Chapter 21 of Fire-Tongue is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Fire-Tongue is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head. “Police!” he heard over the roar of the traffic. “Help! Police!” Detective Sergeant Stokes had come out upon the balcony.
Chapter 21 of Fire-Tongue is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
heard or perceptible by the ear
From this reading “As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.”
an upper floor projecting from the rear over the main floor in an auditorium
From this reading “Detective Sergeant Stokes had come out upon the balcony.”
English architect (1723-1796)
From this reading “As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.”
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “Detective Sergeant Stokes had come out upon the balcony.”
deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness or emotion
From this reading “As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.”
third-person singular of “stoke” — stir up or tend; of a fire
From this reading “Detective Sergeant Stokes had come out upon the balcony.”
past form of “stroll” — walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
From this reading “As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.”
the aggregation of things (pedestrians or vehicles) coming and going in a particular locality during a specified period of time
From this reading ““Police!” he heard over the roar of the traffic.”
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 As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
heard or perceptible by the ear
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
an upper floor projecting from the rear over the main floor in an auditorium
From this reading Detective Sergeant Stokes had come out upon the balcony.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
English architect (1723-1796)
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Detective Sergeant Stokes had come out upon the balcony.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading Detective Sergeant Stokes had come out upon the balcony.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Detective Sergeant Stokes had come out upon the balcony.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Police!” he heard over the roar of the traffic.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading “Police!” he heard over the roar of the traffic.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “Help!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness or emotion
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Police!” he heard over the roar of the traffic.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
above and across; more than
From this reading “Police!” he heard over the roar of the traffic.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading “Police!” he heard over the roar of the traffic.
make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading “Police!” he heard over the roar of the traffic.
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading Detective Sergeant Stokes had come out upon the balcony.
third-person singular of “stoke” — stir up or tend; of a fire
From this reading Detective Sergeant Stokes had come out upon the balcony.
past form of “stroll” — walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
the aggregation of things (pedestrians or vehicles) coming and going in a particular locality during a specified period of time
From this reading “Police!” he heard over the roar of the traffic.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Detective Sergeant Stokes had come out upon the balcony.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading As Nicol Brinn strolled out from the door below his chambers in Piccadilly, a hoarse voice made itself audible above his head.
Chapter 21 of Fire-Tongue by Sax Rohmer holds 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 21 holds 137 sentences of Fire-Tongue, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Fire-Tongue by Sax Rohmer exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 21 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 Fire-Tongue by Sax Rohmer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4350 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1159 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1159, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 362 minutes of reading across 870 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Fire-Tongue section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Fire-Tongue 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 Fire-Tongue, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
