Held by Chinese Brigands

Chapter VII · How the Letter Was Written

Chapter VII of Held by Chinese Brigands, “How the Letter Was Written,” is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Charles Gilson • Curated US English Learning Edition

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English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

Twenty thousand dollars is by no means an impossible sum to a man who is a millionaire.

Even the judge himself would have found little difficulty in producing the money with a few days’ notice.

Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.

To them twenty thousand dollars represented almost fabulous wealth.

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Chapter VII Reading 1/20

Held by Chinese Brigands Charles Gilson

Chapter VII

How the Letter Was Written

Chapter VII of Held by Chinese Brigands, “How the Letter Was Written,” is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision. Twenty thousand dollars is by no means an impossible sum to a man who is a millionaire. Even the judge himself would have found little difficulty in producing the money with a few days’ notice. Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron. To them twenty thousand dollars represented almost fabulous wealth.

Held by Chinese Brigands

Chapter VII · How the Letter Was Written

Chapter VII of Held by Chinese Brigands, “How the Letter Was Written,” is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

Line 2

Twenty thousand dollars is by no means an impossible sum to a man who is a millionaire.

/ˈtwenti ˈθaʊzənd ˈdɑːlərz ɪz baɪ noʊ miːnz æn ˌɪmˈpɑːsəbəl sʌm tuː ə mæn huː ɪz ə ˌmɪljəˈner/

Line 3

Even the judge himself would have found little difficulty in producing the money with a few days’ notice.

/ˈiːvɪn ðə dʒʌdʒ hɪmˈself wʊd hæv faʊnd ˈlɪtəl ˈdɪfəkəlti ɪn prəˈduːsɪŋ ðə ˈmʌni wɪð ə fjuː deɪz ˈnoʊtəs/

Line 4

Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.

Line 5

To them twenty thousand dollars represented almost fabulous wealth.

/tuː ðem ˈtwenti ˈθaʊzənd ˈdɑːlərz ˌreprɪˈzentɪd ˈɔːlmoʊst ˈfæbjələs welθ/

Learner Dictionary

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.

conversant adjective US /kənˈvɜːrsənt/

(usually followed by “with”) well informed about or knowing thoroughly

From this reading “Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.”

customs noun US /ˈkʌstəmz/

money collected under a tariff

From this reading “Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.”

Europeans noun US /ˌjʊrəˈpiːənz/

plural of “european” — a native or inhabitant of Europe

From this reading “Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.”

fabulous adjective US /ˈfæbjələs/

extremely pleasing

From this reading “To them twenty thousand dollars represented almost fabulous wealth.”

millionaire noun US /ˌmɪljəˈner/

a person whose material wealth is valued at more than a million dollars

From this reading “Twenty thousand dollars is by no means an impossible sum to a man who is a millionaire.”

producing verb US /prəˈduːsɪŋ/

-ing form of “produce” — bring forth or yield

From this reading “Even the judge himself would have found little difficulty in producing the money with a few days’ notice.”

represented adjective US /ˌreprɪˈzentɪd/

represented accurately or precisely

From this reading “To them twenty thousand dollars represented almost fabulous wealth.”

underestimated verb US /ˈʌndərˈestəmeɪtɪd/

past form of “underestimate” — assign too low a value to

From this reading “Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

thousand dollars noun + noun counted as “thousand dollar”

In this reading “Twenty thousand dollars is by no means an impossible sum to a man who is a millionaire.”

ten minutes noun + noun

In this reading “Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.”

Twenty thousand noun + noun

In this reading “Twenty thousand dollars is by no means an impossible sum to a man who is a millionaire.”

arrive at verb + particle

reach a destination, either real or abstract

In this reading “Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.”

little difficulty adjective + noun

In this reading “Even the judge himself would have found little difficulty in producing the money with a few days’ notice.”

All words in this reading · 63

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading To them twenty thousand dollars represented almost fabulous wealth.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Twenty thousand dollars is by no means an impossible sum to a man who is a millionaire.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.

arriveverbUS /ərˈaɪv/

reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Twenty thousand dollars is by no means an impossible sum to a man who is a millionaire.

Cheong-Chau

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.

conversantadjectiveUS /kənˈvɜːrsənt/

(usually followed by “with”) well informed about or knowing thoroughly

From this reading Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.

customsnounUS /ˈkʌstəmz/

money collected under a tariff

From this reading Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading Even the judge himself would have found little difficulty in producing the money with a few days’ notice.

decisionnounUS /dɪˈsɪʒən/

the act of making up your mind about something

From this reading Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

desiredadjectiveUS /dɪˈzaɪərd/

wanted intensely

From this reading Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

difficultynounUS /ˈdɪfəkəlti/

an effort that is inconvenient

From this reading Even the judge himself would have found little difficulty in producing the money with a few days’ notice.

dollarsnounUS /ˈdɑːlərz/

plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents

From this reading Twenty thousand dollars is by no means an impossible sum to a man who is a millionaire.

EuropeansnounUS /ˌjʊrəˈpiːənz/

plural of “european” — a native or inhabitant of Europe

From this reading Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.

EvenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading Even the judge himself would have found little difficulty in producing the money with a few days’ notice.

fabulousadjectiveUS /ˈfæbjələs/

extremely pleasing

From this reading To them twenty thousand dollars represented almost fabulous wealth.

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading Even the judge himself would have found little difficulty in producing the money with a few days’ notice.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading Even the judge himself would have found little difficulty in producing the money with a few days’ notice.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Even the judge himself would have found little difficulty in producing the money with a few days’ notice.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Even the judge himself would have found little difficulty in producing the money with a few days’ notice.

How

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.

impossibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɑːsəbəl/

not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with

From this reading Twenty thousand dollars is by no means an impossible sum to a man who is a millionaire.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Twenty thousand dollars is by no means an impossible sum to a man who is a millionaire.

judgeverbUS /dʒʌdʒ/

determine the result of (a competition)

From this reading Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Even the judge himself would have found little difficulty in producing the money with a few days’ notice.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Twenty thousand dollars is by no means an impossible sum to a man who is a millionaire.

mannersnounUS /ˈmænərz/

social deportment

From this reading Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.

meansnounUS /miːnz/

thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end

From this reading Twenty thousand dollars is by no means an impossible sum to a man who is a millionaire.

millionairenounUS /ˌmɪljəˈner/

a person whose material wealth is valued at more than a million dollars

From this reading Twenty thousand dollars is by no means an impossible sum to a man who is a millionaire.

minutesnounUS /ˈmɪnəts/

a written account of what transpired at a meeting

From this reading Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

moneynounUS /ˈmʌni/

the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender

From this reading Even the judge himself would have found little difficulty in producing the money with a few days’ notice.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

NeitherdeterminerUS /ˈniːðər/

not one and not the other of two

From this reading Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Twenty thousand dollars is by no means an impossible sum to a man who is a millionaire.

norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

noticenounUS /ˈnoʊtəs/

an announcement containing information about an event

From this reading Even the judge himself would have found little difficulty in producing the money with a few days’ notice.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.

producingverbUS /prəˈduːsɪŋ/

-ing form of “produce” — bring forth or yield

From this reading Even the judge himself would have found little difficulty in producing the money with a few days’ notice.

representedadjectiveUS /ˌreprɪˈzentɪd/

represented accurately or precisely

From this reading To them twenty thousand dollars represented almost fabulous wealth.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

sumnounUS /sʌm/

a quantity of money

From this reading Twenty thousand dollars is by no means an impossible sum to a man who is a millionaire.

tennounUS /ten/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading To them twenty thousand dollars represented almost fabulous wealth.

thousandnounUS /ˈθaʊzənd/

the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100

From this reading Twenty thousand dollars is by no means an impossible sum to a man who is a millionaire.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

TwentynounUS /ˈtwenti/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one

From this reading Twenty thousand dollars is by no means an impossible sum to a man who is a millionaire.

underestimatedverbUS /ˈʌndərˈestəmeɪtɪd/

past form of “underestimate” — assign too low a value to

From this reading Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.

Waldron

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.

wealthnounUS /welθ/

the state of being rich and affluent; having a plentiful supply of material goods and money

From this reading Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Neither the judge nor Mr Waldron desired so much as ten minutes in which to arrive at a decision.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Twenty thousand dollars is by no means an impossible sum to a man who is a millionaire.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Even the judge himself would have found little difficulty in producing the money with a few days’ notice.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Even the judge himself would have found little difficulty in producing the money with a few days’ notice.

Yung

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Cheong-Chau, and even Yung How, who was more conversant with the manners and customs of Europeans, had underestimated the wealth of Mr Waldron.

Chapter 7 of Held by Chinese Brigands by Charles Gilson holds 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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.

What does chapter 7 of Held by Chinese Brigands contain?

Chapter 7 holds 102 sentences of Held by Chinese Brigands, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of Held by Chinese Brigands by Charles Gilson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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.

How do I study chapter 7 of Held by Chinese Brigands?

Work through the 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 21 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.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 7 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.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #39254, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 338 minutes of reading across 812 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Held by Chinese Brigands

Words and structures a reader meets early in Held by Chinese Brigands, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Heard: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Held by Chinese Brigands; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Those: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Held by Chinese Brigands; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Widely: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Held by Chinese Brigands; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Travelled: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Held by Chinese Brigands; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter VII · How the Letter Was Written

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