Chapter 21 of The Benson murder case is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Benson murder case is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A Lady Explains (Wednesday, June 19; 4.30 p.m.) “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious. But you must exert your will-power, and bear with me. You can’t imagine what a ticklish task I have on my hands. And it’s not a pleasant one either.
Chapter 21 of The Benson murder case is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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.
past form of “embark” — go on board
From this reading ““The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.”
education that results in understanding and the spread of knowledge
From this reading ““The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.”
put to use
From this reading “But you must exert your will-power, and bear with me.”
third-person singular of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “A Lady Explains (Wednesday, June 19; 4.30 p.m.)”
a search for an alternative that meets cognitive criteria
From this reading ““The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.”
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading ““The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.”
difficult to handle; requiring great tact
From this reading “You can’t imagine what a ticklish task I have on my hands.”
the fourth day of the week; the third working day
From this reading “A Lady Explains (Wednesday, June 19; 4.30 p.m.)”
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 ““The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.”
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 A Lady Explains (Wednesday, June 19; 4.30 p.m.)
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A Lady Explains (Wednesday, June 19; 4.30 p.m.)
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A Lady Explains (Wednesday, June 19; 4.30 p.m.)
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But you must exert your will-power, and bear with me.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
have
From this reading But you must exert your will-power, and bear with me.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But you must exert your will-power, and bear with me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You can’t imagine what a ticklish task I have on my hands.
one or the other of two
From this reading And it’s not a pleasant one either.
past form of “embark” — go on board
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
education that results in understanding and the spread of knowledge
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
put to use
From this reading But you must exert your will-power, and bear with me.
third-person singular of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading A Lady Explains (Wednesday, June 19; 4.30 p.m.)
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading You can’t imagine what a ticklish task I have on my hands.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You can’t imagine what a ticklish task I have on my hands.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading You can’t imagine what a ticklish task I have on my hands.
form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading You can’t imagine what a ticklish task I have on my hands.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And it’s not a pleasant one either.
the month following May and preceding July
From this reading A Lady Explains (Wednesday, June 19; 4.30 p.m.)
a polite name for any woman
From this reading A Lady Explains (Wednesday, June 19; 4.30 p.m.)
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading A Lady Explains (Wednesday, June 19; 4.30 p.m.)
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But you must exert your will-power, and bear with me.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading But you must exert your will-power, and bear with me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading You can’t imagine what a ticklish task I have on my hands.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading And it’s not a pleasant one either.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading You can’t imagine what a ticklish task I have on my hands.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading And it’s not a pleasant one either.
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 A Lady Explains (Wednesday, June 19; 4.30 p.m.)
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading And it’s not a pleasant one either.
be shown or be found to be
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
a search for an alternative that meets cognitive criteria
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading You can’t imagine what a ticklish task I have on my hands.
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
difficult to handle; requiring great tact
From this reading You can’t imagine what a ticklish task I have on my hands.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
the fourth day of the week; the third working day
From this reading A Lady Explains (Wednesday, June 19; 4.30 p.m.)
used to ask for information about something
From this reading You can’t imagine what a ticklish task I have on my hands.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “The quest for enlightenment upon which we are now embarked,” said Vance, as we rode up town, “may prove a bit tedious.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But you must exert your will-power, and bear with me.
in the company of; together with
From this reading But you must exert your will-power, and bear with me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But you must exert your will-power, and bear with me.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But you must exert your will-power, and bear with me.
Chapter 21 of The Benson murder case by S. S. Van Dine holds 225 sentences, grouped into 45 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 225 sentences of The Benson murder case, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Benson murder case by S. S. Van Dine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 225 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 Benson murder case by S. S. Van Dine on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6620 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #70634 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #70634, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 551 minutes of reading across 1324 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Benson murder case section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Benson murder case 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 Benson murder case, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
