Chapter 21 of Brood of the Witch-Queen is here in full — 88 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Brood of the Witch-Queen is here in full — 88 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MAGICIAN Half-Moon Street was bathed in tropical sunlight. Dr. Cairn, with his hands behind him, stood looking out of the window. He turned to his son, who leant against a corner of the bookcase in the shadows of the big room. "Hot enough for Egypt, Rob," he said. Robert Cairn nodded.
Chapter 21 of Brood of the Witch-Queen is here in full — 88 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
past form of “bathe” — cleanse the entire body
From this reading “THE MAGICIAN Half-Moon Street was bathed in tropical sunlight.”
a piece of furniture with shelves for storing books
From this reading “He turned to his son, who leant against a corner of the bookcase in the shadows of the big room.”
a mound of stones piled up as a memorial or to mark a boundary or path
From this reading “Dr. Cairn, with his hands behind him, stood looking out of the window.”
a republic in northeastern Africa known as the United Arab Republic until 1971; site of an ancient civilization that flourished from 2600 to 30 BC
From this reading “"Hot enough for Egypt, Rob," he said.”
inflected form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading “He turned to his son, who leant against a corner of the bookcase in the shadows of the big room.”
A practitioner of magic and ancient arcane arts, often wielding deception and powerful spells.
From this reading “THE MAGICIAN Half-Moon Street was bathed in tropical sunlight.”
take something away by force or without the consent of the owner
From this reading “"Hot enough for Egypt, Rob," he said.”
relating to or situated in or characteristic of the tropics (the region on either side of the equator)
From this reading “THE MAGICIAN Half-Moon Street was bathed in tropical sunlight.”
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 He turned to his son, who leant against a corner of the bookcase in the shadows of the big room.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading He turned to his son, who leant against a corner of the bookcase in the shadows of the big room.
past form of “bathe” — cleanse the entire body
From this reading THE MAGICIAN Half-Moon Street was bathed in tropical sunlight.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Dr. Cairn, with his hands behind him, stood looking out of the window.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He turned to his son, who leant against a corner of the bookcase in the shadows of the big room.
a piece of furniture with shelves for storing books
From this reading He turned to his son, who leant against a corner of the bookcase in the shadows of the big room.
a mound of stones piled up as a memorial or to mark a boundary or path
From this reading Dr. Cairn, with his hands behind him, stood looking out of the window.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading He turned to his son, who leant against a corner of the bookcase in the shadows of the big room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dr. Cairn, with his hands behind him, stood looking out of the window.
a republic in northeastern Africa known as the United Arab Republic until 1971; site of an ancient civilization that flourished from 2600 to 30 BC
From this reading "Hot enough for Egypt, Rob," he said.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading "Hot enough for Egypt, Rob," he said.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Hot enough for Egypt, Rob," he said.
the crescent-shaped area at the base of the human fingernail
From this reading THE MAGICIAN Half-Moon Street was bathed in tropical sunlight.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Dr. Cairn, with his hands behind him, stood looking out of the window.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He turned to his son, who leant against a corner of the bookcase in the shadows of the big room.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Dr. Cairn, with his hands behind him, stood looking out of the window.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Dr. Cairn, with his hands behind him, stood looking out of the window.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading "Hot enough for Egypt, Rob," he said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE MAGICIAN Half-Moon Street was bathed in tropical sunlight.
inflected form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading He turned to his son, who leant against a corner of the bookcase in the shadows of the big room.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Dr. Cairn, with his hands behind him, stood looking out of the window.
A practitioner of magic and ancient arcane arts, often wielding deception and powerful spells.
From this reading THE MAGICIAN Half-Moon Street was bathed in tropical sunlight.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading Robert Cairn nodded.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Dr. Cairn, with his hands behind him, stood looking out of the window.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Dr. Cairn, with his hands behind him, stood looking out of the window.
take something away by force or without the consent of the owner
From this reading "Hot enough for Egypt, Rob," he said.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading Robert Cairn nodded.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading He turned to his son, who leant against a corner of the bookcase in the shadows of the big room.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Hot enough for Egypt, Rob," he said.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading He turned to his son, who leant against a corner of the bookcase in the shadows of the big room.
a male human offspring
From this reading He turned to his son, who leant against a corner of the bookcase in the shadows of the big room.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Dr. Cairn, with his hands behind him, stood looking out of the window.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading THE MAGICIAN Half-Moon Street was bathed in tropical sunlight.
the rays of the sun
From this reading THE MAGICIAN Half-Moon Street was bathed in tropical sunlight.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MAGICIAN Half-Moon Street was bathed in tropical sunlight.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He turned to his son, who leant against a corner of the bookcase in the shadows of the big room.
relating to or situated in or characteristic of the tropics (the region on either side of the equator)
From this reading THE MAGICIAN Half-Moon Street was bathed in tropical sunlight.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He turned to his son, who leant against a corner of the bookcase in the shadows of the big room.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE MAGICIAN Half-Moon Street was bathed in tropical sunlight.
which person or people
From this reading He turned to his son, who leant against a corner of the bookcase in the shadows of the big room.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Dr. Cairn, with his hands behind him, stood looking out of the window.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Dr. Cairn, with his hands behind him, stood looking out of the window.
Chapter 21 of Brood of the Witch-Queen by Sax Rohmer holds 88 sentences, grouped into 18 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 21 holds 88 sentences of Brood of the Witch-Queen, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Brood of the Witch-Queen by Sax Rohmer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 88 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 21 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 Brood of the Witch-Queen by Sax Rohmer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4279 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19706 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19706, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 356 minutes of reading across 856 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Brood of the Witch-Queen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of Brood of the Witch-Queen 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 Brood of the Witch-Queen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
