Chapter 16 of A Strange Disappearance is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of A Strange Disappearance is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And what success did I meet? The best in the world. And by what means did I attain it? By that of the simplest, prettiest clue I ever came upon. But let me explain.
Chapter 16 of A Strange Disappearance is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
to gain with effort
From this reading “And by what means did I attain it?”
a slight indication
From this reading “By that of the simplest, prettiest clue I ever came upon.”
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “But let me explain.”
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading “And by what means did I attain it?”
come together
From this reading “And what success did I meet?”
superlative of “pretty” — pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “By that of the simplest, prettiest clue I ever came upon.”
superlative of “simple” — having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading “By that of the simplest, prettiest clue I ever came upon.”
an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
From this reading “And what success did I meet?”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And what success did I meet?
to gain with effort
From this reading And by what means did I attain it?
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading The best in the world.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But let me explain.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading And by what means did I attain it?
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading By that of the simplest, prettiest clue I ever came upon.
a slight indication
From this reading By that of the simplest, prettiest clue I ever came upon.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading And what success did I meet?
at any time
From this reading By that of the simplest, prettiest clue I ever came upon.
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading But let me explain.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And what success did I meet?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The best in the world.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And by what means did I attain it?
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading But let me explain.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But let me explain.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading And by what means did I attain it?
come together
From this reading And what success did I meet?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading By that of the simplest, prettiest clue I ever came upon.
superlative of “pretty” — pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading By that of the simplest, prettiest clue I ever came upon.
superlative of “simple” — having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading By that of the simplest, prettiest clue I ever came upon.
an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
From this reading And what success did I meet?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading By that of the simplest, prettiest clue I ever came upon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The best in the world.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading By that of the simplest, prettiest clue I ever came upon.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And what success did I meet?
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading The best in the world.
Chapter 16 of A Strange Disappearance by Anna Katharine Green holds 144 sentences, grouped into 29 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 144 sentences of A Strange Disappearance, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of A Strange Disappearance by Anna Katharine Green exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 144 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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.
Common questions about reading A Strange Disappearance by Anna Katharine Green on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2218 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1167 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1167, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 184 minutes of reading across 444 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Strange Disappearance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of A Strange Disappearance 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 Strange Disappearance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
