Chapter 22 of The Black Star: A Detective Story is here in full — 101 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXII
Chapter 22 of The Black Star: A Detective Story is here in full — 101 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“He’s done it! He said he’d make me a laughingstock—and he’s done it!” Verbeck’s exclamation brought them to their senses. They stepped through the door. There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
Chapter 22 of The Black Star: A Detective Story is here in full — 101 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
bedding that keeps a person warm in bed
From this reading “There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.”
the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)
From this reading “There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.”
an abrupt excited utterance
From this reading “Verbeck’s exclamation brought them to their senses.”
a victim of ridicule or pranks
From this reading “He said he’d make me a laughingstock—and he’s done it!””
a stock or supply of foods
From this reading “There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.”
plural of “sens” — street names for marijuana
From this reading “Verbeck’s exclamation brought them to their senses.”
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.”
ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading “There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.”
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.
a room in a private house or establishment where people can sit and talk and relax
In this reading “There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.”
In this reading “They stepped through the door.”
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 He said he’d make me a laughingstock—and he’s done it!”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He said he’d make me a laughingstock—and he’s done it!”
the past participle of “be”
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
bedding that keeps a person warm in bed
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Verbeck’s exclamation brought them to their senses.
being joined in close association
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading “He’s done it!
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading They stepped through the door.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
an abrupt excited utterance
From this reading Verbeck’s exclamation brought them to their senses.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He said he’d make me a laughingstock—and he’s done it!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He said he’d make me a laughingstock—and he’s done it!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “He’s done it!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “He’s done it!
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
a victim of ridicule or pranks
From this reading He said he’d make me a laughingstock—and he’s done it!”
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
engage in
From this reading He said he’d make me a laughingstock—and he’s done it!”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He said he’d make me a laughingstock—and he’s done it!”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
a stock or supply of foods
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He said he’d make me a laughingstock—and he’s done it!”
plural of “sens” — street names for marijuana
From this reading Verbeck’s exclamation brought them to their senses.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading They stepped through the door.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They stepped through the door.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Verbeck’s exclamation brought them to their senses.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Verbeck’s exclamation brought them to their senses.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They stepped through the door.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading They stepped through the door.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Verbeck’s exclamation brought them to their senses.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Verbeck’s exclamation brought them to their senses.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
in the company of; together with
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading There was a blanket, a store of provisions, a telephone that they knew without examination had been connected with the one in the living room below, and the end of the dictograph wire.
Chapter 22 of The Black Star: A Detective Story by Johnston McCulley holds 101 sentences, grouped into 21 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 22 holds 101 sentences of The Black Star: A Detective Story, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 22 of The Black Star: A Detective Story by Johnston McCulley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 101 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 22 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 Black Star: A Detective Story by Johnston McCulley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4892 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35833 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35833, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 407 minutes of reading across 979 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Black Star: A Detective Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of The Black Star: A Detective Story 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 Black Star: A Detective Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
