Chapter 9 of The Swing of the Pendulum is here in full — 415 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 Swing of the Pendulum is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You don't mean that you think--" He stopped aghast. Wareham answered with a hand on the valve. If his words were to fly, it should not be on a wrong tack. "What?" "That, after all, I've no chance?"
Chapter 9 of The Swing of the Pendulum is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading “"You don't mean that you think--" He stopped aghast.”
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “"That, after all, I've no chance?"”
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading “If his words were to fly, it should not be on a wrong tack.”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “"You don't mean that you think--" He stopped aghast.”
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading “"You don't mean that you think--" He stopped aghast.”
fasten with tacks
From this reading “If his words were to fly, it should not be on a wrong tack.”
a structure in a hollow organ (like the heart) with a flap to insure one-way flow of fluid through it
From this reading “Wareham answered with a hand on the valve.”
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading “If his words were to fly, it should not be on a wrong tack.”
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.
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 Wareham answered with a hand on the valve.
later than; following
From this reading "That, after all, I've no chance?"
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading "You don't mean that you think--" He stopped aghast.
(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 "That, after all, I've no chance?"
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading Wareham answered with a hand on the valve.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If his words were to fly, it should not be on a wrong tack.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading "That, after all, I've no chance?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You don't mean that you think--" He stopped aghast.
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading If his words were to fly, it should not be on a wrong tack.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Wareham answered with a hand on the valve.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You don't mean that you think--" He stopped aghast.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading If his words were to fly, it should not be on a wrong tack.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That, after all, I've no chance?"
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If his words were to fly, it should not be on a wrong tack.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If his words were to fly, it should not be on a wrong tack.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "You don't mean that you think--" He stopped aghast.
not any; not one
From this reading "That, after all, I've no chance?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If his words were to fly, it should not be on a wrong tack.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Wareham answered with a hand on the valve.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading If his words were to fly, it should not be on a wrong tack.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading "You don't mean that you think--" He stopped aghast.
fasten with tacks
From this reading If his words were to fly, it should not be on a wrong tack.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "You don't mean that you think--" He stopped aghast.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Wareham answered with a hand on the valve.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "You don't mean that you think--" He stopped aghast.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If his words were to fly, it should not be on a wrong tack.
a structure in a hollow organ (like the heart) with a flap to insure one-way flow of fluid through it
From this reading Wareham answered with a hand on the valve.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wareham answered with a hand on the valve.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading If his words were to fly, it should not be on a wrong tack.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading Wareham answered with a hand on the valve.
the words that are spoken
From this reading If his words were to fly, it should not be on a wrong tack.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading If his words were to fly, it should not be on a wrong tack.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You don't mean that you think--" He stopped aghast.
Chapter 9 of The Swing of the Pendulum by Frances Mary Peard holds 415 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 415 sentences of The Swing of the Pendulum, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Swing of the Pendulum by Frances Mary Peard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 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 Swing of the Pendulum by Frances Mary Peard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7435 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43157 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43157, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1487 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Swing of the Pendulum section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Swing of the Pendulum 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 Swing of the Pendulum, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
