Chapter XXIV of For the Defence, “A Final Surprise,” is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter XXIV of For the Defence, “A Final Surprise,” is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Isabella killed Maurice!" said Jen, pushing back his chair. "Impossible, doctor. You must be mistaken." "I don't think so," replied Etwald, dryly. "I saw her do it.
Chapter XXIV of For the Defence, “A Final Surprise,” is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “"Isabella killed Maurice!" said Jen, pushing back his chair.”
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “"Impossible, doctor.”
in a dry laconic manner
From this reading “"I don't think so," replied Etwald, dryly.”
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading “"Impossible, doctor.”
the queen of Castile whose marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469 marked the beginning of the modern state of Spain; they instituted the Spanish Inquisition in 1478 and sponsored the voyages of Christopher Columbus in 1492 (1451-1504)
From this reading “"Isabella killed Maurice!" said Jen, pushing back his chair.”
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “"Isabella killed Maurice!" said Jen, pushing back his chair.”
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading “You must be mistaken."”
the act of applying force in order to move something away
From this reading “"Isabella killed Maurice!" said Jen, pushing back his chair.”
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.
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.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "Isabella killed Maurice!" said Jen, pushing back his chair.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading You must be mistaken."
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading "Isabella killed Maurice!" said Jen, pushing back his chair.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I saw her do it.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading "Impossible, doctor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't think so," replied Etwald, dryly.
in a dry laconic manner
From this reading "I don't think so," replied Etwald, dryly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't think so," replied Etwald, dryly.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "I saw her do it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Isabella killed Maurice!" said Jen, pushing back his chair.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't think so," replied Etwald, dryly.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading "Impossible, doctor.
the queen of Castile whose marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469 marked the beginning of the modern state of Spain; they instituted the Spanish Inquisition in 1478 and sponsored the voyages of Christopher Columbus in 1492 (1451-1504)
From this reading "Isabella killed Maurice!" said Jen, pushing back his chair.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I saw her do it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Isabella killed Maurice!" said Jen, pushing back his chair.
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading "Isabella killed Maurice!" said Jen, pushing back his chair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Isabella killed Maurice!" said Jen, pushing back his chair.
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading You must be mistaken."
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading You must be mistaken."
the act of applying force in order to move something away
From this reading "Isabella killed Maurice!" said Jen, pushing back his chair.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "I don't think so," replied Etwald, dryly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Isabella killed Maurice!" said Jen, pushing back his chair.
cut with a saw
From this reading "I saw her do it.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I don't think so," replied Etwald, dryly.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I don't think so," replied Etwald, dryly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You must be mistaken."
Chapter 24 of For the Defence by Fergus Hume holds 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 24 holds 170 sentences of For the Defence, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of For the Defence by Fergus Hume exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 24 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 For the Defence by Fergus Hume on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4062 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55420 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55420, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 338 minutes of reading across 813 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through For the Defence section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of For the Defence 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 For the Defence, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
