Chapter 3 of Penny Nichols and the Black Imp is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Penny Nichols and the Black Imp is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Threat Max Lynch smiled disarmingly as he seated himself in a chair opposite the detective. "You have an abrupt way with your clients, Nichols." "You're no client of mine," the detective retorted. "You never have been and you never will be!" The gambler continued to smile blandly, refusing to take offense.
Chapter 3 of Penny Nichols and the Black Imp is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
marked by sudden changes in subject and sharp transitions
From this reading “"You have an abrupt way with your clients, Nichols."”
in a bland manner
From this reading “The gambler continued to smile blandly, refusing to take offense.”
a person who seeks the advice of a lawyer
From this reading “"You're no client of mine," the detective retorted.”
plural of “client” — a person who seeks the advice of a lawyer
From this reading “"You have an abrupt way with your clients, Nichols."”
a person who wagers money on the outcome of games or sporting events
From this reading “The gambler continued to smile blandly, refusing to take offense.”
kill without legal sanction
From this reading “The Threat Max Lynch smiled disarmingly as he seated himself in a chair opposite the detective.”
a lack of politeness; a failure to show regard for others; wounding the feelings or others
From this reading “The gambler continued to smile blandly, refusing to take offense.”
-ing form of “refuse” — show unwillingness towards
From this reading “The gambler continued to smile blandly, refusing to take offense.”
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 “The gambler continued to smile blandly, refusing to take offense.”
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 The Threat Max Lynch smiled disarmingly as he seated himself in a chair opposite the detective.
marked by sudden changes in subject and sharp transitions
From this reading "You have an abrupt way with your clients, Nichols."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "You have an abrupt way with your clients, Nichols."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "You never have been and you never will be!"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Threat Max Lynch smiled disarmingly as he seated himself in a chair opposite the detective.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "You never have been and you never will be!"
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "You never have been and you never will be!"
in a bland manner
From this reading The gambler continued to smile blandly, refusing to take offense.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading The Threat Max Lynch smiled disarmingly as he seated himself in a chair opposite the detective.
a person who seeks the advice of a lawyer
From this reading "You're no client of mine," the detective retorted.
plural of “client” — a person who seeks the advice of a lawyer
From this reading "You have an abrupt way with your clients, Nichols."
without stop or interruption
From this reading The gambler continued to smile blandly, refusing to take offense.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading The Threat Max Lynch smiled disarmingly as he seated himself in a chair opposite the detective.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Threat Max Lynch smiled disarmingly as he seated himself in a chair opposite the detective.
a person who wagers money on the outcome of games or sporting events
From this reading The gambler continued to smile blandly, refusing to take offense.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You have an abrupt way with your clients, Nichols."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Threat Max Lynch smiled disarmingly as he seated himself in a chair opposite the detective.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The Threat Max Lynch smiled disarmingly as he seated himself in a chair opposite the detective.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Threat Max Lynch smiled disarmingly as he seated himself in a chair opposite the detective.
kill without legal sanction
From this reading The Threat Max Lynch smiled disarmingly as he seated himself in a chair opposite the detective.
street names for gamma hydroxybutyrate
From this reading The Threat Max Lynch smiled disarmingly as he seated himself in a chair opposite the detective.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "You're no client of mine," the detective retorted.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "You never have been and you never will be!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You have an abrupt way with your clients, Nichols."
not any; not one
From this reading "You're no client of mine," the detective retorted.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "You're no client of mine," the detective retorted.
a lack of politeness; a failure to show regard for others; wounding the feelings or others
From this reading The gambler continued to smile blandly, refusing to take offense.
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading The Threat Max Lynch smiled disarmingly as he seated himself in a chair opposite the detective.
-ing form of “refuse” — show unwillingness towards
From this reading The gambler continued to smile blandly, refusing to take offense.
past form of “retort” — answer back
From this reading "You're no client of mine," the detective retorted.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading The Threat Max Lynch smiled disarmingly as he seated himself in a chair opposite the detective.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading The gambler continued to smile blandly, refusing to take offense.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading The Threat Max Lynch smiled disarmingly as he seated himself in a chair opposite the detective.
carry out
From this reading The gambler continued to smile blandly, refusing to take offense.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Threat Max Lynch smiled disarmingly as he seated himself in a chair opposite the detective.
something that is a source of danger
From this reading The Threat Max Lynch smiled disarmingly as he seated himself in a chair opposite the detective.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The gambler continued to smile blandly, refusing to take offense.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "You have an abrupt way with your clients, Nichols."
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "You never have been and you never will be!"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "You have an abrupt way with your clients, Nichols."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You have an abrupt way with your clients, Nichols."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You're no client of mine," the detective retorted.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You have an abrupt way with your clients, Nichols."
Chapter 3 of Penny Nichols and the Black Imp by Joan Clark holds 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 3 holds 204 sentences of Penny Nichols and the Black Imp, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Penny Nichols and the Black Imp by Joan Clark exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 3 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 Penny Nichols and the Black Imp by Joan Clark on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3573 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33382 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33382, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 297 minutes of reading across 715 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Penny Nichols and the Black Imp section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Penny Nichols and the Black Imp 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 Penny Nichols and the Black Imp, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
