Chapter 16 of A Broken Bond is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of A Broken Bond is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ON THE FIRE ESCAPE. An exclamation of annoyance broke from Nick Carter’s lips. “I didn’t give him credit for so much cunning,” he thought. “But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion. It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.”
Chapter 16 of A Broken Bond is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed
From this reading “An exclamation of annoyance broke from Nick Carter’s lips.”
possessive form of “carter” — Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)
United States neoclassical sculptor (1814-1857)
From this reading “It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.””
an abrupt excited utterance
From this reading “An exclamation of annoyance broke from Nick Carter’s lips.”
past form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading ““But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion.”
cut slightly, with a razor
From this reading “An exclamation of annoyance broke from Nick Carter’s lips.”
lie in wait, lie in ambush, behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
From this reading ““But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion.”
plural of “suspect” — someone who is under suspicion
From this reading “It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.””
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 “It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.””
In this reading “It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.””
In this reading ““But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An exclamation of annoyance broke from Nick Carter’s lips.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.”
the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed
From this reading An exclamation of annoyance broke from Nick Carter’s lips.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.”
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.”
lacking funds
From this reading An exclamation of annoyance broke from Nick Carter’s lips.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.”
possessive form of “carter” — Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)
From this reading An exclamation of annoyance broke from Nick Carter’s lips.
United States neoclassical sculptor (1814-1857)
From this reading It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.”
approval
From this reading “I didn’t give him credit for so much cunning,” he thought.
attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness
From this reading “I didn’t give him credit for so much cunning,” he thought.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I didn’t give him credit for so much cunning,” he thought.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.”
the act of escaping physically
From this reading ON THE FIRE ESCAPE.
an abrupt excited utterance
From this reading An exclamation of annoyance broke from Nick Carter’s lips.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading “But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion.
start firing a weapon
From this reading ON THE FIRE ESCAPE.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I didn’t give him credit for so much cunning,” he thought.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading An exclamation of annoyance broke from Nick Carter’s lips.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “I didn’t give him credit for so much cunning,” he thought.
the act of departing
From this reading It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.”
past form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading “But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I didn’t give him credit for so much cunning,” he thought.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I didn’t give him credit for so much cunning,” he thought.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I didn’t give him credit for so much cunning,” he thought.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.”
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading An exclamation of annoyance broke from Nick Carter’s lips.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.”
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “I didn’t give him credit for so much cunning,” he thought.
absolutely essential
From this reading “But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion.
cut slightly, with a razor
From this reading An exclamation of annoyance broke from Nick Carter’s lips.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading An exclamation of annoyance broke from Nick Carter’s lips.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading ON THE FIRE ESCAPE.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.”
capable of happening or existing
From this reading It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.”
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion.
lie in wait, lie in ambush, behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
From this reading “But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “I didn’t give him credit for so much cunning,” he thought.
plural of “suspect” — someone who is under suspicion
From this reading It can’t be possible that he suspects me, and I don’t know of any reason why Crawford should not know of his going out.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ON THE FIRE ESCAPE.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “I didn’t give him credit for so much cunning,” he thought.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “But hanged if I see why he should have felt it necessary to skulk away in that fashion.
Chapter 16 of A Broken Bond by Nicholas (House name) Carter holds 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 holds 80 sentences of A Broken Bond, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of A Broken Bond by Nicholas (House name) Carter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 16 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.
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Yes. All 3389 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63143 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63143, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 282 minutes of reading across 678 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Broken Bond section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of A Broken Bond 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 A Broken Bond, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
