Chapter 17 of A Son of the Sahara is here in full — 35 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of A Son of the Sahara is here in full — 35 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The hotel patio was full of people just out from dinner. In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him. All at once a voice at his elbow said tensely: "Bob, I want to speak to you alone for a moment." He turned quickly.
Chapter 17 of A Son of the Sahara is here in full — 35 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/7 · 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.
plural of “acquaintance” — personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading “In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.”
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “"Bob, I want to speak to you alone for a moment."”
hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped
From this reading “All at once a voice at his elbow said tensely:”
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading “The hotel patio was full of people just out from dinner.”
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading “In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.”
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading “In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.”
usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence
From this reading “The hotel patio was full of people just out from dinner.”
in a tense manner
From this reading “All at once a voice at his elbow said tensely:”
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.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “All at once a voice at his elbow said tensely:”
the middle or central part or point
In this reading “In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.”
temporarily
In this reading “"Bob, I want to speak to you alone for a moment."”
In this reading “In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.”
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 In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.
plural of “acquaintance” — personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading All at once a voice at his elbow said tensely:
Having no one else present.
From this reading "Bob, I want to speak to you alone for a moment."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading All at once a voice at his elbow said tensely:
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading "Bob, I want to speak to you alone for a moment."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.
cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading The hotel patio was full of people just out from dinner.
hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped
From this reading All at once a voice at his elbow said tensely:
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Bob, I want to speak to you alone for a moment."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The hotel patio was full of people just out from dinner.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading The hotel patio was full of people just out from dinner.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He turned quickly.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading All at once a voice at his elbow said tensely:
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading The hotel patio was full of people just out from dinner.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Bob, I want to speak to you alone for a moment."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.
and nothing more
From this reading The hotel patio was full of people just out from dinner.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.
a particular point in time
From this reading "Bob, I want to speak to you alone for a moment."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The hotel patio was full of people just out from dinner.
on one occasion
From this reading All at once a voice at his elbow said tensely:
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The hotel patio was full of people just out from dinner.
usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence
From this reading The hotel patio was full of people just out from dinner.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading The hotel patio was full of people just out from dinner.
with speed
From this reading He turned quickly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading All at once a voice at his elbow said tensely:
express in speech
From this reading "Bob, I want to speak to you alone for a moment."
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.
in a tense manner
From this reading All at once a voice at his elbow said tensely:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The hotel patio was full of people just out from dinner.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Bob, I want to speak to you alone for a moment."
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He turned quickly.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading All at once a voice at his elbow said tensely:
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Bob, I want to speak to you alone for a moment."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The hotel patio was full of people just out from dinner.
in the company of; together with
From this reading In the midst of a crowd of acquaintances Captain Cameron stood, laughing and talking with those around him.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Bob, I want to speak to you alone for a moment."
Chapter 17 of A Son of the Sahara by Louise Gerard holds 35 sentences, grouped into 7 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 17 holds 35 sentences of A Son of the Sahara, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of A Son of the Sahara by Louise Gerard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 35 sentences, grouped into 7 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 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 7 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 17 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 Son of the Sahara by Louise Gerard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5837 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36914 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36914, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 486 minutes of reading across 1168 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Son of the Sahara section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of A Son of the Sahara 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 Son of the Sahara, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
