Chapter 39 of The Avenger is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of The Avenger is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE COLONEL SPEAKS Wrayson glanced at the clock for the twentieth time. "I am afraid," he said gravely, "that Mr. Sydney Barnes has been one too many for us." "Do you think," Louise asked, "that he has persuaded the girl to give him the packet?" "It looks like it," Wrayson confessed. Louise frowned.
Chapter 39 of The Avenger is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading “THE COLONEL SPEAKS Wrayson glanced at the clock for the twentieth time.”
past form of “confess” — confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading “"It looks like it," Wrayson confessed.”
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “Louise frowned.”
a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading “"Do you think," Louise asked, "that he has persuaded the girl to give him the packet?"”
past form of “persuade” — win approval or support for
From this reading “"Do you think," Louise asked, "that he has persuaded the girl to give him the packet?"”
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading “THE COLONEL SPEAKS Wrayson glanced at the clock for the twentieth time.”
the largest Australian city located in southeastern Australia on the Tasman Sea; state capital of New South Wales; Australia's chief port
From this reading “"I am afraid," he said gravely, "that Mr. Sydney Barnes has been one too many for us."”
position 20 in a countable series of things
From this reading “THE COLONEL SPEAKS Wrayson glanced at the clock for the twentieth time.”
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.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading "I am afraid," he said gravely, "that Mr. Sydney Barnes has been one too many for us."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am afraid," he said gravely, "that Mr. Sydney Barnes has been one too many for us."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Do you think," Louise asked, "that he has persuaded the girl to give him the packet?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE COLONEL SPEAKS Wrayson glanced at the clock for the twentieth time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I am afraid," he said gravely, "that Mr. Sydney Barnes has been one too many for us."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "I am afraid," he said gravely, "that Mr. Sydney Barnes has been one too many for us."
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading THE COLONEL SPEAKS Wrayson glanced at the clock for the twentieth time.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading THE COLONEL SPEAKS Wrayson glanced at the clock for the twentieth time.
past form of “confess” — confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading "It looks like it," Wrayson confessed.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do you think," Louise asked, "that he has persuaded the girl to give him the packet?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE COLONEL SPEAKS Wrayson glanced at the clock for the twentieth time.
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading Louise frowned.
a young female
From this reading "Do you think," Louise asked, "that he has persuaded the girl to give him the packet?"
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "Do you think," Louise asked, "that he has persuaded the girl to give him the packet?"
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading THE COLONEL SPEAKS Wrayson glanced at the clock for the twentieth time.
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading "I am afraid," he said gravely, "that Mr. Sydney Barnes has been one too many for us."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I am afraid," he said gravely, "that Mr. Sydney Barnes has been one too many for us."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I am afraid," he said gravely, "that Mr. Sydney Barnes has been one too many for us."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Do you think," Louise asked, "that he has persuaded the girl to give him the packet?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am afraid," he said gravely, "that Mr. Sydney Barnes has been one too many for us."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It looks like it," Wrayson confessed.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "It looks like it," Wrayson confessed.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading "It looks like it," Wrayson confessed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Do you think," Louise asked, "that he has persuaded the girl to give him the packet?"
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading "I am afraid," he said gravely, "that Mr. Sydney Barnes has been one too many for us."
a form of address for a man
From this reading "I am afraid," he said gravely, "that Mr. Sydney Barnes has been one too many for us."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "I am afraid," he said gravely, "that Mr. Sydney Barnes has been one too many for us."
a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading "Do you think," Louise asked, "that he has persuaded the girl to give him the packet?"
past form of “persuade” — win approval or support for
From this reading "Do you think," Louise asked, "that he has persuaded the girl to give him the packet?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I am afraid," he said gravely, "that Mr. Sydney Barnes has been one too many for us."
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading THE COLONEL SPEAKS Wrayson glanced at the clock for the twentieth time.
the largest Australian city located in southeastern Australia on the Tasman Sea; state capital of New South Wales; Australia's chief port
From this reading "I am afraid," he said gravely, "that Mr. Sydney Barnes has been one too many for us."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I am afraid," he said gravely, "that Mr. Sydney Barnes has been one too many for us."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE COLONEL SPEAKS Wrayson glanced at the clock for the twentieth time.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Do you think," Louise asked, "that he has persuaded the girl to give him the packet?"
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading THE COLONEL SPEAKS Wrayson glanced at the clock for the twentieth time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Do you think," Louise asked, "that he has persuaded the girl to give him the packet?"
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "I am afraid," he said gravely, "that Mr. Sydney Barnes has been one too many for us."
position 20 in a countable series of things
From this reading THE COLONEL SPEAKS Wrayson glanced at the clock for the twentieth time.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I am afraid," he said gravely, "that Mr. Sydney Barnes has been one too many for us."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE COLONEL SPEAKS Wrayson glanced at the clock for the twentieth time.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do you think," Louise asked, "that he has persuaded the girl to give him the packet?"
Chapter 39 of The Avenger by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim holds 216 sentences, grouped into 44 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 39 holds 216 sentences of The Avenger, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of The Avenger by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 216 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 39 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 Avenger by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6488 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9871 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9871, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 540 minutes of reading across 1298 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Avenger section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Avenger 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 Avenger, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
