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The Argus Pheasant
The Argus Pheasant

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of The Argus Pheasant is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By John Charles Beecham • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Argus Pheasant
Context Illustration Reading 1/24 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."
Captain Carver did not answer.
It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.
Had it not been for occasional curt, illuminative questions, Peter Gross might have thought him asleep.
He was a man of silences, this Captain Carver, a man after Peter Gross's own heart.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Argus Pheasant

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of The Argus Pheasant is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/24 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."
Line 2
Captain Carver did not answer.
/ˈkæptən ˈkɑːrvər dɪd nɑːt ˈænsər/
Line 3
It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.
Line 4
Had it not been for occasional curt, illuminative questions, Peter Gross might have thought him asleep.
Line 5
He was a man of silences, this Captain Carver, a man after Peter Gross's own heart.
/hiː wɑːz ə mæn ʌv ˈsaɪlənsɪz ðɪs ˈkæptən ˈkɑːrvər ə mæn ˈæftər ˈpiːtər ˈɡroʊsɪz oʊn hɑːrt/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Carver noun US /ˈkɑːrvər/

United States botanist and agricultural chemist who developed many uses for peanuts and soy beans and sweet potatoes (1864-1943)

From this reading “Captain Carver did not answer.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
chirping verb US /ˈtʃɜːrpɪŋ/

-ing form of “chirp” — make high-pitched sounds

From this reading “It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
crickets noun US /ˈkrɪkəts/

plural of “cricket” — leaping insect; male makes chirping noises by rubbing the forewings together

From this reading “It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
curt adjective US /kɜːrt/

marked by rude or peremptory shortness

From this reading “Had it not been for occasional curt, illuminative questions, Peter Gross might have thought him asleep.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Gross's noun US /ˈɡroʊsɪz/

possessive form of “gross” — twelve dozen

From this reading “It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nocturnal adjective US /nɑːkˈtɜːrnəl/

belonging to or active during the night

From this reading “It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pledged adjective US /pledʒd/

bound by or as if by an oath

From this reading “THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
silences noun US /ˈsaɪlənsɪz/

plural of “silence” — the state of being silent (as when no one is speaking)

From this reading “He was a man of silences, this Captain Carver, a man after Peter Gross's own heart.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

POISONED ARROW verb + noun counted as “poison arrow”

In this reading “THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."”

690 times in 225,867 chapters
dim twilight adjective + noun

In this reading “It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.”

298 times in 225,867 chapters
own heart verb + noun

In this reading “He was a man of silences, this Captain Carver, a man after Peter Gross's own heart.”

8,663 times in 225,867 chapters
with an air preposition + article + noun counted as “with … air”

In this reading “It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.”

21,576 times in 225,867 chapters
listened with verb + particle counted as “listen with”

In this reading “It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.”

10,353 times in 225,867 chapters

All words in this reading · 69

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading He was a man of silences, this Captain Carver, a man after Peter Gross's own heart.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading He was a man of silences, this Captain Carver, a man after Peter Gross's own heart.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
airnounUS /er/

a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
answerverbUS /ˈænsər/

react verbally

From this reading Captain Carver did not answer.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ARROWnounUS /ˈæroʊ/

a mark to indicate a direction or relation

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
asleepadjectiveUS /əˈsliːp/

in a state of sleep

From this reading Had it not been for occasional curt, illuminative questions, Peter Gross might have thought him asleep.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
attentionnounUS /əˈtenʃən/

the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Had it not been for occasional curt, illuminative questions, Peter Gross might have thought him asleep.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Bulungan

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

Pending verification
CaptainnounUS /ˈkæptən/

an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

From this reading Captain Carver did not answer.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CarvernounUS /ˈkɑːrvər/

United States botanist and agricultural chemist who developed many uses for peanuts and soy beans and sweet potatoes (1864-1943)

From this reading Captain Carver did not answer.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
chirpingverbUS /ˈtʃɜːrpɪŋ/

-ing form of “chirp” — make high-pitched sounds

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
concludedadjectiveUS /kənˈkluːdəd/

having come or been brought to a conclusion

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
councilnounUS /ˈkaʊnsəl/

a body serving in an administrative capacity

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cricketsnounUS /ˈkrɪkəts/

plural of “cricket” — leaping insect; male makes chirping noises by rubbing the forewings together

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
criticaladjectiveUS /ˈkrɪtɪkəl/

marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
curtadjectiveUS /kɜːrt/

marked by rude or peremptory shortness

From this reading Had it not been for occasional curt, illuminative questions, Peter Gross might have thought him asleep.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dennounUS /den/

the habitation of wild animals

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading Captain Carver did not answer.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
dimadjectiveUS /dɪm/

lacking in light; not bright or harsh

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
followingadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːloʊɪŋ/

about to be mentioned or specified

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Had it not been for occasional curt, illuminative questions, Peter Gross might have thought him asleep.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
GrossadjectiveUS /ɡroʊs/

before any deductions

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Gross'snounUS /ˈɡroʊsɪz/

possessive form of “gross” — twelve dozen

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Had it not been for occasional curt, illuminative questions, Peter Gross might have thought him asleep.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He was a man of silences, this Captain Carver, a man after Peter Gross's own heart.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading He was a man of silences, this Captain Carver, a man after Peter Gross's own heart.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Had it not been for occasional curt, illuminative questions, Peter Gross might have thought him asleep.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
illuminative

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Had it not been for occasional curt, illuminative questions, Peter Gross might have thought him asleep.

Pending verification
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
listenedverbUS /ˈlɪsənd/

past form of “listen” — hear with intention

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading He was a man of silences, this Captain Carver, a man after Peter Gross's own heart.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
meetingnounUS /ˈmiːtɪŋ/

a formally arranged gathering

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
metverbUS /met/

inflected form of “meet” — come together

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading Had it not been for occasional curt, illuminative questions, Peter Gross might have thought him asleep.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
nocturnaladjectiveUS /nɑːkˈtɜːrnəl/

belonging to or active during the night

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Captain Carver did not answer.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
occasionaladjectiveUS /əˈkeɪʒənəl/

occurring from time to time

From this reading Had it not been for occasional curt, illuminative questions, Peter Gross might have thought him asleep.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
outsideadjectiveUS /ˈaʊtˈsaɪd/

relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading He was a man of silences, this Captain Carver, a man after Peter Gross's own heart.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PeternounUS /ˈpiːtər/

disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pledgedadjectiveUS /pledʒd/

bound by or as if by an oath

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
POISONEDverbUS /ˈpɔɪzənd/

past form of “poison” — spoil as if by poison

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
putverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
questionsnounUS /ˈkwestʃənz/

plural of “question” — an instance of questioning

From this reading Had it not been for occasional curt, illuminative questions, Peter Gross might have thought him asleep.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rightsnounUS /raɪts/

plural of “right” — an abstract idea of that which is due to a person or governmental body by law or tradition or nature

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
silencesnounUS /ˈsaɪlənsɪz/

plural of “silence” — the state of being silent (as when no one is speaking)

From this reading He was a man of silences, this Captain Carver, a man after Peter Gross's own heart.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading He was a man of silences, this Captain Carver, a man after Peter Gross's own heart.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading Had it not been for occasional curt, illuminative questions, Peter Gross might have thought him asleep.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
twilightnounUS /ˈtwaɪlaɪt/

the time of day immediately following sunset

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
we'd

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE POISONED ARROW "And so," Peter Gross concluded, "I pledged my life that we'd put things to rights in Bulungan."

Pending verification
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading It was dim twilight of the evening following the council meeting--they were met in Peter Gross's den, and the captain had listened with an air of critical attention to the nocturnal chirping of the crickets outside.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 17 of The Argus Pheasant by John Charles Beecham holds 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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.

What does chapter 17 of The Argus Pheasant contain?

Chapter 17 holds 120 sentences of The Argus Pheasant, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of The Argus Pheasant by John Charles Beecham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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.

How do I study chapter 17 of The Argus Pheasant?

Work through the 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 24 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.

Can chapter 17 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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.

Questions about reading The Argus Pheasant

Common questions about reading The Argus Pheasant by John Charles Beecham on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Argus Pheasant?

Yes. All 5660 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37215 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Argus Pheasant is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #37215, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Argus Pheasant take to read?

About 471 minutes of reading across 1132 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Argus Pheasant section by section

How to work through The Argus Pheasant section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Argus Pheasant to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Argus Pheasant

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Argus Pheasant, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Apparent
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Argus Pheasant; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Excellency
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Argus Pheasant; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Jonkheer
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Argus Pheasant; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Adriaan
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Argus Pheasant; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.