Chapter 17 of Amusement Only is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Amusement Only is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DOCTORS TO THE RESCUE! Just as he reached the door it was opened. A very tall, and very stout, old gentleman entered. He had a black bag in his hand. But he did not seem to be the least in a hurry.
Chapter 17 of Amusement Only is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading “He had a black bag in his hand.”
plural of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “DOCTORS TO THE RESCUE!”
a man of refinement
From this reading “A very tall, and very stout, old gentleman entered.”
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading “But he did not seem to be the least in a hurry.”
free from harm or evil
From this reading “DOCTORS TO THE RESCUE!”
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “But he did not seem to be the least in a hurry.”
dependable
From this reading “A very tall, and very stout, old gentleman entered.”
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading “A very tall, and very stout, old gentleman entered.”
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 “A very tall, and very stout, old gentleman entered.”
In this reading “He had a black bag in his hand.”
In this reading “Just as he reached the door it was opened.”
In this reading “But he did not seem to be the least in a hurry.”
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 very tall, and very stout, old gentleman entered.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A very tall, and very stout, old gentleman entered.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Just as he reached the door it was opened.
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading He had a black bag in his hand.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But he did not seem to be the least in a hurry.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading He had a black bag in his hand.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he did not seem to be the least in a hurry.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading But he did not seem to be the least in a hurry.
plural of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading DOCTORS TO THE RESCUE!
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Just as he reached the door it was opened.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading A very tall, and very stout, old gentleman entered.
a man of refinement
From this reading A very tall, and very stout, old gentleman entered.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had a black bag in his hand.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He had a black bag in his hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Just as he reached the door it was opened.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had a black bag in his hand.
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading But he did not seem to be the least in a hurry.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had a black bag in his hand.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Just as he reached the door it was opened.
and nothing more
From this reading Just as he reached the door it was opened.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading But he did not seem to be the least in a hurry.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But he did not seem to be the least in a hurry.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading A very tall, and very stout, old gentleman entered.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Just as he reached the door it was opened.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Just as he reached the door it was opened.
free from harm or evil
From this reading DOCTORS TO THE RESCUE!
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading But he did not seem to be the least in a hurry.
dependable
From this reading A very tall, and very stout, old gentleman entered.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading A very tall, and very stout, old gentleman entered.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DOCTORS TO THE RESCUE!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading DOCTORS TO THE RESCUE!
precisely as stated
From this reading A very tall, and very stout, old gentleman entered.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Just as he reached the door it was opened.
Chapter 17 of Amusement Only by Richard Marsh holds 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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 99 sentences of Amusement Only, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Amusement Only by Richard Marsh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Amusement Only by Richard Marsh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6699 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38188 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38188, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 558 minutes of reading across 1340 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Amusement Only section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Amusement Only 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 Amusement Only, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
