Chapter 9 of The Riddle of the Night is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Riddle of the Night is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yes, thanks," said Cleek serenely, still keeping up his "Johnnie" air. "Awfully obliged to you, I'm sure. Dickens of an important message. Should have been in no end of a hole if I hadn't received it. But I say, General, you ought to be more careful, you know, especially with sneak thieves about."
Chapter 9 of The Riddle of the Night is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
used as intensifiers
From this reading “"Awfully obliged to you, I'm sure.”
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading “But I say, General, you ought to be more careful, you know, especially with sneak thieves about."”
a word used in exclamations of confusion
From this reading “Dickens of an important message.”
an opening into or through something
From this reading “Should have been in no end of a hole if I hadn't received it.”
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading “Dickens of an important message.”
in a peacefully serene manner
From this reading “"Yes, thanks," said Cleek serenely, still keeping up his "Johnnie" air.”
to go stealthily or furtively
From this reading “But I say, General, you ought to be more careful, you know, especially with sneak thieves about."”
plural of “thief” — a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading “But I say, General, you ought to be more careful, you know, especially with sneak thieves about."”
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 “Dickens of an important message.”
In this reading “"Yes, thanks," said Cleek serenely, still keeping up his "Johnnie" air.”
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 Should have been in no end of a hole if I hadn't received it.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading But I say, General, you ought to be more careful, you know, especially with sneak thieves about."
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading "Yes, thanks," said Cleek serenely, still keeping up his "Johnnie" air.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Dickens of an important message.
used as intensifiers
From this reading "Awfully obliged to you, I'm sure.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But I say, General, you ought to be more careful, you know, especially with sneak thieves about."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Should have been in no end of a hole if I hadn't received it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I say, General, you ought to be more careful, you know, especially with sneak thieves about."
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading But I say, General, you ought to be more careful, you know, especially with sneak thieves about."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, thanks," said Cleek serenely, still keeping up his "Johnnie" air.
a word used in exclamations of confusion
From this reading Dickens of an important message.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Should have been in no end of a hole if I hadn't received it.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading But I say, General, you ought to be more careful, you know, especially with sneak thieves about."
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading But I say, General, you ought to be more careful, you know, especially with sneak thieves about."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Should have been in no end of a hole if I hadn't received it.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Should have been in no end of a hole if I hadn't received it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Yes, thanks," said Cleek serenely, still keeping up his "Johnnie" air.
an opening into or through something
From this reading Should have been in no end of a hole if I hadn't received it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Should have been in no end of a hole if I hadn't received it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Awfully obliged to you, I'm sure.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Should have been in no end of a hole if I hadn't received it.
of great significance or value
From this reading Dickens of an important message.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Should have been in no end of a hole if I hadn't received it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Should have been in no end of a hole if I hadn't received it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, thanks," said Cleek serenely, still keeping up his "Johnnie" air.
conformity or harmony
From this reading "Yes, thanks," said Cleek serenely, still keeping up his "Johnnie" air.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading But I say, General, you ought to be more careful, you know, especially with sneak thieves about."
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading Dickens of an important message.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading But I say, General, you ought to be more careful, you know, especially with sneak thieves about."
not any; not one
From this reading Should have been in no end of a hole if I hadn't received it.
under a moral obligation to do something
From this reading "Awfully obliged to you, I'm sure.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Dickens of an important message.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading But I say, General, you ought to be more careful, you know, especially with sneak thieves about."
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading Should have been in no end of a hole if I hadn't received it.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Yes, thanks," said Cleek serenely, still keeping up his "Johnnie" air.
express in words
From this reading But I say, General, you ought to be more careful, you know, especially with sneak thieves about."
in a peacefully serene manner
From this reading "Yes, thanks," said Cleek serenely, still keeping up his "Johnnie" air.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Should have been in no end of a hole if I hadn't received it.
to go stealthily or furtively
From this reading But I say, General, you ought to be more careful, you know, especially with sneak thieves about."
not in physical motion
From this reading "Yes, thanks," said Cleek serenely, still keeping up his "Johnnie" air.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "Awfully obliged to you, I'm sure.
an acknowledgment of appreciation
From this reading "Yes, thanks," said Cleek serenely, still keeping up his "Johnnie" air.
plural of “thief” — a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading But I say, General, you ought to be more careful, you know, especially with sneak thieves about."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Awfully obliged to you, I'm sure.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Yes, thanks," said Cleek serenely, still keeping up his "Johnnie" air.
in the company of; together with
From this reading But I say, General, you ought to be more careful, you know, especially with sneak thieves about."
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, thanks," said Cleek serenely, still keeping up his "Johnnie" air.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Awfully obliged to you, I'm sure.
Chapter 9 of The Riddle of the Night by Thomas W. Hanshew holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 426 sentences of The Riddle of the Night, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Riddle of the Night by Thomas W. Hanshew exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Riddle of the Night by Thomas W. Hanshew on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4240 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33271 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33271, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 353 minutes of reading across 848 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Riddle of the Night section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Riddle of the Night 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 Riddle of the Night, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
