Chapter 9 of Tom Ossington's Ghost is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Tom Ossington's Ghost is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast. As, in her excitement, she had unconsciously pressed it upwards, the panel had certainly moved. Between it and the wood below there was a cavity of perhaps a quarter of an inch. "Push it! Push it higher!"
Chapter 9 of Tom Ossington's Ghost is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
a sizeable hole (usually in the ground)
From this reading “Between it and the wood below there was a cavity of perhaps a quarter of an inch.”
a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading “Between it and the wood below there was a cavity of perhaps a quarter of an inch.”
sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something
From this reading “As, in her excitement, she had unconsciously pressed it upwards, the panel had certainly moved.”
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading “THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.”
move with force
From this reading “"Push it!”
without awareness
From this reading “As, in her excitement, she had unconsciously pressed it upwards, the panel had certainly moved.”
spatially or metaphorically from a lower to a higher position
From this reading “As, in her excitement, she had unconsciously pressed it upwards, the panel had certainly moved.”
a wainscoted wall (or wainscoted walls collectively)
From this reading “THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.”
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.
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 THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Between it and the wood below there was a cavity of perhaps a quarter of an inch.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Between it and the wood below there was a cavity of perhaps a quarter of an inch.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As, in her excitement, she had unconsciously pressed it upwards, the panel had certainly moved.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading Between it and the wood below there was a cavity of perhaps a quarter of an inch.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Between it and the wood below there was a cavity of perhaps a quarter of an inch.
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.
a sizeable hole (usually in the ground)
From this reading Between it and the wood below there was a cavity of perhaps a quarter of an inch.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading As, in her excitement, she had unconsciously pressed it upwards, the panel had certainly moved.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading As, in her excitement, she had unconsciously pressed it upwards, the panel had certainly moved.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.
not accessible to view
From this reading THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.
advanced in complexity or elaboration
From this reading Push it higher!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As, in her excitement, she had unconsciously pressed it upwards, the panel had certainly moved.
a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading Between it and the wood below there was a cavity of perhaps a quarter of an inch.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading As, in her excitement, she had unconsciously pressed it upwards, the panel had certainly moved.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading As, in her excitement, she had unconsciously pressed it upwards, the panel had certainly moved.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.
sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something
From this reading As, in her excitement, she had unconsciously pressed it upwards, the panel had certainly moved.
by chance
From this reading Between it and the wood below there was a cavity of perhaps a quarter of an inch.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.
compacted by ironing
From this reading As, in her excitement, she had unconsciously pressed it upwards, the panel had certainly moved.
move with force
From this reading "Push it!
one of four equal parts
From this reading Between it and the wood below there was a cavity of perhaps a quarter of an inch.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Between it and the wood below there was a cavity of perhaps a quarter of an inch.
a special situation
From this reading THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.
without awareness
From this reading As, in her excitement, she had unconsciously pressed it upwards, the panel had certainly moved.
spatially or metaphorically from a lower to a higher position
From this reading As, in her excitement, she had unconsciously pressed it upwards, the panel had certainly moved.
a wainscoted wall (or wainscoted walls collectively)
From this reading THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.
in the company of; together with
From this reading THE THING WHICH WAS HIDDEN She had placed her hand against a portion of the wainscotting which was about level with her breast.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading Between it and the wood below there was a cavity of perhaps a quarter of an inch.
Chapter 9 of Tom Ossington's Ghost by Richard Marsh holds 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 220 sentences of Tom Ossington's Ghost, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Tom Ossington's Ghost by Richard Marsh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Tom Ossington's Ghost by Richard Marsh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3436 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40453 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40453, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 286 minutes of reading across 688 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Ossington's Ghost section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Tom Ossington's Ghost 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 Tom Ossington's Ghost, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
