Chapter 9 of Witness for the Defence is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Witness for the Defence is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
NEWS FROM CHITIPUR A long silence followed upon his words. Jane Repton turned to the mantelshelf and moved an ornament here and another one there. She had contemplated this very consequence of Thresk's journey to Chitipur. She had actually worked for it herself. She was frank enough to acknowledge that.
Chapter 9 of Witness for the Defence is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading “She was frank enough to acknowledge that.”
in actual fact
From this reading “She had actually worked for it herself.”
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading “She had contemplated this very consequence of Thresk's journey to Chitipur.”
past form of “contemplate” — look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought
From this reading “She had contemplated this very consequence of Thresk's journey to Chitipur.”
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading “She was frank enough to acknowledge that.”
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading “She had contemplated this very consequence of Thresk's journey to Chitipur.”
make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.
From this reading “Jane Repton turned to the mantelshelf and moved an ornament here and another one there.”
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading “She had actually worked for it herself.”
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 NEWS FROM CHITIPUR A long silence followed upon his words.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading She was frank enough to acknowledge that.
in actual fact
From this reading She had actually worked for it herself.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Jane Repton turned to the mantelshelf and moved an ornament here and another one there.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Jane Repton turned to the mantelshelf and moved an ornament here and another one there.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Jane Repton turned to the mantelshelf and moved an ornament here and another one there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NEWS FROM CHITIPUR A long silence followed upon his words.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading She had contemplated this very consequence of Thresk's journey to Chitipur.
past form of “contemplate” — look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought
From this reading She had contemplated this very consequence of Thresk's journey to Chitipur.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading She was frank enough to acknowledge that.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading NEWS FROM CHITIPUR A long silence followed upon his words.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She had actually worked for it herself.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading She was frank enough to acknowledge that.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading NEWS FROM CHITIPUR A long silence followed upon his words.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had contemplated this very consequence of Thresk's journey to Chitipur.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Jane Repton turned to the mantelshelf and moved an ornament here and another one there.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading She had actually worked for it herself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading NEWS FROM CHITIPUR A long silence followed upon his words.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She had actually worked for it herself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jane Repton turned to the mantelshelf and moved an ornament here and another one there.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading She had contemplated this very consequence of Thresk's journey to Chitipur.
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 NEWS FROM CHITIPUR A long silence followed upon his words.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jane Repton turned to the mantelshelf and moved an ornament here and another one there.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Jane Repton turned to the mantelshelf and moved an ornament here and another one there.
information about recent and important events
From this reading NEWS FROM CHITIPUR A long silence followed upon his words.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She had contemplated this very consequence of Thresk's journey to Chitipur.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Jane Repton turned to the mantelshelf and moved an ornament here and another one there.
make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.
From this reading Jane Repton turned to the mantelshelf and moved an ornament here and another one there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jane Repton turned to the mantelshelf and moved an ornament here and another one there.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had contemplated this very consequence of Thresk's journey to Chitipur.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading NEWS FROM CHITIPUR A long silence followed upon his words.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She was frank enough to acknowledge that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Jane Repton turned to the mantelshelf and moved an ornament here and another one there.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Jane Repton turned to the mantelshelf and moved an ornament here and another one there.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading She had contemplated this very consequence of Thresk's journey to Chitipur.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had contemplated this very consequence of Thresk's journey to Chitipur.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Jane Repton turned to the mantelshelf and moved an ornament here and another one there.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Jane Repton turned to the mantelshelf and moved an ornament here and another one there.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading NEWS FROM CHITIPUR A long silence followed upon his words.
precisely as stated
From this reading She had contemplated this very consequence of Thresk's journey to Chitipur.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was frank enough to acknowledge that.
the words that are spoken
From this reading NEWS FROM CHITIPUR A long silence followed upon his words.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading She had actually worked for it herself.
Chapter 9 of Witness for the Defence by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason holds 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 218 sentences of Witness for the Defence, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Witness for the Defence by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Witness for the Defence by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5912 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12535 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12535, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 492 minutes of reading across 1183 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Witness for the Defence section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Witness for the Defence 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 Witness for the Defence, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
