Chapter 14 of Strictly Business is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Strictly Business is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Here ends all of the story as far as I can testify as a witness. The rest must be only bare statements of facts. At about six o’clock I went out for a stroll. Uncle Cæsar was at his corner. He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.
Chapter 14 of Strictly Business is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
causing sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy
From this reading “He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.”
a windstorm that lifts up clouds of dust or sand
From this reading “He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.”
plural of “end” — either extremity of something that has length
From this reading “Here ends all of the story as far as I can testify as a witness.”
past form of “flourish” — grow vigorously
From this reading “He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.”
a group of symbols that make a mathematical statement
From this reading “He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.”
plural of “statement” — a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc
From this reading “The rest must be only bare statements of facts.”
a leisurely walk (usually in some public place)
From this reading “At about six o’clock I went out for a stroll.”
give testimony in a court of law
From this reading “Here ends all of the story as far as I can testify as a witness.”
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 Here ends all of the story as far as I can testify as a witness.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading At about six o’clock I went out for a stroll.
(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 Here ends all of the story as far as I can testify as a witness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Here ends all of the story as far as I can testify as a witness.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At about six o’clock I went out for a stroll.
completely unclothed
From this reading The rest must be only bare statements of facts.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The rest must be only bare statements of facts.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Here ends all of the story as far as I can testify as a witness.
a railcar where passengers ride
From this reading He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading Uncle Cæsar was at his corner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Uncle Cæsar was at his corner.
causing sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy
From this reading He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.
a windstorm that lifts up clouds of dust or sand
From this reading He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.
plural of “end” — either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Here ends all of the story as far as I can testify as a witness.
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading The rest must be only bare statements of facts.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Here ends all of the story as far as I can testify as a witness.
past form of “flourish” — grow vigorously
From this reading He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading At about six o’clock I went out for a stroll.
a group of symbols that make a mathematical statement
From this reading He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here ends all of the story as far as I can testify as a witness.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Uncle Cæsar was at his corner.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Here ends all of the story as far as I can testify as a witness.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading The rest must be only bare statements of facts.
according to the clock
From this reading At about six o’clock I went out for a stroll.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Here ends all of the story as far as I can testify as a witness.
and nothing more
From this reading The rest must be only bare statements of facts.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading At about six o’clock I went out for a stroll.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading The rest must be only bare statements of facts.
precisely, exactly
From this reading He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading At about six o’clock I went out for a stroll.
plural of “statement” — a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc
From this reading The rest must be only bare statements of facts.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.
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 Here ends all of the story as far as I can testify as a witness.
a leisurely walk (usually in some public place)
From this reading At about six o’clock I went out for a stroll.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.
give testimony in a court of law
From this reading Here ends all of the story as far as I can testify as a witness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Here ends all of the story as far as I can testify as a witness.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading He threw open the door of his carriage, flourished his duster and began his depressing formula: “Step right in, suh.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading Uncle Cæsar was at his corner.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Uncle Cæsar was at his corner.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading At about six o’clock I went out for a stroll.
someone who sees an event and reports what happened
From this reading Here ends all of the story as far as I can testify as a witness.
Chapter 14 of Strictly Business by O. Henry holds 196 sentences, grouped into 40 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 14 holds 196 sentences of Strictly Business, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Strictly Business by O. Henry exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 14 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 Strictly Business by O. Henry on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4844 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2141 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2141, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 403 minutes of reading across 969 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Strictly Business section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Strictly Business 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 Strictly Business, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
