Chapter 9 of Up the Hill and Over is here in full — 243 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Up the Hill and Over is here in full — 243 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I really could not help being late, Esther! I tried to hurry them but Mrs. Lewis was there. You know what _she_ is!" Mrs. Coombe sank gracefully into a veranda chair. Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
Chapter 9 of Up the Hill and Over is here in full — 243 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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 feeling of delight at being entertained
From this reading “Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.”
plural of “corner” — a place off to the side of an area
From this reading “Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.”
(Old Testament) a beautiful Jewess chosen by the king of Persia to be his queen; she stopped a plot to massacre all the Jews in Persia (an event celebrated by Jews as the feast of Purim)
From this reading “"I really could not help being late, Esther!”
in a graceful manner
From this reading “Mrs. Coombe sank gracefully into a veranda chair.”
United States rock star singer and pianist (born in 1935)
From this reading “I tried to hurry them but Mrs. Lewis was there.”
having the nature of or resulting from malice
From this reading “Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.”
very small
From this reading “Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.”
a porch along the outside of a building (sometimes partly enclosed)
From this reading “Mrs. Coombe sank gracefully into a veranda chair.”
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 Mrs. Coombe sank gracefully into a veranda chair.
a feeling of delight at being entertained
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading "I really could not help being late, Esther!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I tried to hurry them but Mrs. Lewis was there.
put or send forth
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Mrs. Coombe sank gracefully into a veranda chair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Coombe sank gracefully into a veranda chair.
plural of “corner” — a place off to the side of an area
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "I really could not help being late, Esther!
(Old Testament) a beautiful Jewess chosen by the king of Persia to be his queen; she stopped a plot to massacre all the Jews in Persia (an event celebrated by Jews as the feast of Purim)
From this reading "I really could not help being late, Esther!
opinion or judgment
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
a young female
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
in a graceful manner
From this reading Mrs. Coombe sank gracefully into a veranda chair.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "I really could not help being late, Esther!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading I tried to hurry them but Mrs. Lewis was there.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I really could not help being late, Esther!
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Mrs. Coombe sank gracefully into a veranda chair.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading You know what _she_ is!"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading You know what _she_ is!"
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading "I really could not help being late, Esther!
United States rock star singer and pianist (born in 1935)
From this reading I tried to hurry them but Mrs. Lewis was there.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
having the nature of or resulting from malice
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading I tried to hurry them but Mrs. Lewis was there.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I really could not help being late, Esther!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
inflected form of “permit” — consent to, give permission
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "I really could not help being late, Esther!
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading Mrs. Coombe sank gracefully into a veranda chair.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading You know what _she_ is!"
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
moving very fast
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I tried to hurry them but Mrs. Lewis was there.
in or at that place or location
From this reading I tried to hurry them but Mrs. Lewis was there.
very small
From this reading Out of the corners of her eyes she cast a swift glance at the face of her step-daughter and, as the girl was not looking, permitted herself a tiny smile of malicious amusement.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I tried to hurry them but Mrs. Lewis was there.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading I tried to hurry them but Mrs. Lewis was there.
a porch along the outside of a building (sometimes partly enclosed)
From this reading Mrs. Coombe sank gracefully into a veranda chair.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I tried to hurry them but Mrs. Lewis was there.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading You know what _she_ is!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You know what _she_ is!"
Chapter 9 of Up the Hill and Over by Isabel Ecclestone Mackay holds 243 sentences, grouped into 49 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 243 sentences of Up the Hill and Over, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Up the Hill and Over by Isabel Ecclestone Mackay exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 243 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 Up the Hill and Over by Isabel Ecclestone Mackay on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8203 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10438 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10438, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1641 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Up the Hill and Over section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of Up the Hill and Over 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 Up the Hill and Over, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
