Chapter 17 of Drome is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Drome is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"THAT'S WHERE THEY ARE WAITING FOR US!" For some moments those yellow eyes gleamed at us, then vanished. The lids of that waiting monster (so to speak) had closed over them. I had watched them very intently, and I was sure that there had been no movement of the eyes themselves. Milton, however, was just as sure that they had moved.
Chapter 17 of Drome is here in full — 163 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.
past form of “gleam” — be shiny, as if wet
From this reading “For some moments those yellow eyes gleamed at us, then vanished.”
with strained or eager attention
From this reading “I had watched them very intently, and I was sure that there had been no movement of the eyes themselves.”
plural of “lid” — either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye
From this reading “The lids of that waiting monster (so to speak) had closed over them.”
English poet; remembered primarily as the author of an epic poem describing humanity's fall from grace (1608-1674)
From this reading “Milton, however, was just as sure that they had moved.”
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading “For some moments those yellow eyes gleamed at us, then vanished.”
an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts
From this reading “The lids of that waiting monster (so to speak) had closed over them.”
a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading “I had watched them very intently, and I was sure that there had been no movement of the eyes themselves.”
having passed out of existence
From this reading “For some moments those yellow eyes gleamed at us, then vanished.”
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 “For some moments those yellow eyes gleamed at us, then vanished.”
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 had watched them very intently, and I was sure that there had been no movement of the eyes themselves.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "THAT'S WHERE THEY ARE WAITING FOR US!"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Milton, however, was just as sure that they had moved.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading For some moments those yellow eyes gleamed at us, then vanished.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I had watched them very intently, and I was sure that there had been no movement of the eyes themselves.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading The lids of that waiting monster (so to speak) had closed over them.
opinion or judgment
From this reading For some moments those yellow eyes gleamed at us, then vanished.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "THAT'S WHERE THEY ARE WAITING FOR US!"
past form of “gleam” — be shiny, as if wet
From this reading For some moments those yellow eyes gleamed at us, then vanished.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The lids of that waiting monster (so to speak) had closed over them.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading Milton, however, was just as sure that they had moved.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I had watched them very intently, and I was sure that there had been no movement of the eyes themselves.
with strained or eager attention
From this reading I had watched them very intently, and I was sure that there had been no movement of the eyes themselves.
and nothing more
From this reading Milton, however, was just as sure that they had moved.
plural of “lid” — either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye
From this reading The lids of that waiting monster (so to speak) had closed over them.
English poet; remembered primarily as the author of an epic poem describing humanity's fall from grace (1608-1674)
From this reading Milton, however, was just as sure that they had moved.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading For some moments those yellow eyes gleamed at us, then vanished.
an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts
From this reading The lids of that waiting monster (so to speak) had closed over them.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Milton, however, was just as sure that they had moved.
a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading I had watched them very intently, and I was sure that there had been no movement of the eyes themselves.
not any; not one
From this reading I had watched them very intently, and I was sure that there had been no movement of the eyes themselves.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The lids of that waiting monster (so to speak) had closed over them.
above and across; more than
From this reading The lids of that waiting monster (so to speak) had closed over them.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The lids of that waiting monster (so to speak) had closed over them.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading For some moments those yellow eyes gleamed at us, then vanished.
express in speech
From this reading The lids of that waiting monster (so to speak) had closed over them.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading I had watched them very intently, and I was sure that there had been no movement of the eyes themselves.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The lids of that waiting monster (so to speak) had closed over them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "THAT'S WHERE THEY ARE WAITING FOR US!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The lids of that waiting monster (so to speak) had closed over them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The lids of that waiting monster (so to speak) had closed over them.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading I had watched them very intently, and I was sure that there had been no movement of the eyes themselves.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading For some moments those yellow eyes gleamed at us, then vanished.
in or at that place or location
From this reading I had watched them very intently, and I was sure that there had been no movement of the eyes themselves.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "THAT'S WHERE THEY ARE WAITING FOR US!"
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading For some moments those yellow eyes gleamed at us, then vanished.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The lids of that waiting monster (so to speak) had closed over them.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "THAT'S WHERE THEY ARE WAITING FOR US!"
having passed out of existence
From this reading For some moments those yellow eyes gleamed at us, then vanished.
precisely as stated
From this reading I had watched them very intently, and I was sure that there had been no movement of the eyes themselves.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading "THAT'S WHERE THEY ARE WAITING FOR US!"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I had watched them very intently, and I was sure that there had been no movement of the eyes themselves.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading I had watched them very intently, and I was sure that there had been no movement of the eyes themselves.
in or at the place that
From this reading "THAT'S WHERE THEY ARE WAITING FOR US!"
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading For some moments those yellow eyes gleamed at us, then vanished.
Chapter 17 of Drome by John Martin Leahy holds 163 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 17 holds 163 sentences of Drome, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Drome by John Martin Leahy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 163 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 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 Drome by John Martin Leahy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4729 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71716 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #71716, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 394 minutes of reading across 946 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Drome section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Drome 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 Drome, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
