Chapter 16 of Shadow, the Mysterious Detective is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Shadow, the Mysterious Detective is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A FIEND IN HUMAN SHAPE. Poor Helen Dilt! Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house. The hag was literally a fiend. And a fiend in human form at that.
Chapter 16 of Shadow, the Mysterious Detective is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
past form of “devise” — come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort
From this reading “Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.”
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading “Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.”
put to death as punishment
From this reading “Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.”
a cruel wicked and inhuman person
From this reading “A FIEND IN HUMAN SHAPE.”
an ugly evil-looking old woman
From this reading “Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.”
in a literal sense
From this reading “The hag was literally a fiend.”
past form of “preside” — act as president
From this reading “Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.”
plural of “torment” — unbearable physical pain
From this reading “Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.”
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 “Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.”
In this reading “A FIEND IN HUMAN SHAPE.”
In this reading “And a fiend in human form at that.”
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.”
In this reading “Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.”
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 FIEND IN HUMAN SHAPE.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
past form of “devise” — come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Poor Helen Dilt!
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
put to death as punishment
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
a cruel wicked and inhuman person
From this reading A FIEND IN HUMAN SHAPE.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading And a fiend in human form at that.
an ugly evil-looking old woman
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading Poor Helen Dilt!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
characteristic of humanity
From this reading A FIEND IN HUMAN SHAPE.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A FIEND IN HUMAN SHAPE.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
in a literal sense
From this reading The hag was literally a fiend.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
on one occasion
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
above and across; more than
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Poor Helen Dilt!
past form of “preside” — act as president
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
From this reading A FIEND IN HUMAN SHAPE.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
plural of “torment” — unbearable physical pain
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
which person or people
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Better, much better, would it be for her to die at once, if she was to be called on to long endure the torments that were devised and executed by the ugly-faced hag who presided over that private mad-house.
Chapter 16 of Shadow, the Mysterious Detective by Police Captain Howard holds 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 16 holds 97 sentences of Shadow, the Mysterious Detective, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Shadow, the Mysterious Detective by Police Captain Howard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 16 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.
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Yes. All 2482 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45455 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45455, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 206 minutes of reading across 497 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shadow, the Mysterious Detective section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Shadow, the Mysterious Detective 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 Shadow, the Mysterious Detective, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
