Chapter 25 of Men of Affairs is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXV
Chapter 25 of Men of Affairs is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. BOLT DROPS IN. An undercurrent of suppressed excitement pulsed through Mrs. Barraclough's household on the day of the seventeenth. You could feel it throbbing like the beat of a distant drum. Voices sounded different, eyes shone strangely, feet touched the ground as though it lacked solidity.
Chapter 25 of Men of Affairs is here in full — 183 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.
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading “BOLT DROPS IN.”
a musical percussion instrument; usually consists of a hollow cylinder with a membrane stretched across each end
From this reading “You could feel it throbbing like the beat of a distant drum.”
past form of “lack” — be without
From this reading “Voices sounded different, eyes shone strangely, feet touched the ground as though it lacked solidity.”
past form of “pulse” — expand and contract rhythmically; beat rhythmically
From this reading “An undercurrent of suppressed excitement pulsed through Mrs. Barraclough's household on the day of the seventeenth.”
coming next after the sixteenth in position
From this reading “An undercurrent of suppressed excitement pulsed through Mrs. Barraclough's household on the day of the seventeenth.”
the consistency of a solid
From this reading “Voices sounded different, eyes shone strangely, feet touched the ground as though it lacked solidity.”
an instance of rapid strong pulsation (of the heart)
From this reading “You could feel it throbbing like the beat of a distant drum.”
a subdued emotional quality underlying an utterance; implicit meaning
From this reading “An undercurrent of suppressed excitement pulsed through Mrs. Barraclough's household on the day of the seventeenth.”
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 You could feel it throbbing like the beat of a distant drum.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An undercurrent of suppressed excitement pulsed through Mrs. Barraclough's household on the day of the seventeenth.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Voices sounded different, eyes shone strangely, feet touched the ground as though it lacked solidity.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An undercurrent of suppressed excitement pulsed through Mrs. Barraclough's household on the day of the seventeenth.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading You could feel it throbbing like the beat of a distant drum.
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading BOLT DROPS IN.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading You could feel it throbbing like the beat of a distant drum.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading An undercurrent of suppressed excitement pulsed through Mrs. Barraclough's household on the day of the seventeenth.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading Voices sounded different, eyes shone strangely, feet touched the ground as though it lacked solidity.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading You could feel it throbbing like the beat of a distant drum.
plural of “drop” — a shape that is spherical and small
From this reading BOLT DROPS IN.
a musical percussion instrument; usually consists of a hollow cylinder with a membrane stretched across each end
From this reading You could feel it throbbing like the beat of a distant drum.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading An undercurrent of suppressed excitement pulsed through Mrs. Barraclough's household on the day of the seventeenth.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Voices sounded different, eyes shone strangely, feet touched the ground as though it lacked solidity.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading You could feel it throbbing like the beat of a distant drum.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Voices sounded different, eyes shone strangely, feet touched the ground as though it lacked solidity.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading Voices sounded different, eyes shone strangely, feet touched the ground as though it lacked solidity.
a social unit living together
From this reading An undercurrent of suppressed excitement pulsed through Mrs. Barraclough's household on the day of the seventeenth.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading BOLT DROPS IN.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading You could feel it throbbing like the beat of a distant drum.
past form of “lack” — be without
From this reading Voices sounded different, eyes shone strangely, feet touched the ground as though it lacked solidity.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading You could feel it throbbing like the beat of a distant drum.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading An undercurrent of suppressed excitement pulsed through Mrs. Barraclough's household on the day of the seventeenth.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading An undercurrent of suppressed excitement pulsed through Mrs. Barraclough's household on the day of the seventeenth.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading An undercurrent of suppressed excitement pulsed through Mrs. Barraclough's household on the day of the seventeenth.
past form of “pulse” — expand and contract rhythmically; beat rhythmically
From this reading An undercurrent of suppressed excitement pulsed through Mrs. Barraclough's household on the day of the seventeenth.
coming next after the sixteenth in position
From this reading An undercurrent of suppressed excitement pulsed through Mrs. Barraclough's household on the day of the seventeenth.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading Voices sounded different, eyes shone strangely, feet touched the ground as though it lacked solidity.
the consistency of a solid
From this reading Voices sounded different, eyes shone strangely, feet touched the ground as though it lacked solidity.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading Voices sounded different, eyes shone strangely, feet touched the ground as though it lacked solidity.
in a strange manner
From this reading Voices sounded different, eyes shone strangely, feet touched the ground as though it lacked solidity.
kept from public knowledge by various means
From this reading An undercurrent of suppressed excitement pulsed through Mrs. Barraclough's household on the day of the seventeenth.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading An undercurrent of suppressed excitement pulsed through Mrs. Barraclough's household on the day of the seventeenth.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Voices sounded different, eyes shone strangely, feet touched the ground as though it lacked solidity.
an instance of rapid strong pulsation (of the heart)
From this reading You could feel it throbbing like the beat of a distant drum.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading An undercurrent of suppressed excitement pulsed through Mrs. Barraclough's household on the day of the seventeenth.
having come into contact
From this reading Voices sounded different, eyes shone strangely, feet touched the ground as though it lacked solidity.
a subdued emotional quality underlying an utterance; implicit meaning
From this reading An undercurrent of suppressed excitement pulsed through Mrs. Barraclough's household on the day of the seventeenth.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Voices sounded different, eyes shone strangely, feet touched the ground as though it lacked solidity.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You could feel it throbbing like the beat of a distant drum.
Chapter 25 of Men of Affairs by Roland Pertwee holds 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 25 holds 183 sentences of Men of Affairs, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 25 of Men of Affairs by Roland Pertwee exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 183 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 25 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 Men of Affairs by Roland Pertwee on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6146 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23757 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23757, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 512 minutes of reading across 1230 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Men of Affairs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Men of Affairs 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 Men of Affairs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
