Chapter 9 of Toying with fate is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Toying with fate is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A WOMAN SCORNED. Dora kept her eyes fastened on Darwin. There was a peculiar glitter in them. At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he commenced to move about uneasily. For some time neither spoke.
Chapter 9 of Toying with fate is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 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.
past form of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he commenced to move about uneasily.”
English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection (1809-1882)
From this reading “Dora kept her eyes fastened on Darwin.”
firmly closed or secured
From this reading “Dora kept her eyes fastened on Darwin.”
-ing form of “flinch” — draw back, as with fear or pain
From this reading “At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he commenced to move about uneasily.”
the quality of shining with a bright reflected light
From this reading “There was a peculiar glitter in them.”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “There was a peculiar glitter in them.”
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading “A WOMAN SCORNED.”
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading “At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he commenced to move about uneasily.”
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.
In this reading “For some time neither spoke.”
In this reading “At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he commenced to move about uneasily.”
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 A WOMAN SCORNED.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he commenced to move about uneasily.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he commenced to move about uneasily.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he commenced to move about uneasily.
past form of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he commenced to move about uneasily.
English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection (1809-1882)
From this reading Dora kept her eyes fastened on Darwin.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dora kept her eyes fastened on Darwin.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Dora kept her eyes fastened on Darwin.
firmly closed or secured
From this reading Dora kept her eyes fastened on Darwin.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he commenced to move about uneasily.
-ing form of “flinch” — draw back, as with fear or pain
From this reading At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he commenced to move about uneasily.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For some time neither spoke.
a long fixed look
From this reading At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he commenced to move about uneasily.
the quality of shining with a bright reflected light
From this reading There was a peculiar glitter in them.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he commenced to move about uneasily.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Dora kept her eyes fastened on Darwin.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was a peculiar glitter in them.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading Dora kept her eyes fastened on Darwin.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he commenced to move about uneasily.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading For some time neither spoke.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Dora kept her eyes fastened on Darwin.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading There was a peculiar glitter in them.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he commenced to move about uneasily.
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading A WOMAN SCORNED.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading For some time neither spoke.
in the near future
From this reading At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he commenced to move about uneasily.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading For some time neither spoke.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading There was a peculiar glitter in them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a peculiar glitter in them.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For some time neither spoke.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he commenced to move about uneasily.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he commenced to move about uneasily.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a peculiar glitter in them.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he commenced to move about uneasily.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading A WOMAN SCORNED.
Chapter 9 of Toying with fate by Nicholas (House name) Carter holds 236 sentences, grouped into 48 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 236 sentences of Toying with fate, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Toying with fate by Nicholas (House name) Carter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 236 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in Toying with fate, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
