Chapter 21 of My Friend Smith is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of My Friend Smith is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Hawkesbury was taken aback by the sudden question. It was evident he could not make his story square at all four corners. "I--I--hoped I might be mistaken," said he, uncomfortably. "In fact, I meant to mention the affair, but--but I forgot." "Oh," said Mr Barnacle, in a way that made the witness writhe.
Chapter 21 of My Friend Smith is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
having the wind against the forward side of the sails
From this reading “Hawkesbury was taken aback by the sudden question.”
marine crustaceans with feathery food-catching appendages; free-swimming as larvae; as adults form a hard shell and live attached to submerged surfaces
From this reading “"Oh," said Mr Barnacle, in a way that made the witness writhe.”
plural of “corner” — a place off to the side of an area
From this reading “It was evident he could not make his story square at all four corners.”
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading “It was evident he could not make his story square at all four corners.”
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading “"I--I--hoped I might be mistaken," said he, uncomfortably.”
in physical discomfort
From this reading “"I--I--hoped I might be mistaken," said he, uncomfortably.”
someone who sees an event and reports what happened
From this reading “"Oh," said Mr Barnacle, in a way that made the witness writhe.”
to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)
From this reading “"Oh," said Mr Barnacle, in a way that made the witness writhe.”
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 "Oh," said Mr Barnacle, in a way that made the witness writhe.
having the wind against the forward side of the sails
From this reading Hawkesbury was taken aback by the sudden question.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "In fact, I meant to mention the affair, but--but I forgot."
(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 It was evident he could not make his story square at all four corners.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was evident he could not make his story square at all four corners.
marine crustaceans with feathery food-catching appendages; free-swimming as larvae; as adults form a hard shell and live attached to submerged surfaces
From this reading "Oh," said Mr Barnacle, in a way that made the witness writhe.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I--I--hoped I might be mistaken," said he, uncomfortably.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "In fact, I meant to mention the affair, but--but I forgot."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Hawkesbury was taken aback by the sudden question.
plural of “corner” — a place off to the side of an area
From this reading It was evident he could not make his story square at all four corners.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It was evident he could not make his story square at all four corners.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading It was evident he could not make his story square at all four corners.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading "In fact, I meant to mention the affair, but--but I forgot."
inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading "In fact, I meant to mention the affair, but--but I forgot."
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading It was evident he could not make his story square at all four corners.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hawkesbury was taken aback by the sudden question.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was evident he could not make his story square at all four corners.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was evident he could not make his story square at all four corners.
past form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading "I--I--hoped I might be mistaken," said he, uncomfortably.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I--I--hoped I might be mistaken," said he, uncomfortably.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "In fact, I meant to mention the affair, but--but I forgot."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was evident he could not make his story square at all four corners.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "Oh," said Mr Barnacle, in a way that made the witness writhe.
engage in
From this reading It was evident he could not make his story square at all four corners.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "In fact, I meant to mention the affair, but--but I forgot."
make reference to
From this reading "In fact, I meant to mention the affair, but--but I forgot."
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "I--I--hoped I might be mistaken," said he, uncomfortably.
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading "I--I--hoped I might be mistaken," said he, uncomfortably.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Oh," said Mr Barnacle, in a way that made the witness writhe.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was evident he could not make his story square at all four corners.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh," said Mr Barnacle, in a way that made the witness writhe.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading Hawkesbury was taken aback by the sudden question.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I--I--hoped I might be mistaken," said he, uncomfortably.
make square
From this reading It was evident he could not make his story square at all four corners.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading It was evident he could not make his story square at all four corners.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading Hawkesbury was taken aback by the sudden question.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Hawkesbury was taken aback by the sudden question.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Oh," said Mr Barnacle, in a way that made the witness writhe.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Hawkesbury was taken aback by the sudden question.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "In fact, I meant to mention the affair, but--but I forgot."
in physical discomfort
From this reading "I--I--hoped I might be mistaken," said he, uncomfortably.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Hawkesbury was taken aback by the sudden question.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Oh," said Mr Barnacle, in a way that made the witness writhe.
someone who sees an event and reports what happened
From this reading "Oh," said Mr Barnacle, in a way that made the witness writhe.
to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)
From this reading "Oh," said Mr Barnacle, in a way that made the witness writhe.
Chapter 21 of My Friend Smith by Talbot Baines Reed holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 21 holds 416 sentences of My Friend Smith, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of My Friend Smith by Talbot Baines Reed exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 My Friend Smith by Talbot Baines Reed on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8701 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21036 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21036, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1741 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through My Friend Smith section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of My Friend Smith 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 My Friend Smith, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
