Chapter 14 of Desk and Debit is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Desk and Debit is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN WHICH PHIL MEETS WITH A SERIOUS CATASTROPHE. "You have done wrong, Mr. Philips!" said the senior partner, with energy. "I did the best I could, sir." "No, you didn't. You ought to have spoken to me the moment you found anything wrong about the books."
Chapter 14 of Desk and Debit is here in full — 162 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.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading “IN WHICH PHIL MEETS WITH A SERIOUS CATASTROPHE.”
(physics) a thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs
From this reading “"You have done wrong, Mr. Philips!" said the senior partner, with energy.”
plural of “meet” — a meeting at which a number of athletic contests are held
From this reading “IN WHICH PHIL MEETS WITH A SERIOUS CATASTROPHE.”
a person's partner in marriage
From this reading “"You have done wrong, Mr. Philips!" said the senior partner, with energy.”
plural of “philip” — Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading “"You have done wrong, Mr. Philips!" said the senior partner, with energy.”
older; higher in rank; longer in length of tenure or service
From this reading “"You have done wrong, Mr. Philips!" said the senior partner, with energy.”
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading “IN WHICH PHIL MEETS WITH A SERIOUS CATASTROPHE.”
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “You ought to have spoken to me the moment you found anything wrong about the books."”
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 IN WHICH PHIL MEETS WITH A SERIOUS CATASTROPHE.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading You ought to have spoken to me the moment you found anything wrong about the books."
any thing at all
From this reading You ought to have spoken to me the moment you found anything wrong about the books."
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading "I did the best I could, sir."
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading You ought to have spoken to me the moment you found anything wrong about the books."
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading IN WHICH PHIL MEETS WITH A SERIOUS CATASTROPHE.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "I did the best I could, sir."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "I did the best I could, sir."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, you didn't.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "You have done wrong, Mr. Philips!" said the senior partner, with energy.
(physics) a thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs
From this reading "You have done wrong, Mr. Philips!" said the senior partner, with energy.
set up or found
From this reading You ought to have spoken to me the moment you found anything wrong about the books."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You have done wrong, Mr. Philips!" said the senior partner, with energy.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I did the best I could, sir."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN WHICH PHIL MEETS WITH A SERIOUS CATASTROPHE.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading You ought to have spoken to me the moment you found anything wrong about the books."
plural of “meet” — a meeting at which a number of athletic contests are held
From this reading IN WHICH PHIL MEETS WITH A SERIOUS CATASTROPHE.
a particular point in time
From this reading You ought to have spoken to me the moment you found anything wrong about the books."
a form of address for a man
From this reading "You have done wrong, Mr. Philips!" said the senior partner, with energy.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, you didn't.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading You ought to have spoken to me the moment you found anything wrong about the books."
a person's partner in marriage
From this reading "You have done wrong, Mr. Philips!" said the senior partner, with energy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IN WHICH PHIL MEETS WITH A SERIOUS CATASTROPHE.
plural of “philip” — Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading "You have done wrong, Mr. Philips!" said the senior partner, with energy.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You have done wrong, Mr. Philips!" said the senior partner, with energy.
older; higher in rank; longer in length of tenure or service
From this reading "You have done wrong, Mr. Philips!" said the senior partner, with energy.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading IN WHICH PHIL MEETS WITH A SERIOUS CATASTROPHE.
term of address for a man
From this reading "I did the best I could, sir."
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading You ought to have spoken to me the moment you found anything wrong about the books."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You have done wrong, Mr. Philips!" said the senior partner, with energy.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You ought to have spoken to me the moment you found anything wrong about the books."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading IN WHICH PHIL MEETS WITH A SERIOUS CATASTROPHE.
in the company of; together with
From this reading IN WHICH PHIL MEETS WITH A SERIOUS CATASTROPHE.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading "You have done wrong, Mr. Philips!" said the senior partner, with energy.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You have done wrong, Mr. Philips!" said the senior partner, with energy.
Chapter 14 of Desk and Debit by Oliver Optic holds 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 14 holds 162 sentences of Desk and Debit, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Desk and Debit by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 162 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 14 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 Desk and Debit by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4190 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24544 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24544, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 349 minutes of reading across 838 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Desk and Debit section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Desk and Debit 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 Desk and Debit, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
