Chapter 9 of The First Hundred Thousand is here in full — 432 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 First Hundred Thousand is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench. A third and a fourth follow. Then comes a pause. A message is passed down for the stretcher-bearers. Things are growing serious.
Chapter 9 of The First Hundred Thousand is here in full — 432 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.
plural of “bullet” — a projectile that is fired from a gun
From this reading “The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.”
third-person singular of “explode” — cause to burst with a violent release of energy
From this reading “The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.”
past form of “obscure” — make less visible or unclear
From this reading “The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.”
a low wall along the edge of a roof or balcony
From this reading “The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.”
plural of “shower” — a plumbing fixture that sprays water over you
From this reading “The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.”
shell containing lead pellets that explodes in flight
From this reading “The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.”
plural of “stretcher-bearer” — one who helps carry a stretcher
From this reading “A message is passed down for the stretcher-bearers.”
a ditch dug as a fortification having a parapet of the excavated earth
From this reading “The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.”
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 The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
react verbally
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Things are growing serious.
plural of “bullet” — a projectile that is fired from a gun
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading Then comes a pause.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading A message is passed down for the stretcher-bearers.
third-person singular of “explode” — cause to burst with a violent release of energy
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading A third and a fourth follow.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A message is passed down for the stretcher-bearers.
following the third position; number four in a countable series
From this reading A third and a fourth follow.
plural of “fragment” — a piece broken off or cut off of something else
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading Things are growing serious.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading A message is passed down for the stretcher-bearers.
past form of “obscure” — make less visible or unclear
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
a low wall along the edge of a roof or balcony
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading A message is passed down for the stretcher-bearers.
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading Then comes a pause.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading Things are growing serious.
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
plural of “shower” — a plumbing fixture that sprays water over you
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
shell containing lead pellets that explodes in flight
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
plural of “stretcher-bearer” — one who helps carry a stretcher
From this reading A message is passed down for the stretcher-bearers.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then comes a pause.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Things are growing serious.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading A third and a fourth follow.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
a ditch dug as a fortification having a parapet of the excavated earth
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading The answer to the question is obscured by another burst of shrapnel, which explodes a few yards short of the parapet, and showers bullets and fragments of shell into the trench.
Chapter 9 of The First Hundred Thousand by Ian Hay holds 432 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 432 sentences of The First Hundred Thousand, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The First Hundred Thousand by Ian Hay exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 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 First Hundred Thousand by Ian Hay on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4635 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12877 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12877, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 386 minutes of reading across 927 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The First Hundred Thousand section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The First Hundred Thousand 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 First Hundred Thousand, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
