Chapter 9 of The Star-Gazers is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Star-Gazers is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him. "A kiss from a lady who is handsomer than Judy Hayle," he whispered. "How dare you!" she cried, in a low voice. "No," he said, laughing, "you won't call for help. Come, it isn't much to give me, and I swear I will."
Chapter 9 of The Star-Gazers is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading “"How dare you!" she cried, in a low voice.”
the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading “"A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.”
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading “"No," he said, laughing, "you won't call for help.”
earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as salary or wages
From this reading “"A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.”
utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading “Come, it isn't much to give me, and I swear I will."”
in a tight or constricted manner
From this reading “"A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.”
the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips
From this reading “"A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.”
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “"A kiss from a lady who is handsomer than Judy Hayle," he whispered.”
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 “"How dare you!" she cried, in a low voice.”
In this reading “"A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.”
express the need or desire for
In this reading “"No," he said, laughing, "you won't call for help.”
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 "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "No," he said, laughing, "you won't call for help.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Come, it isn't much to give me, and I swear I will."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "How dare you!" she cried, in a low voice.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading "How dare you!" she cried, in a low voice.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "No," he said, laughing, "you won't call for help.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "A kiss from a lady who is handsomer than Judy Hayle," he whispered.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Come, it isn't much to give me, and I swear I will."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "A kiss from a lady who is handsomer than Judy Hayle," he whispered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "A kiss from a lady who is handsomer than Judy Hayle," he whispered.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "No," he said, laughing, "you won't call for help.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How dare you!" she cried, in a low voice.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Come, it isn't much to give me, and I swear I will."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "How dare you!" she cried, in a low voice.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "A kiss from a lady who is handsomer than Judy Hayle," he whispered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Come, it isn't much to give me, and I swear I will."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Come, it isn't much to give me, and I swear I will."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "A kiss from a lady who is handsomer than Judy Hayle," he whispered.
the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading "A kiss from a lady who is handsomer than Judy Hayle," he whispered.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading "No," he said, laughing, "you won't call for help.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading "How dare you!" she cried, in a low voice.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Come, it isn't much to give me, and I swear I will."
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Come, it isn't much to give me, and I swear I will."
not any; not one
From this reading "No," he said, laughing, "you won't call for help.
earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as salary or wages
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading Come, it isn't much to give me, and I swear I will."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "A kiss from a lady who is handsomer than Judy Hayle," he whispered.
in a tight or constricted manner
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "How dare you!" she cried, in a low voice.
the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "A kiss," he said; and before she could realise what he had said, his left arm was about her waist, and he held her tightly to him.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading "A kiss from a lady who is handsomer than Judy Hayle," he whispered.
which person or people
From this reading "A kiss from a lady who is handsomer than Judy Hayle," he whispered.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Come, it isn't much to give me, and I swear I will."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No," he said, laughing, "you won't call for help.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "How dare you!" she cried, in a low voice.
Chapter 9 of The Star-Gazers by George Manville Fenn holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 408 sentences of The Star-Gazers, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Star-Gazers by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Star-Gazers by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7372 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34244 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34244, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1475 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Star-Gazers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Star-Gazers 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 Star-Gazers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
