Chapter 34 of The Corner House is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIV
Chapter 34 of The Corner House is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FACE TO FACE. Balmayne grovelled helplessly. There were tears in his eyes. The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself. He was an abject coward without feeling for anyone but himself.
Chapter 34 of The Corner House is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
of the most contemptible kind
From this reading “He was an abject coward without feeling for anyone but himself.”
any person at all
From this reading “He was an abject coward without feeling for anyone but himself.”
a person who shows fear or timidity
From this reading “He was an abject coward without feeling for anyone but himself.”
in a helpless manner
From this reading “Balmayne grovelled helplessly.”
a crafty and involved plot to achieve your (usually sinister) ends
From this reading “The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.”
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
From this reading “The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.”
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading “There were tears in his eyes.”
plural of “weapon” — any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading “The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.”
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 “He was an abject coward without feeling for anyone but himself.”
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.
of the most contemptible kind
From this reading He was an abject coward without feeling for anyone but himself.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He was an abject coward without feeling for anyone but himself.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.
any person at all
From this reading He was an abject coward without feeling for anyone but himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Balmayne grovelled helplessly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.
a person who shows fear or timidity
From this reading He was an abject coward without feeling for anyone but himself.
opinion or judgment
From this reading There were tears in his eyes.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading FACE TO FACE.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading He was an abject coward without feeling for anyone but himself.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Balmayne grovelled helplessly.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.
in a helpless manner
From this reading Balmayne grovelled helplessly.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading There were tears in his eyes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There were tears in his eyes.
a crafty and involved plot to achieve your (usually sinister) ends
From this reading The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.
engage in
From this reading The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.
not any; not one
From this reading The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
From this reading The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading There were tears in his eyes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were tears in his eyes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading FACE TO FACE.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was an abject coward without feeling for anyone but himself.
plural of “weapon” — any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading The man could plot and intrigue, he could make the weapons for others, but he had no heart for them himself.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were tears in his eyes.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading He was an abject coward without feeling for anyone but himself.
Chapter 34 of The Corner House by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White holds 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 34 holds 192 sentences of The Corner House, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 34 of The Corner House by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 34 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 Corner House by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6099 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57066 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57066, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 508 minutes of reading across 1220 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Corner House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Corner House 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 Corner House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
