Chapter 21 of The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith is here in full — 360 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith is here in full — 360 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The clang of the steel gate was the next really distinct impression which Jane received. In a moment she was herself. It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake. She listened intently. That clang meant that the gate had been shut.
Chapter 21 of The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith is here in full — 360 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/72 · 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.
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading “It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.”
a loud resonant repeating noise
From this reading “The clang of the steel gate was the next really distinct impression which Jane received.”
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading “It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.”
(often followed by “from”) not alike; different in nature or quality
From this reading “The clang of the steel gate was the next really distinct impression which Jane received.”
with strained or eager attention
From this reading “She listened intently.”
be incompatible; be or come into conflict
From this reading “It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.”
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
From this reading “The clang of the steel gate was the next really distinct impression which Jane received.”
sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect
From this reading “It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.”
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 “She listened intently.”
In this reading “The clang of the steel gate was the next really distinct impression which Jane received.”
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 In a moment she was herself.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.
in a state of sleep
From this reading It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.
a loud resonant repeating noise
From this reading The clang of the steel gate was the next really distinct impression which Jane received.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.
(often followed by “from”) not alike; different in nature or quality
From this reading The clang of the steel gate was the next really distinct impression which Jane received.
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading The clang of the steel gate was the next really distinct impression which Jane received.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading In a moment she was herself.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading The clang of the steel gate was the next really distinct impression which Jane received.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a moment she was herself.
with strained or eager attention
From this reading She listened intently.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clang of the steel gate was the next really distinct impression which Jane received.
be incompatible; be or come into conflict
From this reading It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.
and nothing more
From this reading It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading She listened intently.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading That clang meant that the gate had been shut.
a particular point in time
From this reading In a moment she was herself.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The clang of the steel gate was the next really distinct impression which Jane received.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The clang of the steel gate was the next really distinct impression which Jane received.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading The clang of the steel gate was the next really distinct impression which Jane received.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading The clang of the steel gate was the next really distinct impression which Jane received.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In a moment she was herself.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading That clang meant that the gate had been shut.
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
From this reading The clang of the steel gate was the next really distinct impression which Jane received.
sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect
From this reading It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That clang meant that the gate had been shut.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The clang of the steel gate was the next really distinct impression which Jane received.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was just as if she had been asleep, and then, to the jar of a striking clock, had come broad awake.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The clang of the steel gate was the next really distinct impression which Jane received.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The clang of the steel gate was the next really distinct impression which Jane received.
Chapter 21 of The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith by Patricia Wentworth holds 360 sentences, grouped into 72 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 360 sentences of The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith, unabridged, divided into 72 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith by Patricia Wentworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 360 sentences, grouped into 72 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 72 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 72 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 The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith by Patricia Wentworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6125 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62963 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62963, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 510 minutes of reading across 1225 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith 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 The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
