Chapter 15 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 XV
Chapter 15 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.
"I--I wanted to see the gentleman who just came in here," he said. The white-bearded old man seemed surprised. "Why, nobody has come in here," he said in a gentle voice. "Not since I came home over an hour ago." "Oh, the tall man, with--with--" "But nobody has come in, sir," reiterated the old man.
Chapter 15 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.
in the past
From this reading “"Not since I came home over an hour ago."”
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading “"Why, nobody has come in here," he said in a gentle voice.”
a man of refinement
From this reading “"I--I wanted to see the gentleman who just came in here," he said.”
no person; not anyone
From this reading “"Why, nobody has come in here," he said in a gentle voice.”
past form of “reiterate” — to say, state, or perform again
From this reading “"Oh, the tall man, with--with--" "But nobody has come in, sir," reiterated the old man.”
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading “The white-bearded old man seemed surprised.”
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading “"Oh, the tall man, with--with--" "But nobody has come in, sir," reiterated the old man.”
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading “"I--I wanted to see the gentleman who just came in here," he said.”
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 "Why, nobody has come in here," he said in a gentle voice.
in the past
From this reading "Not since I came home over an hour ago."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Not since I came home over an hour ago."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Oh, the tall man, with--with--" "But nobody has come in, sir," reiterated the old man.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "I--I wanted to see the gentleman who just came in here," he said.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Why, nobody has come in here," he said in a gentle voice.
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading "Why, nobody has come in here," he said in a gentle voice.
a man of refinement
From this reading "I--I wanted to see the gentleman who just came in here," he said.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Why, nobody has come in here," he said in a gentle voice.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I--I wanted to see the gentleman who just came in here," he said.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "I--I wanted to see the gentleman who just came in here," he said.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "Not since I came home over an hour ago."
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading "Not since I came home over an hour ago."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I--I wanted to see the gentleman who just came in here," he said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I--I wanted to see the gentleman who just came in here," he said.
and nothing more
From this reading "I--I wanted to see the gentleman who just came in here," he said.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The white-bearded old man seemed surprised.
no person; not anyone
From this reading "Why, nobody has come in here," he said in a gentle voice.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not since I came home over an hour ago."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, the tall man, with--with--" "But nobody has come in, sir," reiterated the old man.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The white-bearded old man seemed surprised.
above and across; more than
From this reading "Not since I came home over an hour ago."
past form of “reiterate” — to say, state, or perform again
From this reading "Oh, the tall man, with--with--" "But nobody has come in, sir," reiterated the old man.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I--I wanted to see the gentleman who just came in here," he said.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I--I wanted to see the gentleman who just came in here," he said.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The white-bearded old man seemed surprised.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading "Not since I came home over an hour ago."
term of address for a man
From this reading "Oh, the tall man, with--with--" "But nobody has come in, sir," reiterated the old man.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading The white-bearded old man seemed surprised.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading "Oh, the tall man, with--with--" "But nobody has come in, sir," reiterated the old man.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I--I wanted to see the gentleman who just came in here," he said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I--I wanted to see the gentleman who just came in here," he said.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "Why, nobody has come in here," he said in a gentle voice.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading "I--I wanted to see the gentleman who just came in here," he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The white-bearded old man seemed surprised.
which person or people
From this reading "I--I wanted to see the gentleman who just came in here," he said.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, nobody has come in here," he said in a gentle voice.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Oh, the tall man, with--with--" "But nobody has come in, sir," reiterated the old man.
Chapter 15 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 15 holds 551 sentences of The best short stories of 1921, and, unabridged, divided into 111 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 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 15 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.
