Chapter 9 of The Window-Gazer is here in full — 235 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Window-Gazer is here in full — 235 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was the day before Friday. Friday, so very near, seemed already palpably present in the surcharged air of the cottage. No one mentioned it, but that made its nearness more potent. At his usual hour for dictation, Professor Spence had come out upon the narrow veranda. But, although his secretary was there, pencil in hand, he had not dictated.
Chapter 9 of The Window-Gazer is here in full — 235 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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.
determined or decided upon as by an authority
From this reading “But, although his secretary was there, pencil in hand, he had not dictated.”
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading “At his usual hour for dictation, Professor Spence had come out upon the narrow veranda.”
the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day
From this reading “It was the day before Friday.”
so as to be palpable
From this reading “Friday, so very near, seemed already palpably present in the surcharged air of the cottage.”
a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood
From this reading “But, although his secretary was there, pencil in hand, he had not dictated.”
having great influence
From this reading “No one mentioned it, but that made its nearness more potent.”
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading “But, although his secretary was there, pencil in hand, he had not dictated.”
a porch along the outside of a building (sometimes partly enclosed)
From this reading “At his usual hour for dictation, Professor Spence had come out upon the narrow veranda.”
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.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Friday, so very near, seemed already palpably present in the surcharged air of the cottage.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading Friday, so very near, seemed already palpably present in the surcharged air of the cottage.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading But, although his secretary was there, pencil in hand, he had not dictated.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At his usual hour for dictation, Professor Spence had come out upon the narrow veranda.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was the day before Friday.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading No one mentioned it, but that made its nearness more potent.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading At his usual hour for dictation, Professor Spence had come out upon the narrow veranda.
a small house with a single story
From this reading Friday, so very near, seemed already palpably present in the surcharged air of the cottage.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was the day before Friday.
determined or decided upon as by an authority
From this reading But, although his secretary was there, pencil in hand, he had not dictated.
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading At his usual hour for dictation, Professor Spence had come out upon the narrow veranda.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading At his usual hour for dictation, Professor Spence had come out upon the narrow veranda.
the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day
From this reading It was the day before Friday.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading At his usual hour for dictation, Professor Spence had come out upon the narrow veranda.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading But, although his secretary was there, pencil in hand, he had not dictated.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But, although his secretary was there, pencil in hand, he had not dictated.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At his usual hour for dictation, Professor Spence had come out upon the narrow veranda.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading At his usual hour for dictation, Professor Spence had come out upon the narrow veranda.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Friday, so very near, seemed already palpably present in the surcharged air of the cottage.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the day before Friday.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading No one mentioned it, but that made its nearness more potent.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading No one mentioned it, but that made its nearness more potent.
past form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading No one mentioned it, but that made its nearness more potent.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading No one mentioned it, but that made its nearness more potent.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading At his usual hour for dictation, Professor Spence had come out upon the narrow veranda.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Friday, so very near, seemed already palpably present in the surcharged air of the cottage.
the spatial property resulting from a relatively small distance
From this reading No one mentioned it, but that made its nearness more potent.
not any; not one
From this reading No one mentioned it, but that made its nearness more potent.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But, although his secretary was there, pencil in hand, he had not dictated.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Friday, so very near, seemed already palpably present in the surcharged air of the cottage.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one mentioned it, but that made its nearness more potent.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading At his usual hour for dictation, Professor Spence had come out upon the narrow veranda.
so as to be palpable
From this reading Friday, so very near, seemed already palpably present in the surcharged air of the cottage.
a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood
From this reading But, although his secretary was there, pencil in hand, he had not dictated.
having great influence
From this reading No one mentioned it, but that made its nearness more potent.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Friday, so very near, seemed already palpably present in the surcharged air of the cottage.
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading At his usual hour for dictation, Professor Spence had come out upon the narrow veranda.
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading But, although his secretary was there, pencil in hand, he had not dictated.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Friday, so very near, seemed already palpably present in the surcharged air of the cottage.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Friday, so very near, seemed already palpably present in the surcharged air of the cottage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At his usual hour for dictation, Professor Spence had come out upon the narrow veranda.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Friday, so very near, seemed already palpably present in the surcharged air of the cottage.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading No one mentioned it, but that made its nearness more potent.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was the day before Friday.
in or at that place or location
From this reading But, although his secretary was there, pencil in hand, he had not dictated.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading At his usual hour for dictation, Professor Spence had come out upon the narrow veranda.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading At his usual hour for dictation, Professor Spence had come out upon the narrow veranda.
a porch along the outside of a building (sometimes partly enclosed)
From this reading At his usual hour for dictation, Professor Spence had come out upon the narrow veranda.
precisely as stated
From this reading Friday, so very near, seemed already palpably present in the surcharged air of the cottage.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the day before Friday.
Chapter 9 of The Window-Gazer by Isabel Ecclestone Mackay holds 235 sentences, grouped into 47 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 235 sentences of The Window-Gazer, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Window-Gazer by Isabel Ecclestone Mackay exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 235 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 Window-Gazer by Isabel Ecclestone Mackay on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7711 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4284 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4284, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1543 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Window-Gazer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of The Window-Gazer 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 Window-Gazer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
