Chapter 9 of The Trumpeter Swan is here in full — 575 sentences across 115 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Trumpeter Swan is here in full — 575 sentences across 115 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"T. BRANCH" I Dalton felt that Fate had played a shabby trick. He had planned a graceful exit and the curtain had stuck; he had wanted to run away, and he could not. Flora was very ill, and it was, of course, out of the question to desert Oscar. Madge had been sent for. She was to arrive on the noon train.
Chapter 9 of The Trumpeter Swan is here in full — 575 sentences across 115 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/115 · 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.
reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading “She was to arrive on the noon train.”
a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading “"T. BRANCH" I Dalton felt that Fate had played a shabby trick.”
English chemist and physicist who formulated atomic theory and the law of partial pressures; gave the first description of red-green color blindness (1766-1844)
From this reading “"T. BRANCH" I Dalton felt that Fate had played a shabby trick.”
an opening that permits escape or release
From this reading “He had planned a graceful exit and the curtain had stuck; he had wanted to run away, and he could not.”
all the plant life in a particular region or period
From this reading “Flora was very ill, and it was, of course, out of the question to desert Oscar.”
an annual award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievements in motion picture production and performance
From this reading “Flora was very ill, and it was, of course, out of the question to desert Oscar.”
designed or carried out according to a plan
From this reading “He had planned a graceful exit and the curtain had stuck; he had wanted to run away, and he could not.”
showing signs of wear and tear
From this reading “"T. BRANCH" I Dalton felt that Fate had played a shabby trick.”
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 "T. BRANCH" I Dalton felt that Fate had played a shabby trick.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had planned a graceful exit and the curtain had stuck; he had wanted to run away, and he could not.
reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading She was to arrive on the noon train.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He had planned a graceful exit and the curtain had stuck; he had wanted to run away, and he could not.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Madge had been sent for.
a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading "T. BRANCH" I Dalton felt that Fate had played a shabby trick.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He had planned a graceful exit and the curtain had stuck; he had wanted to run away, and he could not.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Flora was very ill, and it was, of course, out of the question to desert Oscar.
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading He had planned a graceful exit and the curtain had stuck; he had wanted to run away, and he could not.
English chemist and physicist who formulated atomic theory and the law of partial pressures; gave the first description of red-green color blindness (1766-1844)
From this reading "T. BRANCH" I Dalton felt that Fate had played a shabby trick.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading Flora was very ill, and it was, of course, out of the question to desert Oscar.
an opening that permits escape or release
From this reading He had planned a graceful exit and the curtain had stuck; he had wanted to run away, and he could not.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading "T. BRANCH" I Dalton felt that Fate had played a shabby trick.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading "T. BRANCH" I Dalton felt that Fate had played a shabby trick.
all the plant life in a particular region or period
From this reading Flora was very ill, and it was, of course, out of the question to desert Oscar.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Madge had been sent for.
characterized by beauty of movement, style, form, or execution
From this reading He had planned a graceful exit and the curtain had stuck; he had wanted to run away, and he could not.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "T. BRANCH" I Dalton felt that Fate had played a shabby trick.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had planned a graceful exit and the curtain had stuck; he had wanted to run away, and he could not.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "T. BRANCH" I Dalton felt that Fate had played a shabby trick.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading Flora was very ill, and it was, of course, out of the question to desert Oscar.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Flora was very ill, and it was, of course, out of the question to desert Oscar.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Madge had been sent for.
the middle of the day
From this reading She was to arrive on the noon train.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He had planned a graceful exit and the curtain had stuck; he had wanted to run away, and he could not.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Flora was very ill, and it was, of course, out of the question to desert Oscar.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She was to arrive on the noon train.
an annual award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievements in motion picture production and performance
From this reading Flora was very ill, and it was, of course, out of the question to desert Oscar.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Flora was very ill, and it was, of course, out of the question to desert Oscar.
designed or carried out according to a plan
From this reading He had planned a graceful exit and the curtain had stuck; he had wanted to run away, and he could not.
(of games) engaged in
From this reading "T. BRANCH" I Dalton felt that Fate had played a shabby trick.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading Flora was very ill, and it was, of course, out of the question to desert Oscar.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading He had planned a graceful exit and the curtain had stuck; he had wanted to run away, and he could not.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading Madge had been sent for.
showing signs of wear and tear
From this reading "T. BRANCH" I Dalton felt that Fate had played a shabby trick.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was to arrive on the noon train.
caught or fixed
From this reading He had planned a graceful exit and the curtain had stuck; he had wanted to run away, and he could not.
a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading "T. BRANCH" I Dalton felt that Fate had played a shabby trick.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "T. BRANCH" I Dalton felt that Fate had played a shabby trick.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He had planned a graceful exit and the curtain had stuck; he had wanted to run away, and he could not.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had planned a graceful exit and the curtain had stuck; he had wanted to run away, and he could not.
create by training and teaching
From this reading She was to arrive on the noon train.
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading "T. BRANCH" I Dalton felt that Fate had played a shabby trick.
precisely as stated
From this reading Flora was very ill, and it was, of course, out of the question to desert Oscar.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading He had planned a graceful exit and the curtain had stuck; he had wanted to run away, and he could not.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Flora was very ill, and it was, of course, out of the question to desert Oscar.
Chapter 9 of The Trumpeter Swan by Temple Bailey holds 575 sentences, grouped into 115 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 575 sentences of The Trumpeter Swan, unabridged, divided into 115 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Trumpeter Swan by Temple Bailey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 575 sentences, grouped into 115 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 115 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 115 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 Trumpeter Swan by Temple Bailey 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 Trumpeter Swan section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Trumpeter Swan 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 Trumpeter Swan, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
