Chapter 9 of The Slowcoach is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Slowcoach is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE FIRST NIGHT "Well," said Janet, "that's a very nice start. It would have been horrid if the first farmer had been crusty." "Ah," said Mary Rotheram, "but you should see his wife! It was she who did it for us really. Perhaps after dinner we might walk up there to thank her."
Chapter 9 of The Slowcoach is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
having a hardened crust as a covering
From this reading “It would have been horrid if the first farmer had been crusty."”
a person who operates a farm
From this reading “It would have been horrid if the first farmer had been crusty."”
exceedingly bad
From this reading “It would have been horrid if the first farmer had been crusty."”
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading “"Ah," said Mary Rotheram, "but you should see his wife!”
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “THE FIRST NIGHT "Well," said Janet, "that's a very nice start.”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “THE FIRST NIGHT "Well," said Janet, "that's a very nice start.”
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading “Perhaps after dinner we might walk up there to thank her."”
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading “Perhaps after dinner we might walk up there to thank her."”
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 FIRST NIGHT "Well," said Janet, "that's a very nice start.
later than; following
From this reading Perhaps after dinner we might walk up there to thank her."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah," said Mary Rotheram, "but you should see his wife!
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It would have been horrid if the first farmer had been crusty."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Ah," said Mary Rotheram, "but you should see his wife!
having a hardened crust as a covering
From this reading It would have been horrid if the first farmer had been crusty."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading It was she who did it for us really.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading Perhaps after dinner we might walk up there to thank her."
a person who operates a farm
From this reading It would have been horrid if the first farmer had been crusty."
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading THE FIRST NIGHT "Well," said Janet, "that's a very nice start.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was she who did it for us really.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It would have been horrid if the first farmer had been crusty."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It would have been horrid if the first farmer had been crusty."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Perhaps after dinner we might walk up there to thank her."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Ah," said Mary Rotheram, "but you should see his wife!
exceedingly bad
From this reading It would have been horrid if the first farmer had been crusty."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It would have been horrid if the first farmer had been crusty."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would have been horrid if the first farmer had been crusty."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE FIRST NIGHT "Well," said Janet, "that's a very nice start.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading "Ah," said Mary Rotheram, "but you should see his wife!
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Perhaps after dinner we might walk up there to thank her."
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading THE FIRST NIGHT "Well," said Janet, "that's a very nice start.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading THE FIRST NIGHT "Well," said Janet, "that's a very nice start.
by chance
From this reading Perhaps after dinner we might walk up there to thank her."
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading It was she who did it for us really.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah," said Mary Rotheram, "but you should see his wife!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading THE FIRST NIGHT "Well," said Janet, "that's a very nice start.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Ah," said Mary Rotheram, "but you should see his wife!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was she who did it for us really.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "Ah," said Mary Rotheram, "but you should see his wife!
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading THE FIRST NIGHT "Well," said Janet, "that's a very nice start.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading Perhaps after dinner we might walk up there to thank her."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE FIRST NIGHT "Well," said Janet, "that's a very nice start.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FIRST NIGHT "Well," said Janet, "that's a very nice start.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Perhaps after dinner we might walk up there to thank her."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Perhaps after dinner we might walk up there to thank her."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Perhaps after dinner we might walk up there to thank her."
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was she who did it for us really.
precisely as stated
From this reading THE FIRST NIGHT "Well," said Janet, "that's a very nice start.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading Perhaps after dinner we might walk up there to thank her."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was she who did it for us really.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Perhaps after dinner we might walk up there to thank her."
(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 THE FIRST NIGHT "Well," said Janet, "that's a very nice start.
which person or people
From this reading It was she who did it for us really.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "Ah," said Mary Rotheram, "but you should see his wife!
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would have been horrid if the first farmer had been crusty."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Ah," said Mary Rotheram, "but you should see his wife!
Chapter 9 of The Slowcoach by E. V. (Edward Verrall) Lucas holds 85 sentences, grouped into 17 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 85 sentences of The Slowcoach, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Slowcoach by E. V. (Edward Verrall) Lucas exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 85 sentences, grouped into 17 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 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 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 Slowcoach by E. V. (Edward Verrall) Lucas on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3149 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2086 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2086, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 262 minutes of reading across 630 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Slowcoach section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Slowcoach 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 Slowcoach, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
