Chapter 17 of Blind mice is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Blind mice is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door. She returned with a letter in her hand. “I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy. Lucy glanced at it and recognized Mr. Merwent’s handwriting. She left the room.
Chapter 17 of Blind mice is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading “The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door.”
plural of “dish” — a piece of dishware normally used as a container for holding or serving food
From this reading “The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door.”
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading ““I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.”
something written by hand
From this reading “Lucy glanced at it and recognized Mr. Merwent’s handwriting.”
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading ““I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.”
plural of “insult” — a rude expression intended to offend or hurt
From this reading ““I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.”
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading ““I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.”
make whistling sounds
From this reading “The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door.”
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 “Lucy glanced at it and recognized Mr. Merwent’s handwriting.”
In this reading “The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door.”
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 She returned with a letter in her hand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Lucy glanced at it and recognized Mr. Merwent’s handwriting.
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door.
plural of “dish” — a piece of dishware normally used as a container for holding or serving food
From this reading The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door.
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading “I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading Lucy glanced at it and recognized Mr. Merwent’s handwriting.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading She returned with a letter in her hand.
something written by hand
From this reading Lucy glanced at it and recognized Mr. Merwent’s handwriting.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading “I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She returned with a letter in her hand.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She returned with a letter in her hand.
plural of “insult” — a rude expression intended to offend or hurt
From this reading “I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Lucy glanced at it and recognized Mr. Merwent’s handwriting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading She left the room.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading She returned with a letter in her hand.
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading “I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lucy glanced at it and recognized Mr. Merwent’s handwriting.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Lucy glanced at it and recognized Mr. Merwent’s handwriting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading “I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading Lucy glanced at it and recognized Mr. Merwent’s handwriting.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading She returned with a letter in her hand.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading She left the room.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She returned with a letter in her hand.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.
express a supposition
From this reading “I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door.
make whistling sounds
From this reading The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The postman’s whistle blew and, as Katy was busy with the dishes, Nannie went to the door.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I suppose your father has some more insults to heap on me,” she observed acridly, as she gave the envelope to Lucy.
Chapter 17 of Blind mice by C. (Cyril) Kay-Scott holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 420 sentences of Blind mice, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Blind mice by C. (Cyril) Kay-Scott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Blind mice by C. (Cyril) Kay-Scott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9009 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76357 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76357, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1802 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Blind mice section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Blind mice 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 Blind mice, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
