Chapter 9 of Vashti is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Vashti is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Salome, where did you learn to sing? I was astonished this morning when I heard you." "I have not yet learned,--I have only begun to practise." "But, my child, I had no idea you owned such a voice. Where have you kept it concealed so long?"
Chapter 9 of Vashti is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading “I was astonished this morning when I heard you."”
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “"I have not yet learned,--I have only begun to practise."”
not accessible to view
From this reading “Where have you kept it concealed so long?"”
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading “"Salome, where did you learn to sing?”
having an owner; often used in combination
From this reading “"But, my child, I had no idea you owned such a voice.”
engage in a rehearsal
From this reading “"I have not yet learned,--I have only begun to practise."”
woman whose dancing beguiled Herod into giving her the head of John the Baptist
From this reading “"Salome, where did you learn to sing?”
deliver by singing
From this reading “"Salome, where did you learn to sing?”
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 "But, my child, I had no idea you owned such a voice.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading I was astonished this morning when I heard you."
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "I have not yet learned,--I have only begun to practise."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But, my child, I had no idea you owned such a voice.
a young person of either sex
From this reading "But, my child, I had no idea you owned such a voice.
not accessible to view
From this reading Where have you kept it concealed so long?"
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Salome, where did you learn to sing?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "But, my child, I had no idea you owned such a voice.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have not yet learned,--I have only begun to practise."
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading I was astonished this morning when I heard you."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was astonished this morning when I heard you."
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "But, my child, I had no idea you owned such a voice.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Where have you kept it concealed so long?"
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading Where have you kept it concealed so long?"
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading "Salome, where did you learn to sing?
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading "I have not yet learned,--I have only begun to practise."
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 Where have you kept it concealed so long?"
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading I was astonished this morning when I heard you."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "But, my child, I had no idea you owned such a voice.
not any; not one
From this reading "But, my child, I had no idea you owned such a voice.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I have not yet learned,--I have only begun to practise."
and nothing more
From this reading "I have not yet learned,--I have only begun to practise."
having an owner; often used in combination
From this reading "But, my child, I had no idea you owned such a voice.
engage in a rehearsal
From this reading "I have not yet learned,--I have only begun to practise."
woman whose dancing beguiled Herod into giving her the head of John the Baptist
From this reading "Salome, where did you learn to sing?
deliver by singing
From this reading "Salome, where did you learn to sing?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Where have you kept it concealed so long?"
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "But, my child, I had no idea you owned such a voice.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I was astonished this morning when I heard you."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Salome, where did you learn to sing?
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "But, my child, I had no idea you owned such a voice.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was astonished this morning when I heard you."
at the time that
From this reading I was astonished this morning when I heard you."
in or at the place that
From this reading "Salome, where did you learn to sing?
but in spite of that
From this reading "I have not yet learned,--I have only begun to practise."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Salome, where did you learn to sing?
Chapter 9 of Vashti by Augusta J. (Augusta Jane) Evans holds 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 147 sentences of Vashti, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Vashti by Augusta J. (Augusta Jane) Evans exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Vashti by Augusta J. (Augusta Jane) Evans on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6667 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31620 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31620, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 555 minutes of reading across 1334 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Vashti section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of Vashti 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 Vashti, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
