Chapter 9 of The Thirty-Nine Steps is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Thirty-Nine Steps is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Thirty-Nine Steps “Nonsense!” said the official from the Admiralty. Sir Walter got up and left the room while we looked blankly at the table. He came back in ten minutes with a long face. “I have spoken to Alloa,” he said. “Had him out of bed—very grumpy.
Chapter 9 of The Thirty-Nine Steps is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
the department in charge of the navy (as in Great Britain)
From this reading “The Thirty-Nine Steps “Nonsense!” said the official from the Admiralty.”
in a blank and uncomprehending manner
From this reading “Sir Walter got up and left the room while we looked blankly at the table.”
annoyed and irritable
From this reading ““Had him out of bed—very grumpy.”
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading “The Thirty-Nine Steps “Nonsense!” said the official from the Admiralty.”
having official authority or sanction
From this reading “The Thirty-Nine Steps “Nonsense!” said the official from the Admiralty.”
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading ““I have spoken to Alloa,” he said.”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “The Thirty-Nine Steps “Nonsense!” said the official from the Admiralty.”
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading “Sir Walter got up and left the room while we looked blankly at the table.”
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 He came back in ten minutes with a long face.
the department in charge of the navy (as in Great Britain)
From this reading The Thirty-Nine Steps “Nonsense!” said the official from the Admiralty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I have spoken to Alloa,” he said.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Sir Walter got up and left the room while we looked blankly at the table.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Sir Walter got up and left the room while we looked blankly at the table.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He came back in ten minutes with a long face.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading “Had him out of bed—very grumpy.
in a blank and uncomprehending manner
From this reading Sir Walter got up and left the room while we looked blankly at the table.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He came back in ten minutes with a long face.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading He came back in ten minutes with a long face.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The Thirty-Nine Steps “Nonsense!” said the official from the Admiralty.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Sir Walter got up and left the room while we looked blankly at the table.
annoyed and irritable
From this reading “Had him out of bed—very grumpy.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “Had him out of bed—very grumpy.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have spoken to Alloa,” he said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He came back in ten minutes with a long face.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Had him out of bed—very grumpy.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I have spoken to Alloa,” he said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He came back in ten minutes with a long face.
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 Sir Walter got up and left the room while we looked blankly at the table.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading He came back in ten minutes with a long face.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Sir Walter got up and left the room while we looked blankly at the table.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading He came back in ten minutes with a long face.
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading The Thirty-Nine Steps “Nonsense!” said the official from the Admiralty.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Had him out of bed—very grumpy.
having official authority or sanction
From this reading The Thirty-Nine Steps “Nonsense!” said the official from the Admiralty.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Had him out of bed—very grumpy.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Sir Walter got up and left the room while we looked blankly at the table.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The Thirty-Nine Steps “Nonsense!” said the official from the Admiralty.
term of address for a man
From this reading Sir Walter got up and left the room while we looked blankly at the table.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “I have spoken to Alloa,” he said.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading The Thirty-Nine Steps “Nonsense!” said the official from the Admiralty.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Sir Walter got up and left the room while we looked blankly at the table.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading He came back in ten minutes with a long face.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Thirty-Nine Steps “Nonsense!” said the official from the Admiralty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Thirty-Nine Steps “Nonsense!” said the official from the Admiralty.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I have spoken to Alloa,” he said.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Sir Walter got up and left the room while we looked blankly at the table.
precisely as stated
From this reading “Had him out of bed—very grumpy.
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading Sir Walter got up and left the room while we looked blankly at the table.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Sir Walter got up and left the room while we looked blankly at the table.
during the time that
From this reading Sir Walter got up and left the room while we looked blankly at the table.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He came back in ten minutes with a long face.
Chapter 9 of The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan holds 207 sentences, grouped into 42 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 207 sentences of The Thirty-Nine Steps, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 207 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2582 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #558 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #558, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 215 minutes of reading across 517 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Thirty-Nine Steps section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Thirty-Nine Steps 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 Thirty-Nine Steps, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
