Chapter 9 of Where the Pavement Ends is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Where the Pavement Ends is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Zelie," he offered, "will you marry me?" That must have been the test, you know. In the covert, unproclaimed struggle which had brought them both to this pass, that must have been the gauge. Whatever thrill of satisfied passionate resentment she could have wished must have been hers there and then. "Will you wed with me, Zelie?"
Chapter 9 of Where the Pavement Ends is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 flock of coots
From this reading “In the covert, unproclaimed struggle which had brought them both to this pass, that must have been the gauge.”
judge tentatively or form an estimate of (quantities or time)
From this reading “In the covert, unproclaimed struggle which had brought them both to this pass, that must have been the gauge.”
having or expressing strong emotions
From this reading “Whatever thrill of satisfied passionate resentment she could have wished must have been hers there and then.”
a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
From this reading “Whatever thrill of satisfied passionate resentment she could have wished must have been hers there and then.”
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading “In the covert, unproclaimed struggle which had brought them both to this pass, that must have been the gauge.”
trying something to find out about it
From this reading “That must have been the test, you know.”
the swift release of a store of affective force
From this reading “Whatever thrill of satisfied passionate resentment she could have wished must have been hers there and then.”
take in marriage
From this reading “"Will you wed with me, Zelie?"”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Whatever thrill of satisfied passionate resentment she could have wished must have been hers there and then.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading That must have been the test, you know.
the two together, not just one
From this reading In the covert, unproclaimed struggle which had brought them both to this pass, that must have been the gauge.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading In the covert, unproclaimed struggle which had brought them both to this pass, that must have been the gauge.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Whatever thrill of satisfied passionate resentment she could have wished must have been hers there and then.
a flock of coots
From this reading In the covert, unproclaimed struggle which had brought them both to this pass, that must have been the gauge.
judge tentatively or form an estimate of (quantities or time)
From this reading In the covert, unproclaimed struggle which had brought them both to this pass, that must have been the gauge.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading In the covert, unproclaimed struggle which had brought them both to this pass, that must have been the gauge.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading That must have been the test, you know.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Zelie," he offered, "will you marry me?"
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading Whatever thrill of satisfied passionate resentment she could have wished must have been hers there and then.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the covert, unproclaimed struggle which had brought them both to this pass, that must have been the gauge.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading That must have been the test, you know.
take in marriage
From this reading "Zelie," he offered, "will you marry me?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Zelie," he offered, "will you marry me?"
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading That must have been the test, you know.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Whatever thrill of satisfied passionate resentment she could have wished must have been hers there and then.
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading "Zelie," he offered, "will you marry me?"
go across or through
From this reading In the covert, unproclaimed struggle which had brought them both to this pass, that must have been the gauge.
having or expressing strong emotions
From this reading Whatever thrill of satisfied passionate resentment she could have wished must have been hers there and then.
a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
From this reading Whatever thrill of satisfied passionate resentment she could have wished must have been hers there and then.
filled with satisfaction
From this reading Whatever thrill of satisfied passionate resentment she could have wished must have been hers there and then.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Whatever thrill of satisfied passionate resentment she could have wished must have been hers there and then.
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading In the covert, unproclaimed struggle which had brought them both to this pass, that must have been the gauge.
trying something to find out about it
From this reading That must have been the test, you know.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That must have been the test, you know.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading That must have been the test, you know.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading In the covert, unproclaimed struggle which had brought them both to this pass, that must have been the gauge.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Whatever thrill of satisfied passionate resentment she could have wished must have been hers there and then.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Whatever thrill of satisfied passionate resentment she could have wished must have been hers there and then.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading In the covert, unproclaimed struggle which had brought them both to this pass, that must have been the gauge.
the swift release of a store of affective force
From this reading Whatever thrill of satisfied passionate resentment she could have wished must have been hers there and then.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In the covert, unproclaimed struggle which had brought them both to this pass, that must have been the gauge.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the covert, unproclaimed struggle which had brought them both to this pass, that must have been the gauge.
take in marriage
From this reading "Will you wed with me, Zelie?"
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading Whatever thrill of satisfied passionate resentment she could have wished must have been hers there and then.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading In the covert, unproclaimed struggle which had brought them both to this pass, that must have been the gauge.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Zelie," he offered, "will you marry me?"
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading Whatever thrill of satisfied passionate resentment she could have wished must have been hers there and then.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Will you wed with me, Zelie?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Zelie," he offered, "will you marry me?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Zelie," he offered, "will you marry me?"
Chapter 9 of Where the Pavement Ends by John Russell holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of Where the Pavement Ends, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Where the Pavement Ends by John Russell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Where the Pavement Ends by John Russell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7063 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32946 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32946, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 588 minutes of reading across 1413 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Where the Pavement Ends section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Where the Pavement Ends 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 Where the Pavement Ends, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
