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Checkmate
Checkmate

Chapter XXIX

Chapter 29 of Checkmate is here in full — 334 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Checkmate
Context Illustration Reading 1/66 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
PLANS.
It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.
Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.
Then he drove to his own house.
He had a latch-key, and let himself in.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Checkmate

Chapter XXIX

Chapter 29 of Checkmate is here in full — 334 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/66 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
PLANS.
/plænz/
Line 2
It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.
/ɪt wɑːz ʌv kɔːrs ɪn veɪn ˈlʊkɪŋ fɔːr ˈmɪstər ˈliːvaɪ ðer æt sʌtʃ æn ˈaʊər/
Line 3
Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.
Line 4
Then he drove to his own house.
/ðen hiː droʊv tuː hɪz oʊn haʊs/
Line 5
He had a latch-key, and let himself in.

Learner Dictionary

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.

alarm noun US /əˈlɑːrm/

fear resulting from the awareness of danger

From this reading “Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.”

chance noun US /tʃæns/

a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances

From this reading “Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.”

drove noun US /droʊv/

a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together

From this reading “Then he drove to his own house.”

fancied adjective US /ˈfænsid/

formed or conceived by the imagination

From this reading “Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.”

Levi noun US /ˈliːvaɪ/

(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally considered to be the author of the first Gospel

From this reading “It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.”

plans noun US /plænz/

plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished

From this reading “PLANS.”

protracted adjective US /proʊˈtræktɪd/

relatively long in duration; tediously protracted

From this reading “Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.”

vain adjective US /veɪn/

characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance

From this reading “It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

of course preposition + noun

as might be expected

In this reading “It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.”

own house verb + noun

In this reading “Then he drove to his own house.”

in the house preposition + article + noun counted as “in … house”

In this reading “Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.”

All words in this reading · 45

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

alarmnounUS /əˈlɑːrm/

fear resulting from the awareness of danger

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

Arden

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.

chancenounUS /tʃæns/

a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

coursenounUS /kɔːrs/

education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings

From this reading It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

drovenounUS /droʊv/

a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together

From this reading Then he drove to his own house.

fanciedadjectiveUS /ˈfænsid/

formed or conceived by the imagination

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading He had a latch-key, and let himself in.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

hournounUS /ˈaʊər/

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.

latch-key

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had a latch-key, and let himself in.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading He had a latch-key, and let himself in.

LevinounUS /ˈliːvaɪ/

(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally considered to be the author of the first Gospel

From this reading It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.

lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading Then he drove to his own house.

perhapsadverbUS /pərˈhæps/

by chance

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

PLANSnounUS /plænz/

plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished

From this reading PLANS.

protractedadjectiveUS /proʊˈtræktɪd/

relatively long in duration; tediously protracted

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

Richard

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

SirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

sleeping-room

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then he drove to his own house.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Then he drove to his own house.

triedadjectiveUS /traɪd/

tested and proved useful or correct

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

vainadjectiveUS /veɪn/

characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance

From this reading It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was, of course, in vain looking for Mr. Levi there at such an hour.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Sir Richard Arden fancied that he had, perhaps, a sleeping-room in the house, and on that chance tried what his protracted alarm might do.

Chapter 29 of Checkmate by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu holds 334 sentences, grouped into 67 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.

What does chapter 29 of Checkmate contain?

Chapter 29 holds 334 sentences of Checkmate, unabridged, divided into 67 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 29 of Checkmate by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 334 sentences, grouped into 67 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.

How do I study chapter 29 of Checkmate?

Work through the 67 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 67 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.

Can chapter 29 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 29 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.

Questions about reading Checkmate

Common questions about reading Checkmate by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Checkmate?

Yes. All 9388 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38460 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Checkmate is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #38460, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Checkmate take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1878 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Checkmate section by section

How to work through Checkmate section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of Checkmate to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Checkmate

Words and structures a reader meets early in Checkmate, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Italic
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Checkmate; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Marked
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Checkmate; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Underscores
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Checkmate; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Downey
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Checkmate; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.