Chapter 9 of The Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan is here in full — 411 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 Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Political was a man of few words. He shrugged his shoulders, and observed that the matter did not rest with him. He could give them all the information he had at his disposal, but that was all. "This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again. "What can be done?
Chapter 9 of The Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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 “bicycle” — a wheeled vehicle that has two wheels and is moved by foot pedals
From this reading “"This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.”
the power to use something or someone
From this reading “He could give them all the information he had at his disposal, but that was all.”
British writer famous for writing spy novels about secret agent James Bond (1908-1964)
From this reading “"This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.”
a message received and understood
From this reading “He could give them all the information he had at his disposal, but that was all.”
involving or characteristic of politics or parties or politicians
From this reading “The Political was a man of few words.”
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading “He shrugged his shoulders, and observed that the matter did not rest with him.”
creating thread
From this reading “"This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.”
directed up
From this reading “"This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.”
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 “The Political was a man of few words.”
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 Political was a man of few words.
anew
From this reading "This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.
(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 He could give them all the information he had at his disposal, but that was all.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading "This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He shrugged his shoulders, and observed that the matter did not rest with him.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He could give them all the information he had at his disposal, but that was all.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "What can be done?
plural of “bicycle” — a wheeled vehicle that has two wheels and is moved by foot pedals
From this reading "This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He could give them all the information he had at his disposal, but that was all.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "What can be done?
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could give them all the information he had at his disposal, but that was all.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He shrugged his shoulders, and observed that the matter did not rest with him.
the power to use something or someone
From this reading He could give them all the information he had at his disposal, but that was all.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "What can be done?
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The Political was a man of few words.
British writer famous for writing spy novels about secret agent James Bond (1908-1964)
From this reading "This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading He could give them all the information he had at his disposal, but that was all.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He could give them all the information he had at his disposal, but that was all.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He shrugged his shoulders, and observed that the matter did not rest with him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He shrugged his shoulders, and observed that the matter did not rest with him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He shrugged his shoulders, and observed that the matter did not rest with him.
a message received and understood
From this reading He could give them all the information he had at his disposal, but that was all.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The Political was a man of few words.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading He shrugged his shoulders, and observed that the matter did not rest with him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He shrugged his shoulders, and observed that the matter did not rest with him.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading He shrugged his shoulders, and observed that the matter did not rest with him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Political was a man of few words.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.
involving or characteristic of politics or parties or politicians
From this reading The Political was a man of few words.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading He shrugged his shoulders, and observed that the matter did not rest with him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading He shrugged his shoulders, and observed that the matter did not rest with him.
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading He shrugged his shoulders, and observed that the matter did not rest with him.
creating thread
From this reading "This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He shrugged his shoulders, and observed that the matter did not rest with him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Political was a man of few words.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading "This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He could give them all the information he had at his disposal, but that was all.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading "This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.
directed up
From this reading "This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading "This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Political was a man of few words.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "This wants thinking out, Fleming," said Upward, as they were spinning along on their bicycles again.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What can be done?
in the company of; together with
From this reading He shrugged his shoulders, and observed that the matter did not rest with him.
the words that are spoken
From this reading The Political was a man of few words.
Chapter 9 of The Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan by Bertram Mitford holds 411 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 411 sentences of The Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan by Bertram Mitford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 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 Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan by Bertram Mitford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4465 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36606 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36606, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 372 minutes of reading across 893 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan 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 Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
