Chapter 23 of The best short stories of 1917, and is here in full — 462 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The best short stories of 1917, and is here in full — 462 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But neither Colcord nor Bates is a scientist!" "That is not at all necessary," was the composed reply. "I am the scientist." "And Nick the victim," flashed Evelyn Colcord. "Well, I most decidedly and unalterably object, Professor Simec."
Chapter 23 of The best short stories of 1917, and is here in full — 462 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
third-person singular of “bate” — moderate or restrain; lessen the force of
From this reading “"But neither Colcord nor Bates is a scientist!"”
serenely self-possessed and free from agitation especially in times of stress
From this reading “"That is not at all necessary," was the composed reply.”
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading “"Well, I most decidedly and unalterably object, Professor Simec."”
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading “"And Nick the victim," flashed Evelyn Colcord.”
cut slightly, with a razor
From this reading “"And Nick the victim," flashed Evelyn Colcord.”
a person with advanced knowledge of one or more sciences
From this reading “"But neither Colcord nor Bates is a scientist!"”
in an unalterable and unchangeable manner
From this reading “"Well, I most decidedly and unalterably object, Professor Simec."”
an unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance
From this reading “"And Nick the victim," flashed Evelyn Colcord.”
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 "But neither Colcord nor Bates is a scientist!"
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "That is not at all necessary," was the composed reply.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am the scientist."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And Nick the victim," flashed Evelyn Colcord.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "That is not at all necessary," was the composed reply.
third-person singular of “bate” — moderate or restrain; lessen the force of
From this reading "But neither Colcord nor Bates is a scientist!"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But neither Colcord nor Bates is a scientist!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But neither Colcord nor Bates is a scientist!"
serenely self-possessed and free from agitation especially in times of stress
From this reading "That is not at all necessary," was the composed reply.
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading "Well, I most decidedly and unalterably object, Professor Simec."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And Nick the victim," flashed Evelyn Colcord.
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading "And Nick the victim," flashed Evelyn Colcord.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am the scientist."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "But neither Colcord nor Bates is a scientist!"
used to form the superlative
From this reading "Well, I most decidedly and unalterably object, Professor Simec."
absolutely essential
From this reading "That is not at all necessary," was the composed reply.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading "But neither Colcord nor Bates is a scientist!"
cut slightly, with a razor
From this reading "And Nick the victim," flashed Evelyn Colcord.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading "But neither Colcord nor Bates is a scientist!"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "That is not at all necessary," was the composed reply.
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading "Well, I most decidedly and unalterably object, Professor Simec."
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading "Well, I most decidedly and unalterably object, Professor Simec."
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading "That is not at all necessary," was the composed reply.
a person with advanced knowledge of one or more sciences
From this reading "But neither Colcord nor Bates is a scientist!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, I most decidedly and unalterably object, Professor Simec."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That is not at all necessary," was the composed reply.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "That is not at all necessary," was the composed reply.
in an unalterable and unchangeable manner
From this reading "Well, I most decidedly and unalterably object, Professor Simec."
an unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance
From this reading "And Nick the victim," flashed Evelyn Colcord.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "That is not at all necessary," was the composed reply.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, I most decidedly and unalterably object, Professor Simec."
Chapter 23 of The best short stories of 1917, and by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien holds 462 sentences, grouped into 93 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 23 holds 462 sentences of The best short stories of 1917, and, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The best short stories of 1917, and by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 462 sentences, grouped into 93 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 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 93 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 23 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 best short stories of 1917, and by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 18263 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20872 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20872, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 3653 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The best short stories of 1917, and section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The best short stories of 1917, and 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 best short stories of 1917, and, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
