The Social Gangster

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of The Social Gangster is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Social Gangster

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

THE TWILIGHT SLEEP As I entered the laboratory I saw before him a peculiar, telescope-like instrument, at one end of which, in a jar of oxygen, something was burning with a brilliant, penetrating flame.

He paused in his work and I hastened to tell him of the peculiar experience I had had in the forenoon.

But he said nothing, even at the significant actions of Dr. Preston.

"How about those things you found in the maid's room?"

I asked at length.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IX Reading 1/39

The Social Gangster

Chapter IX

Chapter 9 of The Social Gangster is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Line 2

He paused in his work and I hastened to tell him of the peculiar experience I had had in the forenoon.

Line 3

But he said nothing, even at the significant actions of Dr. Preston.

Line 4

"How about those things you found in the maid's room?"

Line 5

I asked at length.

/aɪ æskt æt leŋkθ/

Learner Dictionary

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.

actions noun US /ˈækʃənz/

plural of “action” — something done (usually as opposed to something said)

From this reading “But he said nothing, even at the significant actions of Dr. Preston.”

instrument noun US /ˈɪnstrəmənt/

a device that requires skill for proper use

From this reading “THE TWILIGHT SLEEP As I entered the laboratory I saw before him a peculiar, telescope-like instrument, at one end of which, in a jar of oxygen, something was burning with a brilliant, penetrating flame.”

jar verb US /dʒɑːr/

be incompatible; be or come into conflict

laboratory noun US /ˈlæbrətɔːri/

a workplace for the conduct of scientific research

maid's noun US /meɪdz/

possessive form of “maid” — a female domestic

From this reading “"How about those things you found in the maid's room?"”

oxygen noun US /ˈɑːksədʒən/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

penetrating adjective US /ˈpenətreɪtɪŋ/

having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions

significant adjective US /səɡˈnɪfɪkənt/

important in effect or meaning

From this reading “But he said nothing, even at the significant actions of Dr. Preston.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

at length preposition + noun

in a lengthy or prolix manner

In this reading “I asked at length.”

in the forenoon preposition + article + noun counted as “in … forenoon”

In this reading “He paused in his work and I hastened to tell him of the peculiar experience I had had in the forenoon.”

jar of verb + particle

In this reading “THE TWILIGHT SLEEP As I entered the laboratory I saw before him a peculiar, telescope-like instrument, at one end of which, in a jar of oxygen, something was burning with a brilliant, penetrating flame.”

found in verb + particle

In this reading “"How about those things you found in the maid's room?"”

saw before verb + particle

All words in this reading · 58

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading THE TWILIGHT SLEEP As I entered the laboratory I saw before him a peculiar, telescope-like instrument, at one end of which, in a jar of oxygen, something was burning with a brilliant, penetrating flame.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading "How about those things you found in the maid's room?"

actionsnounUS /ˈækʃənz/

plural of “action” — something done (usually as opposed to something said)

From this reading But he said nothing, even at the significant actions of Dr. Preston.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading He paused in his work and I hastened to tell him of the peculiar experience I had had in the forenoon.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading I asked at length.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

brilliantadjectiveUS /ˈbrɪljənt/

of surpassing excellence

burningnounUS /ˈbɜːrnɪŋ/

the act of burning something

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But he said nothing, even at the significant actions of Dr. Preston.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But he said nothing, even at the significant actions of Dr. Preston.

endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

enteredverbUS /ˈentərd/

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading But he said nothing, even at the significant actions of Dr. Preston.

experienceverbUS /ɪkˈspɪriəns/

undergo or live through a difficult experience

From this reading He paused in his work and I hastened to tell him of the peculiar experience I had had in the forenoon.

flamenounUS /fleɪm/

A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.

forenoonnoun

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading He paused in his work and I hastened to tell him of the peculiar experience I had had in the forenoon.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading "How about those things you found in the maid's room?"

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading He paused in his work and I hastened to tell him of the peculiar experience I had had in the forenoon.

hastenedverbUS /ˈheɪsənd/

past form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed

From this reading He paused in his work and I hastened to tell him of the peculiar experience I had had in the forenoon.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He paused in his work and I hastened to tell him of the peculiar experience I had had in the forenoon.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading He paused in his work and I hastened to tell him of the peculiar experience I had had in the forenoon.

How

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "How about those things you found in the maid's room?"

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

instrumentnounUS /ˈɪnstrəmənt/

a device that requires skill for proper use

jarverbUS /dʒɑːr/

be incompatible; be or come into conflict

laboratorynounUS /ˈlæbrətɔːri/

a workplace for the conduct of scientific research

lengthnounUS /leŋkθ/

the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place

From this reading I asked at length.

maid'snounUS /meɪdz/

possessive form of “maid” — a female domestic

From this reading "How about those things you found in the maid's room?"

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading But he said nothing, even at the significant actions of Dr. Preston.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

oxygennounUS /ˈɑːksədʒən/

pausedverbUS /pɔːzd/

past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing

From this reading He paused in his work and I hastened to tell him of the peculiar experience I had had in the forenoon.

peculiaradjectiveUS /pəˈkjuːljər/

beyond or deviating from the usual or expected

penetratingadjectiveUS /ˈpenətreɪtɪŋ/

having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions

Preston

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But he said nothing, even at the significant actions of Dr. Preston.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading "How about those things you found in the maid's room?"

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading But he said nothing, even at the significant actions of Dr. Preston.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

significantadjectiveUS /səɡˈnɪfɪkənt/

important in effect or meaning

From this reading But he said nothing, even at the significant actions of Dr. Preston.

SLEEPnounUS /sliːp/

a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

telescope-like

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading He paused in his work and I hastened to tell him of the peculiar experience I had had in the forenoon.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading "How about those things you found in the maid's room?"

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading "How about those things you found in the maid's room?"

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading He paused in his work and I hastened to tell him of the peculiar experience I had had in the forenoon.

TWILIGHTnounUS /ˈtwaɪlaɪt/

the time of day immediately following sunset

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading He paused in his work and I hastened to tell him of the peculiar experience I had had in the forenoon.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "How about those things you found in the maid's room?"

Chapter 9 of The Social Gangster by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve holds 199 sentences, grouped into 40 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.

What does chapter 9 of The Social Gangster contain?

Chapter 9 holds 199 sentences of The Social Gangster, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of The Social Gangster by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 199 sentences, grouped into 40 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.

How do I study chapter 9 of The Social Gangster?

Work through the 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 40 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.

Can chapter 9 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Social Gangster

Common questions about reading The Social Gangster by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Social Gangster?

Yes. All 5473 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33466 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Social Gangster is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #33466, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Social Gangster take to read?

About 456 minutes of reading across 1095 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Social Gangster section by section

How to work through The Social Gangster section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Social Gangster

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Social Gangster, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Worried: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Social Gangster; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Gloria: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Social Gangster; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Professor: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Social Gangster; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Kennedy: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Social Gangster; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter IX

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