Chapter 17 of Dead Men Tell No Tales is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Dead Men Tell No Tales is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The door slammed. It was invisibly locked and the key taken out. I listened for the last of an angry stride. It never even began. But after a pause the door was unlocked again, and Rattray re-entered.
Chapter 17 of Dead Men Tell No Tales is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading “It was invisibly locked and the key taken out.”
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading “I listened for the last of an angry stride.”
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading “It was invisibly locked and the key taken out.”
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading “But after a pause the door was unlocked again, and Rattray re-entered.”
past form of “re-enter” — enter again
From this reading “But after a pause the door was unlocked again, and Rattray re-entered.”
inflected form of “slam” — close violently
From this reading “The door slammed.”
a step in walking or running
From this reading “I listened for the last of an angry stride.”
not firmly fastened or secured
From this reading “But after a pause the door was unlocked again, and Rattray re-entered.”
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 But after a pause the door was unlocked again, and Rattray re-entered.
later than; following
From this reading But after a pause the door was unlocked again, and Rattray re-entered.
anew
From this reading But after a pause the door was unlocked again, and Rattray re-entered.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I listened for the last of an angry stride.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was invisibly locked and the key taken out.
feeling or showing anger
From this reading I listened for the last of an angry stride.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading It never even began.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But after a pause the door was unlocked again, and Rattray re-entered.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The door slammed.
divisible by two
From this reading It never even began.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I listened for the last of an angry stride.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I listened for the last of an angry stride.
without being seen
From this reading It was invisibly locked and the key taken out.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was invisibly locked and the key taken out.
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading It was invisibly locked and the key taken out.
immediately past
From this reading I listened for the last of an angry stride.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading I listened for the last of an angry stride.
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading It was invisibly locked and the key taken out.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading It never even began.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I listened for the last of an angry stride.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It was invisibly locked and the key taken out.
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading But after a pause the door was unlocked again, and Rattray re-entered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But after a pause the door was unlocked again, and Rattray re-entered.
past form of “re-enter” — enter again
From this reading But after a pause the door was unlocked again, and Rattray re-entered.
inflected form of “slam” — close violently
From this reading The door slammed.
a step in walking or running
From this reading I listened for the last of an angry stride.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading It was invisibly locked and the key taken out.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The door slammed.
not firmly fastened or secured
From this reading But after a pause the door was unlocked again, and Rattray re-entered.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was invisibly locked and the key taken out.
Chapter 17 of Dead Men Tell No Tales by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung holds 195 sentences, grouped into 39 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 17 holds 195 sentences of Dead Men Tell No Tales, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Dead Men Tell No Tales by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 195 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Dead Men Tell No Tales by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3421 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1703 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1703, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 285 minutes of reading across 685 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dead Men Tell No Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Dead Men Tell No Tales 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 Dead Men Tell No Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
