Chapter 17 of Light-Fingered Gentry is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Light-Fingered Gentry is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up. "Impossible!" he cried. "Why, such a thing would be illegal." "Undoubtedly. But—how many years would it be before a court can pass on it—pass on it finally?
Chapter 17 of Light-Fingered Gentry is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading “But—how many years would it be before a court can pass on it—pass on it finally?”
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading “But—how many years would it be before a court can pass on it—pass on it finally?”
prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules
From this reading “"Why, such a thing would be illegal."”
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading “"Impossible!" he cried.”
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.”
an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning
From this reading “Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.”
past form of “swallow” — pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading “Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.”
without doubt; certainly
From this reading “"Undoubtedly.”
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 “Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.”
In this reading “But—how many years would it be before a court can pass on it—pass on it finally?”
enclose or envelop completely, as if by swallowing
In this reading “Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.”
place into the hands or custody of
In this reading “But—how many years would it be before a court can pass on it—pass on it finally?”
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 "Why, such a thing would be illegal."
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Why, such a thing would be illegal."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading But—how many years would it be before a court can pass on it—pass on it finally?
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading But—how many years would it be before a court can pass on it—pass on it finally?
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading But—how many years would it be before a court can pass on it—pass on it finally?
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Impossible!" he cried.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading But—how many years would it be before a court can pass on it—pass on it finally?
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Impossible!" he cried.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But—how many years would it be before a court can pass on it—pass on it finally?
prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules
From this reading "Why, such a thing would be illegal."
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading "Impossible!" he cried.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But—how many years would it be before a court can pass on it—pass on it finally?
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.
an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning
From this reading Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading But—how many years would it be before a court can pass on it—pass on it finally?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading But—how many years would it be before a court can pass on it—pass on it finally?
go across or through
From this reading But—how many years would it be before a court can pass on it—pass on it finally?
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "Why, such a thing would be illegal."
past form of “swallow” — pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.
a special situation
From this reading "Why, such a thing would be illegal."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.
without doubt; certainly
From this reading "Undoubtedly.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Trafford leaped in the great leather chair in which his small body was all but swallowed up.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, such a thing would be illegal."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Why, such a thing would be illegal."
a late time of life
From this reading But—how many years would it be before a court can pass on it—pass on it finally?
Chapter 17 of Light-Fingered Gentry by David Graham Phillips holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 406 sentences of Light-Fingered Gentry, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Light-Fingered Gentry by David Graham Phillips exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Light-Fingered Gentry by David Graham Phillips on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8149 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48621 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48621, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1630 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Light-Fingered Gentry section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Light-Fingered Gentry 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 Light-Fingered Gentry, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
