Chapter 12 of The best short stories of 1921, and is here in full — 551 sentences across 111 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The best short stories of 1921, and is here in full — 551 sentences across 111 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Please, yes. How did you find it, Stephen?" She saw again that thrill of wonder on his face, but his voice was quite steady. "I didn't find it; I did it! It was uncommonly useful, getting in that way sometimes, I can tell you.
Chapter 12 of The best short stories of 1921, and is here in full — 551 sentences across 111 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/110 · 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.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading “It was uncommonly useful, getting in that way sometimes, I can tell you.”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “"Please, yes.”
make steady
From this reading “She saw again that thrill of wonder on his face, but his voice was quite steady.”
English writer (1832-1904)
From this reading “How did you find it, Stephen?"”
the swift release of a store of affective force
From this reading “She saw again that thrill of wonder on his face, but his voice was quite steady.”
exceptionally
From this reading “It was uncommonly useful, getting in that way sometimes, I can tell you.”
being of use or service
From this reading “It was uncommonly useful, getting in that way sometimes, I can tell you.”
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading “She saw again that thrill of wonder on his face, but his voice was quite steady.”
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.
anew
From this reading She saw again that thrill of wonder on his face, but his voice was quite steady.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She saw again that thrill of wonder on his face, but his voice was quite steady.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading It was uncommonly useful, getting in that way sometimes, I can tell you.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading How did you find it, Stephen?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I didn't find it; I did it!
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading She saw again that thrill of wonder on his face, but his voice was quite steady.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading How did you find it, Stephen?"
the act of acquiring something
From this reading It was uncommonly useful, getting in that way sometimes, I can tell you.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She saw again that thrill of wonder on his face, but his voice was quite steady.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How did you find it, Stephen?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I didn't find it; I did it!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was uncommonly useful, getting in that way sometimes, I can tell you.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading How did you find it, Stephen?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She saw again that thrill of wonder on his face, but his voice was quite steady.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She saw again that thrill of wonder on his face, but his voice was quite steady.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading "Please, yes.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading She saw again that thrill of wonder on his face, but his voice was quite steady.
cut with a saw
From this reading She saw again that thrill of wonder on his face, but his voice was quite steady.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She saw again that thrill of wonder on his face, but his voice was quite steady.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading It was uncommonly useful, getting in that way sometimes, I can tell you.
make steady
From this reading She saw again that thrill of wonder on his face, but his voice was quite steady.
English writer (1832-1904)
From this reading How did you find it, Stephen?"
express in words
From this reading It was uncommonly useful, getting in that way sometimes, I can tell you.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She saw again that thrill of wonder on his face, but his voice was quite steady.
the swift release of a store of affective force
From this reading She saw again that thrill of wonder on his face, but his voice was quite steady.
exceptionally
From this reading It was uncommonly useful, getting in that way sometimes, I can tell you.
being of use or service
From this reading It was uncommonly useful, getting in that way sometimes, I can tell you.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading She saw again that thrill of wonder on his face, but his voice was quite steady.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She saw again that thrill of wonder on his face, but his voice was quite steady.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading It was uncommonly useful, getting in that way sometimes, I can tell you.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading She saw again that thrill of wonder on his face, but his voice was quite steady.
an affirmative
From this reading "Please, yes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading How did you find it, Stephen?"
Chapter 12 of The best short stories of 1921, and by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien holds 551 sentences, grouped into 111 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 12 holds 551 sentences of The best short stories of 1921, and, unabridged, divided into 111 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The best short stories of 1921, and by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 551 sentences, grouped into 111 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 111 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 111 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 12 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 1921, and by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 20672 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18709 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18709, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 4135 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The best short stories of 1921, and section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of The best short stories of 1921, 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 1921, and, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
