Chapter 9 of Whispering Walls is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Whispering Walls is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"He _is_ Mr. Rhett!" she thought, her pulse pounding. Wisely, she pretended to have observed nothing, and invited him into the pressroom where Jerry was waiting. Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength. "Jerry," said Penny, dropping her bombshell. "This is Mr. Rhett."
Chapter 9 of Whispering Walls is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
an entertainer who has a sensational effect
From this reading “"Jerry," said Penny, dropping her bombshell.”
a rhythmic thrusting movement of the legs as in swimming or calisthenics
From this reading “Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.”
a circular rounded projection or protuberance
From this reading “Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.”
sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something
From this reading “Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.”
repeated heavy blows
From this reading “"He _is_ Mr. Rhett!" she thought, her pulse pounding.”
(electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients)
From this reading “"He _is_ Mr. Rhett!" she thought, her pulse pounding.”
a rapid series of short loud sounds (as might be heard with a stethoscope in some types of respiratory disorders)
From this reading “Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.”
the act of storing something
From this reading “Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.”
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 “Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Wisely, she pretended to have observed nothing, and invited him into the pressroom where Jerry was waiting.
an entertainer who has a sensational effect
From this reading "Jerry," said Penny, dropping her bombshell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.
a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space
From this reading Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading "Jerry," said Penny, dropping her bombshell.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Wisely, she pretended to have observed nothing, and invited him into the pressroom where Jerry was waiting.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He _is_ Mr. Rhett!" she thought, her pulse pounding.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "He _is_ Mr. Rhett!" she thought, her pulse pounding.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Wisely, she pretended to have observed nothing, and invited him into the pressroom where Jerry was waiting.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Wisely, she pretended to have observed nothing, and invited him into the pressroom where Jerry was waiting.
past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of
From this reading Wisely, she pretended to have observed nothing, and invited him into the pressroom where Jerry was waiting.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "He _is_ Mr. Rhett!" she thought, her pulse pounding.
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading Wisely, she pretended to have observed nothing, and invited him into the pressroom where Jerry was waiting.
a rhythmic thrusting movement of the legs as in swimming or calisthenics
From this reading Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.
a circular rounded projection or protuberance
From this reading Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "He _is_ Mr. Rhett!" she thought, her pulse pounding.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Wisely, she pretended to have observed nothing, and invited him into the pressroom where Jerry was waiting.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading Wisely, she pretended to have observed nothing, and invited him into the pressroom where Jerry was waiting.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.
sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something
From this reading Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading "Jerry," said Penny, dropping her bombshell.
repeated heavy blows
From this reading "He _is_ Mr. Rhett!" she thought, her pulse pounding.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wisely, she pretended to have observed nothing, and invited him into the pressroom where Jerry was waiting.
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading Wisely, she pretended to have observed nothing, and invited him into the pressroom where Jerry was waiting.
(electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients)
From this reading "He _is_ Mr. Rhett!" she thought, her pulse pounding.
a rapid series of short loud sounds (as might be heard with a stethoscope in some types of respiratory disorders)
From this reading Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He _is_ Mr. Rhett!" she thought, her pulse pounding.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Jerry," said Penny, dropping her bombshell.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He _is_ Mr. Rhett!" she thought, her pulse pounding.
not in physical motion
From this reading Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.
the act of storing something
From this reading Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.
the property of being physically or mentally strong
From this reading Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Wisely, she pretended to have observed nothing, and invited him into the pressroom where Jerry was waiting.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This is Mr. Rhett."
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "He _is_ Mr. Rhett!" she thought, her pulse pounding.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Wisely, she pretended to have observed nothing, and invited him into the pressroom where Jerry was waiting.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Wisely, she pretended to have observed nothing, and invited him into the pressroom where Jerry was waiting.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Wisely, she pretended to have observed nothing, and invited him into the pressroom where Jerry was waiting.
in or at the place that
From this reading Wisely, she pretended to have observed nothing, and invited him into the pressroom where Jerry was waiting.
in a wise manner
From this reading Wisely, she pretended to have observed nothing, and invited him into the pressroom where Jerry was waiting.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Celeste, still locked in the storage closet, was rattling the door knob and kicking on the panel with all her strength.
Chapter 9 of Whispering Walls by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 426 sentences of Whispering Walls, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Whispering Walls by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Whispering Walls by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3890 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34975 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34975, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 324 minutes of reading across 778 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Whispering Walls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Whispering Walls 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 Whispering Walls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
