A Poached Peerage

Chapter XXIV

Chapter 24 of A Poached Peerage is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By William, Sir Magnay • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for A Poached Peerage

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"Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.

"Curious we should meet again like this," he said with a sickly smile.

"Very," was the pointed response.

Narrator

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXIV Reading 1/31

A Poached Peerage William, Sir Magnay

Chapter XXIV

Chapter 24 of A Poached Peerage is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

For several seconds neither man spoke; Peckover, sprawling limply as he fell, staring with distended, apprehensive eyes at Quorn who, master of the strange situation, regarded him with a certain grim amusement. "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?" Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them. "Curious we should meet again like this," he said with a sickly smile. "Very," was the pointed response.

A Poached Peerage

Chapter XXIV

Chapter 24 of A Poached Peerage is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Line 2

"Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

Line 3

Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.

Line 4

"Curious we should meet again like this," he said with a sickly smile.

/ˈkjʊriəs wiː ʃʊd miːt əˈɡen laɪk ðɪs hiː sed wɪð ə ˈsɪkli smaɪl/

Line 5

"Very," was the pointed response.

/ˈveri wɑːz ðə ˈpɔɪntɪd rɪˈspɑːns/

Learner Dictionary

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.

apprehensive adjective US /ˌæprɪˈhensɪv/

quick to understand

From this reading “For several seconds neither man spoke; Peckover, sprawling limply as he fell, staring with distended, apprehensive eyes at Quorn who, master of the strange situation, regarded him with a certain grim amusement.”

bomb noun US /bɑːm/

an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions

From this reading “Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.”

dispersal noun US /dɪˈspɜːrsəl/

the act of dispersing or diffusing something

From this reading “Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.”

distended verb US /dɪˈstendɪd/

past form of “distend” — become wider

Gage noun US /ɡeɪdʒ/

street names for marijuana

From this reading “"Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"”

recovering adjective US /rəˈkʌvərɪŋ/

returning to health after illness or debility

From this reading “Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.”

sickly adjective US /ˈsɪkli/

unhealthy looking

From this reading “"Curious we should meet again like this," he said with a sickly smile.”

sprawling noun US /ˈsprɔːlɪŋ/

an ungainly posture with arms and legs spread about

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

for the moment preposition + article + noun counted as “for … moment”

temporarily

In this reading “"Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"”

meet again verb + particle

In this reading “"Curious we should meet again like this," he said with a sickly smile.”

several seconds adjective + noun counted as “several second”

In this reading “For several seconds neither man spoke; Peckover, sprawling limply as he fell, staring with distended, apprehensive eyes at Quorn who, master of the strange situation, regarded him with a certain grim amusement.”

strange situation adjective + noun

from the shock preposition + article + noun counted as “from … shock”

In this reading “Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.”

good time adjective + noun

a highly pleasurable or exciting experience

In this reading “"Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"”

All words in this reading · 80

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading For several seconds neither man spoke; Peckover, sprawling limply as he fell, staring with distended, apprehensive eyes at Quorn who, master of the strange situation, regarded him with a certain grim amusement.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading "Curious we should meet again like this," he said with a sickly smile.

amusementnounUS /əˈmjuːzmənt/

a feeling of delight at being entertained

apprehensiveadjectiveUS /ˌæprɪˈhensɪv/

quick to understand

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

bombnounUS /bɑːm/

an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions

From this reading Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.

causedverbUS /kɑːzd/

past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally

From this reading Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.

certainadjectiveUS /ˈsɜːrtən/

definite but not specified or identified

CuriousadjectiveUS /ˈkjʊriəs/

beyond or deviating from the usual or expected

From this reading "Curious we should meet again like this," he said with a sickly smile.

dispersalnounUS /dɪˈspɜːrsəl/

the act of dispersing or diffusing something

From this reading Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.

distendedverbUS /dɪˈstendɪd/

past form of “distend” — become wider

else

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

fallenadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːlən/

having dropped by the force of gravity

From this reading Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.

fellverbUS /fel/

cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.

GagenounUS /ɡeɪdʒ/

street names for marijuana

From this reading "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

grimadjectiveUS /ɡrɪm/

not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

HopenounUS /hoʊp/

a specific instance of feeling hopeful

From this reading "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading "Curious we should meet again like this," he said with a sickly smile.

limplyadverb

without rigidity

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

masternounUS /ˈmæstər/

an artist of consummate skill

meetverbUS /miːt/

come together

From this reading "Curious we should meet again like this," he said with a sickly smile.

memorynounUS /ˈmem.ər.i/

The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.

From this reading "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

neitherdeterminerUS /ˈniːðər/

not one and not the other of two

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

Peckover

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

Peckover's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.

pointedadjectiveUS /ˈpɔɪntɪd/

having a point

From this reading "Very," was the pointed response.

Quorn

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

rapidlyadverbUS /ˈræpədli/

with speed

From this reading Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.

recoveringadjectiveUS /rəˈkʌvərɪŋ/

returning to health after illness or debility

From this reading Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.

regardedverbUS /rɪˈɡɑːrdɪd/

past form of “regard” — deem to be

responsenounUS /rɪˈspɑːns/

a result

From this reading "Very," was the pointed response.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Curious we should meet again like this," he said with a sickly smile.

secondsnounUS /ˈsekəndz/

plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

severaladjectiveUS /ˈsevrəl/

(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many

shocknounUS /ʃɑːk/

the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally

From this reading Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading "Curious we should meet again like this," he said with a sickly smile.

sicklyadjectiveUS /ˈsɪkli/

unhealthy looking

From this reading "Curious we should meet again like this," he said with a sickly smile.

situationnounUS /ˌsɪtʃuːˈeɪʃən/

the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time

slippedverbUS /slɪpt/

inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily

From this reading "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

smileverbUS /smaɪl/

change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure

From this reading "Curious we should meet again like this," he said with a sickly smile.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

spokenounUS /spoʊk/

support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim

sprawlingnounUS /ˈsprɔːlɪŋ/

an ungainly posture with arms and legs spread about

staringadjectiveUS /ˈsterɪŋ/

(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder

strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading "Curious we should meet again like this," he said with a sickly smile.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

unexpectedadjectiveUS /ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪd/

not expected or anticipated

From this reading Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.

VeryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading "Very," was the pointed response.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Very," was the pointed response.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading "Curious we should meet again like this," he said with a sickly smile.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

witsnounUS /wɪts/

the basic human power of intelligent thought and perception

From this reading Peckover's wits were rapidly recovering from the shock of dispersal caused by the unexpected bomb which had fallen on them.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Hope you are having a good time, Mr.--Gage, is it?--or something else, which for the moment has slipped my memory?"

Chapter 24 of A Poached Peerage by William, Sir Magnay holds 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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.

What does chapter 24 of A Poached Peerage contain?

Chapter 24 holds 159 sentences of A Poached Peerage, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 24 of A Poached Peerage by William, Sir Magnay exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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.

How do I study chapter 24 of A Poached Peerage?

Work through the 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 32 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.

Can chapter 24 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 24 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.

Questions about reading A Poached Peerage

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Is this the complete text of A Poached Peerage?

Yes. All 5783 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34088 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #34088, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 481 minutes of reading across 1157 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in A Poached Peerage

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Poached Peerage, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

William: A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Poached Peerage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Magnay: A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Poached Peerage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author: A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Poached Peerage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fauconberg: A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Poached Peerage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XXIV

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