Chapter 9 of The Touch of Abner is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Touch of Abner is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Hotel! This is no hotel," was the curt reply. "This is the Klink, and that’s the food fer birds that come here. It’s more’n they deserve, too." Abner stepped up close to, the iron grate, and looked fiercely at the jailor.
Chapter 9 of The Touch of Abner is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading “"This is the Klink, and that’s the food fer birds that come here.”
marked by rude or peremptory shortness
From this reading “This is no hotel," was the curt reply.”
be worthy or deserving
From this reading “It’s more’n they deserve, too."”
in a physically fierce manner
From this reading “Abner stepped up close to, the iron grate, and looked fiercely at the jailor.”
a frame of iron bars to hold a fire
From this reading “Abner stepped up close to, the iron grate, and looked fiercely at the jailor.”
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading “"Hotel!”
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading “Abner stepped up close to, the iron grate, and looked fiercely at the jailor.”
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading “Abner stepped up close to, the iron grate, and looked fiercely at the jailor.”
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 “"This is the Klink, and that’s the food fer birds that come here.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Abner stepped up close to, the iron grate, and looked fiercely at the jailor.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "This is the Klink, and that’s the food fer birds that come here.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Abner stepped up close to, the iron grate, and looked fiercely at the jailor.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading "This is the Klink, and that’s the food fer birds that come here.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading Abner stepped up close to, the iron grate, and looked fiercely at the jailor.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "This is the Klink, and that’s the food fer birds that come here.
marked by rude or peremptory shortness
From this reading This is no hotel," was the curt reply.
be worthy or deserving
From this reading It’s more’n they deserve, too."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "This is the Klink, and that’s the food fer birds that come here.
in a physically fierce manner
From this reading Abner stepped up close to, the iron grate, and looked fiercely at the jailor.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading "This is the Klink, and that’s the food fer birds that come here.
a frame of iron bars to hold a fire
From this reading Abner stepped up close to, the iron grate, and looked fiercely at the jailor.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "This is the Klink, and that’s the food fer birds that come here.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading "Hotel!
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading Abner stepped up close to, the iron grate, and looked fiercely at the jailor.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This is no hotel," was the curt reply.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s more’n they deserve, too."
someone who guards prisoners
From this reading Abner stepped up close to, the iron grate, and looked fiercely at the jailor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "This is the Klink, and that’s the food fer birds that come here.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Abner stepped up close to, the iron grate, and looked fiercely at the jailor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s more’n they deserve, too."
not any; not one
From this reading This is no hotel," was the curt reply.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading This is no hotel," was the curt reply.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading Abner stepped up close to, the iron grate, and looked fiercely at the jailor.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "This is the Klink, and that’s the food fer birds that come here.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "This is the Klink, and that’s the food fer birds that come here.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading This is no hotel," was the curt reply.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It’s more’n they deserve, too."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This is no hotel," was the curt reply.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Abner stepped up close to, the iron grate, and looked fiercely at the jailor.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading It’s more’n they deserve, too."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Abner stepped up close to, the iron grate, and looked fiercely at the jailor.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This is no hotel," was the curt reply.
Chapter 9 of The Touch of Abner by H. A. (Hiram Alfred) Cody holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 404 sentences of The Touch of Abner, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Touch of Abner by H. A. (Hiram Alfred) Cody exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Touch of Abner by H. A. (Hiram Alfred) Cody on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6854 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53604 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53604, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 571 minutes of reading across 1371 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Touch of Abner section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Touch of Abner 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 Touch of Abner, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
