Chapter 34 of Men of Affairs is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXXIV
Chapter 34 of Men of Affairs is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE FINISHING STRAIGHT. "Gentlemen," said Mr. Torrington. "We have an important decision to make. Barraclough is on his way home, presumably with the concession in his pocket. Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."
Chapter 34 of Men of Affairs is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 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 contract granting the right to operate a subsidiary business
From this reading “Barraclough is on his way home, presumably with the concession in his pocket.”
the process of giving careful thought to something
From this reading “Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."”
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading “"We have an important decision to make.”
plural of “disposition” — your usual mood
From this reading “Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."”
a decorative texture or appearance of a surface (or the substance that gives it that appearance)
From this reading “THE FINISHING STRAIGHT.”
plural of “opponent” — a contestant that you are matched against
From this reading “Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."”
by reasonable assumption
From this reading “Barraclough is on his way home, presumably with the concession in his pocket.”
remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract
From this reading “Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."”
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 Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "We have an important decision to make.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Barraclough is on his way home, presumably with the concession in his pocket.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."
a contract granting the right to operate a subsidiary business
From this reading Barraclough is on his way home, presumably with the concession in his pocket.
the process of giving careful thought to something
From this reading Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading "We have an important decision to make.
plural of “disposition” — your usual mood
From this reading Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."
a decorative texture or appearance of a surface (or the substance that gives it that appearance)
From this reading THE FINISHING STRAIGHT.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading "Gentlemen," said Mr. Torrington.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "We have an important decision to make.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Barraclough is on his way home, presumably with the concession in his pocket.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Barraclough is on his way home, presumably with the concession in his pocket.
of great significance or value
From this reading "We have an important decision to make.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Barraclough is on his way home, presumably with the concession in his pocket.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Barraclough is on his way home, presumably with the concession in his pocket.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."
engage in
From this reading "We have an important decision to make.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Gentlemen," said Mr. Torrington.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Barraclough is on his way home, presumably with the concession in his pocket.
plural of “opponent” — a contestant that you are matched against
From this reading Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading Barraclough is on his way home, presumably with the concession in his pocket.
made ready or fit or suitable beforehand
From this reading Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."
by reasonable assumption
From this reading Barraclough is on his way home, presumably with the concession in his pocket.
keep from happening or arising; make impossible
From this reading Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."
remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract
From this reading Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Gentlemen," said Mr. Torrington.
successive (without a break)
From this reading THE FINISHING STRAIGHT.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FINISHING STRAIGHT.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Our opponents have made certain dispositions to prevent his safe arrival--those dispositions they are prepared to remove in consideration of a third interest."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "We have an important decision to make.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Gentlemen," said Mr. Torrington.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Barraclough is on his way home, presumably with the concession in his pocket.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We have an important decision to make.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Barraclough is on his way home, presumably with the concession in his pocket.
Chapter 34 of Men of Affairs by Roland Pertwee holds 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 34 holds 172 sentences of Men of Affairs, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 34 of Men of Affairs by Roland Pertwee exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 34 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.
