Chapter 21 of "I Say No" is here in full — 181 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of "I Say No" is here in full — 181 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Alban took Mrs. Ellmother at her word. “I am going to venture on a guess,” he said. “You have been with Miss de Sor to-night.” “Quite true, Mr. Morris.” “I am going to guess again.
Chapter 21 of "I Say No" is here in full — 181 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
the act of departing
From this reading ““I am going to venture on a guess,” he said.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading ““I am going to venture on a guess,” he said.”
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading ““You have been with Miss de Sor to-night.””
United States suffragist in Wyoming (1814-1902)
From this reading ““Quite true, Mr. Morris.””
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading ““Quite true, Mr. Morris.””
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading ““Quite true, Mr. Morris.””
any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome
From this reading ““I am going to venture on a guess,” he said.”
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading “Alban took Mrs. Ellmother at her word.”
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 “I am going to venture on a guess,” he said.
anew
From this reading “I am going to guess again.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alban took Mrs. Ellmother at her word.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am going to venture on a guess,” he said.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Alban took Mrs. Ellmother at her word.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “You have been with Miss de Sor to-night.”
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading “You have been with Miss de Sor to-night.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alban took Mrs. Ellmother at her word.
the act of departing
From this reading “I am going to venture on a guess,” he said.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “I am going to venture on a guess,” he said.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “You have been with Miss de Sor to-night.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I am going to venture on a guess,” he said.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Alban took Mrs. Ellmother at her word.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I am going to venture on a guess,” he said.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “You have been with Miss de Sor to-night.”
United States suffragist in Wyoming (1814-1902)
From this reading “Quite true, Mr. Morris.”
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Quite true, Mr. Morris.”
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Alban took Mrs. Ellmother at her word.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “I am going to venture on a guess,” he said.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading “Quite true, Mr. Morris.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I am going to venture on a guess,” he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You have been with Miss de Sor to-night.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I am going to venture on a guess,” he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You have been with Miss de Sor to-night.”
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Alban took Mrs. Ellmother at her word.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading “Quite true, Mr. Morris.”
any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome
From this reading “I am going to venture on a guess,” he said.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “You have been with Miss de Sor to-night.”
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Alban took Mrs. Ellmother at her word.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You have been with Miss de Sor to-night.”
Chapter 21 of "I Say No" by Wilkie Collins holds 181 sentences, grouped into 37 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 181 sentences of "I Say No", unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of "I Say No" by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 181 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 "I Say No" by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9092 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1629 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1629, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1819 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through "I Say No" section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of "I Say No" 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 "I Say No", each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
