Chapter 21 of Syndrome is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Syndrome is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Wednesday, April 8 12:34 P.M. _ "W.B., we've got a problem," Karl Van de Vliet said into the microphone. He was in his private office, on the scrambled videophone. "Kristen's mother showed up just before noon with a pistol, demanding to know where she was. When I tried to take the gun away from her, she accidentally shot herself through the side.
Chapter 21 of Syndrome is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
without advance planning
From this reading “When I tried to take the gun away from her, she accidentally shot herself through the side.”
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading “_Wednesday, April 8 12:34 P.M.”
requiring more than usually expected or thought due; especially great patience and effort and skill
From this reading “"Kristen's mother showed up just before noon with a pistol, demanding to know where she was.”
device for converting sound waves into electrical energy
From this reading “_ "W.B., we've got a problem," Karl Van de Vliet said into the microphone.”
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading “"Kristen's mother showed up just before noon with a pistol, demanding to know where she was.”
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading “_ "W.B., we've got a problem," Karl Van de Vliet said into the microphone.”
thrown together in a disorderly fashion
From this reading “He was in his private office, on the scrambled videophone.”
the fourth day of the week; the third working day
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 “He was in his private office, on the scrambled videophone.”
In this reading “"Kristen's mother showed up just before noon with a pistol, demanding to know where she was.”
appear or become visible; make a showing
In this reading “"Kristen's mother showed up just before noon with a pistol, demanding to know where she was.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Wednesday, April 8 12:34 P.M.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Wednesday, April 8 12:34 P.M.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Wednesday, April 8 12:34 P.M.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading _ "W.B., we've got a problem," Karl Van de Vliet said into the microphone.
without advance planning
From this reading When I tried to take the gun away from her, she accidentally shot herself through the side.
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading _Wednesday, April 8 12:34 P.M.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading When I tried to take the gun away from her, she accidentally shot herself through the side.
aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil
From this reading _ "W.B., we've got a problem," Karl Van de Vliet said into the microphone.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "Kristen's mother showed up just before noon with a pistol, demanding to know where she was.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading _ "W.B., we've got a problem," Karl Van de Vliet said into the microphone.
requiring more than usually expected or thought due; especially great patience and effort and skill
From this reading "Kristen's mother showed up just before noon with a pistol, demanding to know where she was.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading When I tried to take the gun away from her, she accidentally shot herself through the side.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading _ "W.B., we've got a problem," Karl Van de Vliet said into the microphone.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading When I tried to take the gun away from her, she accidentally shot herself through the side.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was in his private office, on the scrambled videophone.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading When I tried to take the gun away from her, she accidentally shot herself through the side.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading When I tried to take the gun away from her, she accidentally shot herself through the side.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was in his private office, on the scrambled videophone.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading When I tried to take the gun away from her, she accidentally shot herself through the side.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was in his private office, on the scrambled videophone.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading _ "W.B., we've got a problem," Karl Van de Vliet said into the microphone.
and nothing more
From this reading "Kristen's mother showed up just before noon with a pistol, demanding to know where she was.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _ "W.B., we've got a problem," Karl Van de Vliet said into the microphone.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Kristen's mother showed up just before noon with a pistol, demanding to know where she was.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Kristen's mother showed up just before noon with a pistol, demanding to know where she was.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading _Wednesday, April 8 12:34 P.M.
device for converting sound waves into electrical energy
From this reading _ "W.B., we've got a problem," Karl Van de Vliet said into the microphone.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "Kristen's mother showed up just before noon with a pistol, demanding to know where she was.
the middle of the day
From this reading "Kristen's mother showed up just before noon with a pistol, demanding to know where she was.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading He was in his private office, on the scrambled videophone.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He was in his private office, on the scrambled videophone.
a multivalent nonmetallic element of the nitrogen family that occurs commonly in inorganic phosphate rocks and as organic phosphates in all living cells; is highly reactive and occurs in several allotropic forms
From this reading _Wednesday, April 8 12:34 P.M.
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading "Kristen's mother showed up just before noon with a pistol, demanding to know where she was.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading He was in his private office, on the scrambled videophone.
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading _ "W.B., we've got a problem," Karl Van de Vliet said into the microphone.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading _ "W.B., we've got a problem," Karl Van de Vliet said into the microphone.
thrown together in a disorderly fashion
From this reading He was in his private office, on the scrambled videophone.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Kristen's mother showed up just before noon with a pistol, demanding to know where she was.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading When I tried to take the gun away from her, she accidentally shot herself through the side.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading "Kristen's mother showed up just before noon with a pistol, demanding to know where she was.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading When I tried to take the gun away from her, she accidentally shot herself through the side.
carry out
From this reading When I tried to take the gun away from her, she accidentally shot herself through the side.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _ "W.B., we've got a problem," Karl Van de Vliet said into the microphone.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading When I tried to take the gun away from her, she accidentally shot herself through the side.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Kristen's mother showed up just before noon with a pistol, demanding to know where she was.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading When I tried to take the gun away from her, she accidentally shot herself through the side.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Kristen's mother showed up just before noon with a pistol, demanding to know where she was.
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading _ "W.B., we've got a problem," Karl Van de Vliet said into the microphone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was in his private office, on the scrambled videophone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _ "W.B., we've got a problem," Karl Van de Vliet said into the microphone.
a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite
From this reading _ "W.B., we've got a problem," Karl Van de Vliet said into the microphone.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was in his private office, on the scrambled videophone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _ "W.B., we've got a problem," Karl Van de Vliet said into the microphone.
the fourth day of the week; the third working day
From this reading _Wednesday, April 8 12:34 P.M.
at the time that
From this reading When I tried to take the gun away from her, she accidentally shot herself through the side.
in or at the place that
From this reading "Kristen's mother showed up just before noon with a pistol, demanding to know where she was.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Kristen's mother showed up just before noon with a pistol, demanding to know where she was.
Chapter 21 of Syndrome by Thomas Hoover holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 156 sentences of Syndrome, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Syndrome by Thomas Hoover exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Syndrome by Thomas Hoover on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10186 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34321 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34321, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2038 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Syndrome section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of Syndrome 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 Syndrome, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
