Chapter 4 of Seventeen Years in the Underworld is here in full — 58 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Seventeen Years in the Underworld is here in full — 58 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PERSISTING IN MISDEEDS Every lane, the philosopher will tell you, has an ending. Mine stopped abruptly. A check of mine was returned to the one who supposed me a Carnegie. Having a good description of me, he lost no time in notifying the police. Some ten weeks later, I walked into the arms of a waiting policeman.
Chapter 4 of Seventeen Years in the Underworld is here in full — 58 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/11 · 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.
United States educator famous for writing a book about how to win friends and influence people (1888-1955)
From this reading “A check of mine was returned to the one who supposed me a Carnegie.”
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading “A check of mine was returned to the one who supposed me a Carnegie.”
the end of a word (a suffix or inflectional ending or final morpheme)
From this reading “PERSISTING IN MISDEEDS Every lane, the philosopher will tell you, has an ending.”
plural of “misdeed” — improper or wicked or immoral behavior
From this reading “PERSISTING IN MISDEEDS Every lane, the philosopher will tell you, has an ending.”
-ing form of “notify” — inform (somebody) of something
From this reading “Having a good description of me, he lost no time in notifying the police.”
relentless and indefatigable in pursuit or as if in pursuit
From this reading “PERSISTING IN MISDEEDS Every lane, the philosopher will tell you, has an ending.”
a specialist in philosophy
From this reading “PERSISTING IN MISDEEDS Every lane, the philosopher will tell you, has an ending.”
a member of a police force
From this reading “Some ten weeks later, I walked into the arms of a waiting policeman.”
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 “Having a good description of me, he lost no time in notifying the police.”
In this reading “Some ten weeks later, I walked into the arms of a waiting policeman.”
In this reading “Some ten weeks later, I walked into the arms of a waiting policeman.”
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 A check of mine was returned to the one who supposed me a Carnegie.
quickly and without warning
From this reading Mine stopped abruptly.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading PERSISTING IN MISDEEDS Every lane, the philosopher will tell you, has an ending.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading Some ten weeks later, I walked into the arms of a waiting policeman.
United States educator famous for writing a book about how to win friends and influence people (1888-1955)
From this reading A check of mine was returned to the one who supposed me a Carnegie.
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading A check of mine was returned to the one who supposed me a Carnegie.
a statement that represents something in words
From this reading Having a good description of me, he lost no time in notifying the police.
the end of a word (a suffix or inflectional ending or final morpheme)
From this reading PERSISTING IN MISDEEDS Every lane, the philosopher will tell you, has an ending.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading PERSISTING IN MISDEEDS Every lane, the philosopher will tell you, has an ending.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Having a good description of me, he lost no time in notifying the police.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading PERSISTING IN MISDEEDS Every lane, the philosopher will tell you, has an ending.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Having a good description of me, he lost no time in notifying the police.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Having a good description of me, he lost no time in notifying the police.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Some ten weeks later, I walked into the arms of a waiting policeman.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading PERSISTING IN MISDEEDS Every lane, the philosopher will tell you, has an ending.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Some ten weeks later, I walked into the arms of a waiting policeman.
a narrow way or road
From this reading PERSISTING IN MISDEEDS Every lane, the philosopher will tell you, has an ending.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Some ten weeks later, I walked into the arms of a waiting policeman.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Having a good description of me, he lost no time in notifying the police.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A check of mine was returned to the one who supposed me a Carnegie.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Mine stopped abruptly.
plural of “misdeed” — improper or wicked or immoral behavior
From this reading PERSISTING IN MISDEEDS Every lane, the philosopher will tell you, has an ending.
not any; not one
From this reading Having a good description of me, he lost no time in notifying the police.
-ing form of “notify” — inform (somebody) of something
From this reading Having a good description of me, he lost no time in notifying the police.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A check of mine was returned to the one who supposed me a Carnegie.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading A check of mine was returned to the one who supposed me a Carnegie.
relentless and indefatigable in pursuit or as if in pursuit
From this reading PERSISTING IN MISDEEDS Every lane, the philosopher will tell you, has an ending.
a specialist in philosophy
From this reading PERSISTING IN MISDEEDS Every lane, the philosopher will tell you, has an ending.
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading Having a good description of me, he lost no time in notifying the police.
a member of a police force
From this reading Some ten weeks later, I walked into the arms of a waiting policeman.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading A check of mine was returned to the one who supposed me a Carnegie.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some ten weeks later, I walked into the arms of a waiting policeman.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading Mine stopped abruptly.
required or under orders
From this reading A check of mine was returned to the one who supposed me a Carnegie.
express in words
From this reading PERSISTING IN MISDEEDS Every lane, the philosopher will tell you, has an ending.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading Some ten weeks later, I walked into the arms of a waiting policeman.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading PERSISTING IN MISDEEDS Every lane, the philosopher will tell you, has an ending.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Having a good description of me, he lost no time in notifying the police.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A check of mine was returned to the one who supposed me a Carnegie.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Some ten weeks later, I walked into the arms of a waiting policeman.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Some ten weeks later, I walked into the arms of a waiting policeman.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A check of mine was returned to the one who supposed me a Carnegie.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading Some ten weeks later, I walked into the arms of a waiting policeman.
which person or people
From this reading A check of mine was returned to the one who supposed me a Carnegie.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading PERSISTING IN MISDEEDS Every lane, the philosopher will tell you, has an ending.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading PERSISTING IN MISDEEDS Every lane, the philosopher will tell you, has an ending.
Chapter 4 of Seventeen Years in the Underworld by Wellington Scott holds 58 sentences, grouped into 12 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 4 holds 58 sentences of Seventeen Years in the Underworld, unabridged, divided into 12 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Seventeen Years in the Underworld by Wellington Scott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 58 sentences, grouped into 12 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 12 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 12 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 4 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 Seventeen Years in the Underworld by Wellington Scott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1101 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56443 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56443, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 91 minutes of reading across 221 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Seventeen Years in the Underworld section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Seventeen Years in the Underworld 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 Seventeen Years in the Underworld, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
