Chapter 9 of The Impossibles is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Impossibles is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Well," Malone said, "what he told me. Was he kidding me? Or does he know what he's talking about? Was what he said reasonably accurate?" "How would I know?"
Chapter 9 of The Impossibles is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
conforming exactly or almost exactly to fact or to a standard or performing with total accuracy
From this reading “Was what he said reasonably accurate?"”
inflected form of “kid” — tell false information to for fun
From this reading “Was he kidding me?”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Or does he know what he's talking about?”
English scholar remembered for his chronology of Shakespeare's plays and his editions of Shakespeare and Dryden (1741-1812)
From this reading “"Well," Malone said, "what he told me.”
to certain extent or degree
From this reading “Was what he said reasonably accurate?"”
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading “Or does he know what he's talking about?”
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading “"Well," Malone said, "what he told me.”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “"Well," Malone said, "what he told me.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Or does he know what he's talking about?
conforming exactly or almost exactly to fact or to a standard or performing with total accuracy
From this reading Was what he said reasonably accurate?"
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Or does he know what he's talking about?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Well," Malone said, "what he told me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Or does he know what he's talking about?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How would I know?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "How would I know?"
inflected form of “kid” — tell false information to for fun
From this reading Was he kidding me?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Or does he know what he's talking about?
English scholar remembered for his chronology of Shakespeare's plays and his editions of Shakespeare and Dryden (1741-1812)
From this reading "Well," Malone said, "what he told me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Well," Malone said, "what he told me.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Or does he know what he's talking about?
to certain extent or degree
From this reading Was what he said reasonably accurate?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Well," Malone said, "what he told me.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading Or does he know what he's talking about?
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "Well," Malone said, "what he told me.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Was he kidding me?
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well," Malone said, "what he told me.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Well," Malone said, "what he told me.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "How would I know?"
Chapter 9 of The Impossibles by Randall Garrett holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 415 sentences of The Impossibles, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Impossibles by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Impossibles by Randall Garrett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Impossibles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Impossibles 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 Impossibles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
