Chapter 9 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Because they are my guests, and stay as long as they like." "And are doing their very best to undermine your happiness." "Nonsense, man." "Dick, old fellow, answer me honestly. Don't you care a great deal for that little girl up at Tolcarne?"
Chapter 9 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading “Don't you care a great deal for that little girl up at Tolcarne?"”
someone who is a detective
From this reading “"Dick, old fellow, answer me honestly.”
plural of “guest” — a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading “"Because they are my guests, and stay as long as they like."”
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading “"And are doing their very best to undermine your happiness."”
(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that
From this reading “"Dick, old fellow, answer me honestly.”
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading “"Nonsense, man."”
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “"Because they are my guests, and stay as long as they like."”
destroy property or hinder normal operations
From this reading “"And are doing their very best to undermine your happiness."”
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.
a youthful female person
In this reading “Don't you care a great deal for that little girl up at Tolcarne?"”
In this reading “"Dick, old fellow, answer me honestly.”
In this reading “"And are doing their very best to undermine your happiness."”
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 Don't you care a great deal for that little girl up at Tolcarne?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Because they are my guests, and stay as long as they like."
react verbally
From this reading "Dick, old fellow, answer me honestly.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Because they are my guests, and stay as long as they like."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Because they are my guests, and stay as long as they like."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Don't you care a great deal for that little girl up at Tolcarne?"
for the reason that
From this reading "Because they are my guests, and stay as long as they like."
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading "And are doing their very best to undermine your happiness."
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading Don't you care a great deal for that little girl up at Tolcarne?"
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading Don't you care a great deal for that little girl up at Tolcarne?"
someone who is a detective
From this reading "Dick, old fellow, answer me honestly.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "And are doing their very best to undermine your happiness."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don't you care a great deal for that little girl up at Tolcarne?"
a boy or man
From this reading "Dick, old fellow, answer me honestly.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Don't you care a great deal for that little girl up at Tolcarne?"
a young female
From this reading Don't you care a great deal for that little girl up at Tolcarne?"
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Don't you care a great deal for that little girl up at Tolcarne?"
plural of “guest” — a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading "Because they are my guests, and stay as long as they like."
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading "And are doing their very best to undermine your happiness."
(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that
From this reading "Dick, old fellow, answer me honestly.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Because they are my guests, and stay as long as they like."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Don't you care a great deal for that little girl up at Tolcarne?"
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 "Because they are my guests, and stay as long as they like."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Nonsense, man."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Dick, old fellow, answer me honestly.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Because they are my guests, and stay as long as they like."
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading "Nonsense, man."
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Dick, old fellow, answer me honestly.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading "Because they are my guests, and stay as long as they like."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Don't you care a great deal for that little girl up at Tolcarne?"
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading "And are doing their very best to undermine your happiness."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Because they are my guests, and stay as long as they like."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "And are doing their very best to undermine your happiness."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don't you care a great deal for that little girl up at Tolcarne?"
destroy property or hinder normal operations
From this reading "And are doing their very best to undermine your happiness."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Don't you care a great deal for that little girl up at Tolcarne?"
precisely as stated
From this reading "And are doing their very best to undermine your happiness."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Don't you care a great deal for that little girl up at Tolcarne?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "And are doing their very best to undermine your happiness."
Chapter 9 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One by George Manville Fenn holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 408 sentences of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6449 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32929 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32929, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 537 minutes of reading across 1290 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One 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 Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
