Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Enormous Room
The Enormous Room

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of The Enormous Room is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Enormous Room
Context Illustration Reading 1/82 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
“_Aux armes!
Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.
All right, whose fault is this?” he roared.
And a number of highly reputable spectators, such as Judas and The Fighting Sheeney himself, said it was The Young Pole’s fault.
“_Allez!
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 Enormous Room

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of The Enormous Room is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
“_Aux armes!
Line 2
Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.
Line 3
All right, whose fault is this?” he roared.
/ɔːl raɪt huːz fɔːlt ɪz ðɪs hiː rɔːrd/
Line 4
And a number of highly reputable spectators, such as Judas and The Fighting Sheeney himself, said it was The Young Pole’s fault.
Line 5
“_Allez!

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.

cuffed verb US /kʌft/

past form of “cuff” — hit with the hand

From this reading “Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.”

fragility noun US /frəˈdʒɪləti/

quality of being easily damaged or destroyed

From this reading “Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.”

Holster noun US /ˈhoʊlstər/

a sheath (usually leather) for carrying a handgun

From this reading “Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.”

intrepid adjective US /ɪnˈtrepəd/

invulnerable to fear or intimidation

From this reading “Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.”

jiffy noun US /ˈdʒɪfi/

a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)

From this reading “Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.”

Judas noun US /ˈdʒuːdəs/

(New Testament) supposed brother of St. James; one of the Apostles who is invoked in prayer when a situation seems hopeless

From this reading “And a number of highly reputable spectators, such as Judas and The Fighting Sheeney himself, said it was The Young Pole’s fault.”

participants noun US /pɑːrˈtɪsəpənts/

plural of “participant” — someone who takes part in an activity

From this reading “Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.”

reputable adjective US /ˈrepjətəbəl/

having a good reputation

From this reading “And a number of highly reputable spectators, such as Judas and The Fighting Sheeney himself, said it was The Young Pole’s fault.”

All words in this reading · 56

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 Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

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 “All right, whose fault is this?” he roared.

Allez

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

From this reading “_Allez!

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

apartadverbUS /əˈpɑːrt/

separated or at a distance in place or position or time

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

armesverbUS /ɑːrmz/

third-person singular of “arm” — prepare oneself for a military confrontation

From this reading “_Aux armes!

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

Aux

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

From this reading “_Aux armes!

BlackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

boundedadjectiveUS /ˈbaʊndəd/

having the limits or boundaries established

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

buildingnounUS /ˈbɪldɪŋ/

a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

cuffedverbUS /kʌft/

past form of “cuff” — hit with the hand

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

faultnounUS /fɔːlt/

a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading “All right, whose fault is this?” he roared.

FightingnounUS /ˈfaɪtɪŋ/

the act of fighting; any contest or struggle

From this reading And a number of highly reputable spectators, such as Judas and The Fighting Sheeney himself, said it was The Young Pole’s fault.

fragilitynounUS /frəˈdʒɪləti/

quality of being easily damaged or destroyed

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

gatenounUS /ɡeɪt/

a movable barrier in a fence or wall

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

highlyadverbUS /ˈhaɪli/

to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect

From this reading And a number of highly reputable spectators, such as Judas and The Fighting Sheeney himself, said it was The Young Pole’s fault.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading And a number of highly reputable spectators, such as Judas and The Fighting Sheeney himself, said it was The Young Pole’s fault.

HolsternounUS /ˈhoʊlstər/

a sheath (usually leather) for carrying a handgun

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

intrepidadjectiveUS /ɪnˈtrepəd/

invulnerable to fear or intimidation

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading “All right, whose fault is this?” he roared.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading And a number of highly reputable spectators, such as Judas and The Fighting Sheeney himself, said it was The Young Pole’s fault.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

jiffynounUS /ˈdʒɪfi/

a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

JudasnounUS /ˈdʒuːdəs/

(New Testament) supposed brother of St. James; one of the Apostles who is invoked in prayer when a situation seems hopeless

From this reading And a number of highly reputable spectators, such as Judas and The Fighting Sheeney himself, said it was The Young Pole’s fault.

numbernounUS /ˈnʌmbər/

the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals

From this reading And a number of highly reputable spectators, such as Judas and The Fighting Sheeney himself, said it was The Young Pole’s fault.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

participantsnounUS /pɑːrˈtɪsəpənts/

plural of “participant” — someone who takes part in an activity

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

penetratedverbUS /ˈpenətreɪtɪd/

past form of “penetrate” — pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

plaintiveadjectiveUS /ˈpleɪntɪv/

expressing sorrow

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

Pole's

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

From this reading And a number of highly reputable spectators, such as Judas and The Fighting Sheeney himself, said it was The Young Pole’s fault.

releasedverbUS /riˈliːst/

past form of “release” — release, as from one's grip

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

reputableadjectiveUS /ˈrepjətəbəl/

having a good reputation

From this reading And a number of highly reputable spectators, such as Judas and The Fighting Sheeney himself, said it was The Young Pole’s fault.

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading “All right, whose fault is this?” he roared.

roaredverbUS /rɔːrd/

past form of “roar” — make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles

From this reading “All right, whose fault is this?” he roared.

roaringnounUS /ˈrɔːrɪŋ/

a deep prolonged loud noise

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading And a number of highly reputable spectators, such as Judas and The Fighting Sheeney himself, said it was The Young Pole’s fault.

salutationnoun

an act of honor or courteous recognition

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

Sheeney

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

From this reading And a number of highly reputable spectators, such as Judas and The Fighting Sheeney himself, said it was The Young Pole’s fault.

spectatorsnounUS /ˈspekteɪtərz/

plural of “spectator” — a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind)

From this reading And a number of highly reputable spectators, such as Judas and The Fighting Sheeney himself, said it was The Young Pole’s fault.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading And a number of highly reputable spectators, such as Judas and The Fighting Sheeney himself, said it was The Young Pole’s fault.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading “All right, whose fault is this?” he roared.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

utterancenounUS /ˈʌtərəns/

the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

virtuenounUS /ˈvɝː.tʃuː/

Moral excellence and goodness of character; the highest human attainment in Stoic philosophy.

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading And a number of highly reputable spectators, such as Judas and The Fighting Sheeney himself, said it was The Young Pole’s fault.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Aux armes!_” which plaintive and intrepid utterance by virtue of its very fragility penetrated the building and released The Black Holster, who bounded through the gate, roaring a salutation as he bounded, and in a jiffy had cuffed the participants apart.

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading “All right, whose fault is this?” he roared.

YoungadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading And a number of highly reputable spectators, such as Judas and The Fighting Sheeney himself, said it was The Young Pole’s fault.

Chapter 9 of The Enormous Room by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 Enormous Room contain?

Chapter 9 holds 410 sentences of The Enormous Room, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of The Enormous Room by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 Enormous Room?

Work through the 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 82 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 Enormous Room

Common questions about reading The Enormous Room by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Enormous Room?

Yes. All 4707 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8446 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Enormous Room is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #8446, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Enormous Room take to read?

About 392 minutes of reading across 942 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Enormous Room section by section

How to work through The Enormous Room section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Enormous Room 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 Enormous Room

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Enormous Room, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Norton-harjes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Enormous Room; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ambulance
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Enormous Room; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Corps
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Enormous Room; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Officially
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Enormous Room; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.