Chapter 9 of The Tree of Heaven is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Tree of Heaven is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And Nicky had an awful premonition of his doom. "Well," he said, "I believe there's something in it." "So do I, Nicky." Drayton went on. "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
Chapter 9 of The Tree of Heaven is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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 verbal act of requesting
From this reading “"I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.”
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading “And Nicky had an awful premonition of his doom.”
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading “"Well," he said, "I believe there's something in it."”
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading “"I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.”
decree or designate beforehand
From this reading “And Nicky had an awful premonition of his doom.”
possessive form of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “"I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.”
a feeling of evil to come
From this reading “And Nicky had an awful premonition of his doom.”
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading “"I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.”
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.
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “Drayton went on.”
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 "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading And Nicky had an awful premonition of his doom.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And Nicky had an awful premonition of his doom.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading And Nicky had an awful premonition of his doom.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "Well," he said, "I believe there's something in it."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "So do I, Nicky."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
decree or designate beforehand
From this reading And Nicky had an awful premonition of his doom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Drayton went on.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And Nicky had an awful premonition of his doom.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Well," he said, "I believe there's something in it."
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And Nicky had an awful premonition of his doom.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well," he said, "I believe there's something in it."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
possessive form of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Well," he said, "I believe there's something in it."
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Well," he said, "I believe there's something in it."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Nicky had an awful premonition of his doom.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And Nicky had an awful premonition of his doom.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Drayton went on.
a feeling of evil to come
From this reading And Nicky had an awful premonition of his doom.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Well," he said, "I believe there's something in it."
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So do I, Nicky."
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "Well," he said, "I believe there's something in it."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well," he said, "I believe there's something in it."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well," he said, "I believe there's something in it."
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Drayton went on.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I believe there's so much in it that--Look here, I don't know what put it into your head, and I'm not asking, but that idea's a dead secret.
Chapter 9 of The Tree of Heaven by May Sinclair holds 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 394 sentences of The Tree of Heaven, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Tree of Heaven by May Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Tree of Heaven by May Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Tree of Heaven section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Tree of Heaven 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 Tree of Heaven, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
