from the earth
From this reading I never know anybody do some mining here.”
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading “That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never know anybody do some mining here.”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading “I was looking round here for something I lost.”
express in words
From this reading “What you say?
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading I never know anybody do some mining here.”
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “I was looking round here for something I lost.”
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading Whose surface diggin's is these?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Whose surface diggin's is these?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What you say?
belonging to which person
From this reading Whose surface diggin's is these?
the words that are spoken
From this reading “That was me”--Bonny backed a little nearer to catch the old man's words.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What you say?
Chapter 9 of The Desert and the Sown by Mary Hallock Foote holds 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 431 sentences of The Desert and the Sown, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Desert and the Sown by Mary Hallock Foote exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Desert and the Sown by Mary Hallock Foote on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4731 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8219 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8219, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 394 minutes of reading across 947 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Desert and the Sown section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Desert and the Sown 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 Desert and the Sown, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
