Chapter 9 of The Professor's House is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Professor's House is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
His head disappeared below the rim. I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings. I lay down on the ledge and listened. I could hear him for a long way down, and the sounds were comforting to me, though I didn’t realize it. Then the silence closed in.
Chapter 9 of The Professor's House is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
metal shackles; for hands or legs
From this reading “I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.”
providing freedom from worry
From this reading “I could hear him for a long way down, and the sounds were comforting to me, though I didn’t realize it.”
make a high-pitched, screeching noise
From this reading “I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.”
a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water
From this reading “I lay down on the ledge and listened.”
make short successive sounds
From this reading “I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.”
be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading “I could hear him for a long way down, and the sounds were comforting to me, though I didn’t realize it.”
the shape of a raised edge of a more or less circular object
From this reading “His head disappeared below the rim.”
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading “I could hear him for a long way down, and the sounds were comforting to me, though I didn’t realize it.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.”
institute, enact, or establish
In this reading “I lay down on the ledge and listened.”
In this reading “His head disappeared below the rim.”
In this reading “I lay down on the ledge and listened.”
In this reading “I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.”
In this reading “I could hear him for a long way down, and the sounds were comforting to me, though I didn’t realize it.”
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 I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading His head disappeared below the rim.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.
metal shackles; for hands or legs
From this reading I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading Then the silence closed in.
providing freedom from worry
From this reading I could hear him for a long way down, and the sounds were comforting to me, though I didn’t realize it.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.
make a high-pitched, screeching noise
From this reading I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I could hear him for a long way down, and the sounds were comforting to me, though I didn’t realize it.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading His head disappeared below the rim.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading I lay down on the ledge and listened.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I could hear him for a long way down, and the sounds were comforting to me, though I didn’t realize it.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading His head disappeared below the rim.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I could hear him for a long way down, and the sounds were comforting to me, though I didn’t realize it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His head disappeared below the rim.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then the silence closed in.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I could hear him for a long way down, and the sounds were comforting to me, though I didn’t realize it.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading I lay down on the ledge and listened.
a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water
From this reading I lay down on the ledge and listened.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading I lay down on the ledge and listened.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading I could hear him for a long way down, and the sounds were comforting to me, though I didn’t realize it.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I could hear him for a long way down, and the sounds were comforting to me, though I didn’t realize it.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I lay down on the ledge and listened.
make short successive sounds
From this reading I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.
be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading I could hear him for a long way down, and the sounds were comforting to me, though I didn’t realize it.
the shape of a raised edge of a more or less circular object
From this reading His head disappeared below the rim.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Then the silence closed in.
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading I could hear him for a long way down, and the sounds were comforting to me, though I didn’t realize it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His head disappeared below the rim.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then the silence closed in.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading I could hear him for a long way down, and the sounds were comforting to me, though I didn’t realize it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I could hear him for a long way down, and the sounds were comforting to me, though I didn’t realize it.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading I could hear the trees creak under his heavy body, and the chains rattle a little at the splicings.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading I could hear him for a long way down, and the sounds were comforting to me, though I didn’t realize it.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I could hear him for a long way down, and the sounds were comforting to me, though I didn’t realize it.
Chapter 9 of The Professor's House by Willa Cather holds 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 421 sentences of The Professor's House, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Professor's House by Willa Cather exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Professor's House by Willa Cather on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3872 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65465 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65465, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 322 minutes of reading across 775 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Professor's House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Professor's House 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 Professor's House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
