Chapter 14 of A Cigarette Clew is here in full — 59 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of A Cigarette Clew is here in full — 59 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A NECESSARY CRUELTY. Nick was on his feet in front of the cowering man, pointing one finger at him. Montgomery merely writhed in his seat, but did not say a word. “But that is not the worst,” went on the detective, mercilessly. “You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.”
Chapter 14 of A Cigarette Clew is here in full — 59 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/11 · 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.
-ing form of “cower” — crouch or curl up
From this reading “Nick was on his feet in front of the cowering man, pointing one finger at him.”
a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering
From this reading “A NECESSARY CRUELTY.”
capital of the state of Michigan; located in southern Michigan on the Grand River
From this reading ““You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.””
without pity; in a merciless manner
From this reading ““But that is not the worst,” went on the detective, mercilessly.”
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading ““You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.””
Canadian novelist (1874-1942)
From this reading “Montgomery merely writhed in his seat, but did not say a word.”
a son of your brother or sister
From this reading ““You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.””
twisted (especially as in pain or struggle)
From this reading “Montgomery merely writhed in his seat, but did not say a word.”
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.
at or in the front
In this reading “Nick was on his feet in front of the cowering man, pointing one finger at him.”
In this reading “Montgomery merely writhed in his seat, but did not say a word.”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading ““But that is not the worst,” went on the detective, mercilessly.”
In this reading ““You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.””
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 A NECESSARY CRUELTY.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Nick was on his feet in front of the cowering man, pointing one finger at him.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading “You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.”
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading “You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Montgomery merely writhed in his seat, but did not say a word.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.”
-ing form of “cower” — crouch or curl up
From this reading Nick was on his feet in front of the cowering man, pointing one finger at him.
a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering
From this reading A NECESSARY CRUELTY.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “But that is not the worst,” went on the detective, mercilessly.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Montgomery merely writhed in his seat, but did not say a word.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading “You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.”
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Nick was on his feet in front of the cowering man, pointing one finger at him.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading Nick was on his feet in front of the cowering man, pointing one finger at him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.”
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading Nick was on his feet in front of the cowering man, pointing one finger at him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Nick was on his feet in front of the cowering man, pointing one finger at him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Nick was on his feet in front of the cowering man, pointing one finger at him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Nick was on his feet in front of the cowering man, pointing one finger at him.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “But that is not the worst,” went on the detective, mercilessly.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.”
capital of the state of Michigan; located in southern Michigan on the Grand River
From this reading “You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Nick was on his feet in front of the cowering man, pointing one finger at him.
without pity; in a merciless manner
From this reading “But that is not the worst,” went on the detective, mercilessly.
and nothing more
From this reading Montgomery merely writhed in his seat, but did not say a word.
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading “You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.”
Canadian novelist (1874-1942)
From this reading Montgomery merely writhed in his seat, but did not say a word.
absolutely essential
From this reading A NECESSARY CRUELTY.
a son of your brother or sister
From this reading “You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.”
cut slightly, with a razor
From this reading Nick was on his feet in front of the cowering man, pointing one finger at him.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Montgomery merely writhed in his seat, but did not say a word.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Nick was on his feet in front of the cowering man, pointing one finger at him.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Nick was on his feet in front of the cowering man, pointing one finger at him.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Nick was on his feet in front of the cowering man, pointing one finger at him.
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading Nick was on his feet in front of the cowering man, pointing one finger at him.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading “You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.”
express in words
From this reading Montgomery merely writhed in his seat, but did not say a word.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading Montgomery merely writhed in his seat, but did not say a word.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “But that is not the worst,” went on the detective, mercilessly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Nick was on his feet in front of the cowering man, pointing one finger at him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Nick was on his feet in front of the cowering man, pointing one finger at him.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “But that is not the worst,” went on the detective, mercilessly.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Montgomery merely writhed in his seat, but did not say a word.
the least favorable outcome
From this reading “But that is not the worst,” went on the detective, mercilessly.
twisted (especially as in pain or struggle)
From this reading Montgomery merely writhed in his seat, but did not say a word.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You know that your nephew, John Lansing, started for Boston on Monday night, by the Fall River boat.”
Chapter 14 of A Cigarette Clew by Nicholas (House name) Carter holds 59 sentences, grouped into 12 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 14 holds 59 sentences of A Cigarette Clew, unabridged, divided into 12 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of A Cigarette Clew by Nicholas (House name) Carter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 59 sentences, grouped into 12 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 12 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 12 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 14 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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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Cigarette Clew section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Cigarette Clew, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
