Chapter XV of A Hoodoo Machine, “Hurling a Bomb,” is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter XV of A Hoodoo Machine, “Hurling a Bomb,” is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street. One of these half dozen was the colonel. Another was Joshua Griggs. The remaining four were capitalists. Colonel Mark Antony Billings was in his element.
Chapter XV of A Hoodoo Machine, “Hurling a Bomb,” is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading “Colonel Mark Antony Billings was in his element.”
the largest city in Montana; located in southern Montana on the Yellowstone river
From this reading “Colonel Mark Antony Billings was in his element.”
a stock broker's business; charges a fee to act as intermediary between buyer and seller
From this reading “Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.”
plural of “capitalist” — a conservative advocate of capitalism
From this reading “The remaining four were capitalists.”
a prearranged meeting for consultation or exchange of information or discussion (especially one with a formal agenda)
From this reading “Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.”
(Old Testament) Moses' successor who led the Israelites into the Promised Land; best remembered for his destruction of Jericho
From this reading “Another was Joshua Griggs.”
relating to or being a palace
From this reading “Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.”
lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance
From this reading “Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.”
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 “Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.”
denoting a quantity consisting of six items or units
In this reading “One of these half dozen was the colonel.”
In this reading “Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.”
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 Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Another was Joshua Griggs.
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading Colonel Mark Antony Billings was in his element.
the largest city in Montana; located in southern Montana on the Yellowstone river
From this reading Colonel Mark Antony Billings was in his element.
a stock broker's business; charges a fee to act as intermediary between buyer and seller
From this reading Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.
plural of “capitalist” — a conservative advocate of capitalism
From this reading The remaining four were capitalists.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading One of these half dozen was the colonel.
a prearranged meeting for consultation or exchange of information or discussion (especially one with a formal agenda)
From this reading Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.
an abstract part of something
From this reading Colonel Mark Antony Billings was in his element.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading The remaining four were capitalists.
brought together in one place
From this reading Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Colonel Mark Antony Billings was in his element.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.
(Old Testament) Moses' successor who led the Israelites into the Promised Land; best remembered for his destruction of Jericho
From this reading Another was Joshua Griggs.
The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions on one's way of life.
From this reading Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.
attach a tag or label to
From this reading Colonel Mark Antony Billings was in his element.
the force of workers available
From this reading Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.
plural of “office” — place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of these half dozen was the colonel.
relating to or being a palace
From this reading Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.
lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance
From this reading Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.
not used up
From this reading The remaining four were capitalists.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading One of these half dozen was the colonel.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One of these half dozen was the colonel.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Half a dozen men were gathered in the private conference room of Random & Griggs’ palatial brokerage offices in Liberty Street.
Chapter 15 of A Hoodoo Machine by Stanley R. [Adapter] Matthews holds 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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 15 holds 115 sentences of A Hoodoo Machine, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of A Hoodoo Machine by Stanley R. [Adapter] Matthews exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 15 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 A Hoodoo Machine by Stanley R. [Adapter] Matthews on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2579 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53607 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53607, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 214 minutes of reading across 516 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Hoodoo Machine section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of A Hoodoo Machine 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 Hoodoo Machine, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
