Chapter 31 of Devlin the Barber 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 XXXI
Chapter 31 of Devlin the Barber is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DEVLIN'S LAST SCHEME. I tried the door of the room in which I had left Devlin and Mr. Kenneth Dowsett. It was locked. "Enter," said Devlin, unlocking the door. They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.
Chapter 31 of Devlin the Barber 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.
move gently or carefully
From this reading “They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.”
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading “It was locked.”
the act of having and controlling property
From this reading “They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.”
an elaborate and systematic plan of action
From this reading “DEVLIN'S LAST SCHEME.”
plural of “sens” — street names for marijuana
From this reading “They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.”
used as intensifiers
From this reading “They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.”
-ing form of “unlock” — open the lock of
From this reading “"Enter," said Devlin, unlocking the door.”
free from emotional agitation or nervous tension
From this reading “They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.”
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 “"Enter," said Devlin, unlocking the door.”
In this reading “They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.”
In this reading “They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I tried the door of the room in which I had left Devlin and Mr. Kenneth Dowsett.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.
the two together, not just one
From this reading They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I tried the door of the room in which I had left Devlin and Mr. Kenneth Dowsett.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DEVLIN'S LAST SCHEME.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading I tried the door of the room in which I had left Devlin and Mr. Kenneth Dowsett.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I tried the door of the room in which I had left Devlin and Mr. Kenneth Dowsett.
move gently or carefully
From this reading They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.
to come or go into
From this reading "Enter," said Devlin, unlocking the door.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I tried the door of the room in which I had left Devlin and Mr. Kenneth Dowsett.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I tried the door of the room in which I had left Devlin and Mr. Kenneth Dowsett.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I tried the door of the room in which I had left Devlin and Mr. Kenneth Dowsett.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was locked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I tried the door of the room in which I had left Devlin and Mr. Kenneth Dowsett.
immediately past
From this reading DEVLIN'S LAST SCHEME.
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 I tried the door of the room in which I had left Devlin and Mr. Kenneth Dowsett.
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading It was locked.
a form of address for a man
From this reading I tried the door of the room in which I had left Devlin and Mr. Kenneth Dowsett.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I tried the door of the room in which I had left Devlin and Mr. Kenneth Dowsett.
the act of having and controlling property
From this reading They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading I tried the door of the room in which I had left Devlin and Mr. Kenneth Dowsett.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Enter," said Devlin, unlocking the door.
an elaborate and systematic plan of action
From this reading DEVLIN'S LAST SCHEME.
plural of “sens” — street names for marijuana
From this reading They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.
used as intensifiers
From this reading They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I tried the door of the room in which I had left Devlin and Mr. Kenneth Dowsett.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading I tried the door of the room in which I had left Devlin and Mr. Kenneth Dowsett.
-ing form of “unlock” — open the lock of
From this reading "Enter," said Devlin, unlocking the door.
free from emotional agitation or nervous tension
From this reading They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was locked.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were both in the room, Devlin smiling and unruffled, Mr. Dowsett in the full possession of his senses, and terribly ill at ease.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading I tried the door of the room in which I had left Devlin and Mr. Kenneth Dowsett.
Chapter 31 of Devlin the Barber by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon holds 195 sentences, grouped into 39 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 31 holds 195 sentences of Devlin the Barber, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Devlin the Barber by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon exactly as it stands in the 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 31 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 Devlin the Barber by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4356 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53044 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53044, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 363 minutes of reading across 872 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Devlin the Barber section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of Devlin the Barber 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 Devlin the Barber, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
