Chapter 23 of Bat Wing is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Bat Wing is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband. Inspector Aylesbury stood in the open doorway for a moment, and then, stepping back into the hall: “Sergeant Butler,” he said, addressing the man who waited there. “Yes, sir.” “Go out to the gate and get Edson to relieve you.
Chapter 23 of Bat Wing is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
-ing form of “address” — speak to
From this reading ““Sergeant Butler,” he said, addressing the man who waited there.”
a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading ““Sergeant Butler,” he said, addressing the man who waited there.”
a slight convexity (as of the surface of a road)
From this reading “AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.”
a high ranking police officer
From this reading “Inspector Aylesbury stood in the open doorway for a moment, and then, stepping back into the hall:”
having official authority or sanction
From this reading “AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.”
provide physical relief, as from pain
From this reading ““Go out to the gate and get Edson to relieve you.”
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading ““Sergeant Butler,” he said, addressing the man who waited there.”
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading “Inspector Aylesbury stood in the open doorway for a moment, and then, stepping back into the hall:”
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 AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.
-ing form of “address” — speak to
From this reading “Sergeant Butler,” he said, addressing the man who waited there.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Inspector Aylesbury stood in the open doorway for a moment, and then, stepping back into the hall:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Inspector Aylesbury stood in the open doorway for a moment, and then, stepping back into the hall:
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Inspector Aylesbury stood in the open doorway for a moment, and then, stepping back into the hall:
a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading “Sergeant Butler,” he said, addressing the man who waited there.
a slight convexity (as of the surface of a road)
From this reading AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading Inspector Aylesbury stood in the open doorway for a moment, and then, stepping back into the hall:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Go out to the gate and get Edson to relieve you.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Inspector Aylesbury stood in the open doorway for a moment, and then, stepping back into the hall:
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading “Go out to the gate and get Edson to relieve you.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “Go out to the gate and get Edson to relieve you.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Go out to the gate and get Edson to relieve you.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading Inspector Aylesbury stood in the open doorway for a moment, and then, stepping back into the hall:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Sergeant Butler,” he said, addressing the man who waited there.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.
a high ranking police officer
From this reading Inspector Aylesbury stood in the open doorway for a moment, and then, stepping back into the hall:
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Inspector Aylesbury stood in the open doorway for a moment, and then, stepping back into the hall:
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Sergeant Butler,” he said, addressing the man who waited there.
a particular point in time
From this reading Inspector Aylesbury stood in the open doorway for a moment, and then, stepping back into the hall:
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.
having official authority or sanction
From this reading AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Inspector Aylesbury stood in the open doorway for a moment, and then, stepping back into the hall:
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Go out to the gate and get Edson to relieve you.
provide physical relief, as from pain
From this reading “Go out to the gate and get Edson to relieve you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Sergeant Butler,” he said, addressing the man who waited there.
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading “Sergeant Butler,” he said, addressing the man who waited there.
term of address for a man
From this reading “Yes, sir.”
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading Inspector Aylesbury stood in the open doorway for a moment, and then, stepping back into the hall:
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Inspector Aylesbury stood in the open doorway for a moment, and then, stepping back into the hall:
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Inspector Aylesbury stood in the open doorway for a moment, and then, stepping back into the hall:
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Sergeant Butler,” he said, addressing the man who waited there.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.
precisely as stated
From this reading AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “Sergeant Butler,” he said, addressing the man who waited there.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading AN OFFICIAL MOVE We reëntered the study to find Mrs. Camber sitting in a chair very close to her husband.
which person or people
From this reading “Sergeant Butler,” he said, addressing the man who waited there.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, sir.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Go out to the gate and get Edson to relieve you.
Chapter 23 of Bat Wing by Sax Rohmer holds 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 23 holds 164 sentences of Bat Wing, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Bat Wing by Sax Rohmer exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 23 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 Bat Wing by Sax Rohmer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5660 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6382 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6382, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 471 minutes of reading across 1132 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bat Wing section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Bat Wing 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 Bat Wing, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
