Chapter 21 of The Crooked House is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Crooked House is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TRANTER ATTACKS THE CROOKED HOUSE In the evening, Tranter set off to the Crooked House. It was dark when he reached it, and the roads were empty. Through the open lodge gates he slipped into the garden unseen. The place seemed deserted. The front of the house showed not a glimmer of light.
Chapter 21 of The Crooked House is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
plural of “attack” — (military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading “TRANTER ATTACKS THE CROOKED HOUSE In the evening, Tranter set off to the Crooked House.”
having or marked by bends or angles; not straight or aligned
From this reading “TRANTER ATTACKS THE CROOKED HOUSE In the evening, Tranter set off to the Crooked House.”
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading “The place seemed deserted.”
United States computer entrepreneur whose software company made him the youngest multi-billionaire in the history of the United States (born in 1955)
From this reading “Through the open lodge gates he slipped into the garden unseen.”
a flash of light (especially reflected light)
From this reading “The front of the house showed not a glimmer of light.”
be a lodger; stay temporarily
From this reading “Through the open lodge gates he slipped into the garden unseen.”
a partly sheltered anchorage
From this reading “It was dark when he reached it, and the roads were empty.”
not seen or perceived
From this reading “Through the open lodge gates he slipped into the garden unseen.”
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 The front of the house showed not a glimmer of light.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was dark when he reached it, and the roads were empty.
plural of “attack” — (military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading TRANTER ATTACKS THE CROOKED HOUSE In the evening, Tranter set off to the Crooked House.
having or marked by bends or angles; not straight or aligned
From this reading TRANTER ATTACKS THE CROOKED HOUSE In the evening, Tranter set off to the Crooked House.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading It was dark when he reached it, and the roads were empty.
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading The place seemed deserted.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading It was dark when he reached it, and the roads were empty.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading TRANTER ATTACKS THE CROOKED HOUSE In the evening, Tranter set off to the Crooked House.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading The front of the house showed not a glimmer of light.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading Through the open lodge gates he slipped into the garden unseen.
United States computer entrepreneur whose software company made him the youngest multi-billionaire in the history of the United States (born in 1955)
From this reading Through the open lodge gates he slipped into the garden unseen.
a flash of light (especially reflected light)
From this reading The front of the house showed not a glimmer of light.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was dark when he reached it, and the roads were empty.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading TRANTER ATTACKS THE CROOKED HOUSE In the evening, Tranter set off to the Crooked House.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading TRANTER ATTACKS THE CROOKED HOUSE In the evening, Tranter set off to the Crooked House.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Through the open lodge gates he slipped into the garden unseen.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was dark when he reached it, and the roads were empty.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The front of the house showed not a glimmer of light.
be a lodger; stay temporarily
From this reading Through the open lodge gates he slipped into the garden unseen.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The front of the house showed not a glimmer of light.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The front of the house showed not a glimmer of light.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading TRANTER ATTACKS THE CROOKED HOUSE In the evening, Tranter set off to the Crooked House.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Through the open lodge gates he slipped into the garden unseen.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The place seemed deserted.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading It was dark when he reached it, and the roads were empty.
a partly sheltered anchorage
From this reading It was dark when he reached it, and the roads were empty.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The place seemed deserted.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading TRANTER ATTACKS THE CROOKED HOUSE In the evening, Tranter set off to the Crooked House.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The front of the house showed not a glimmer of light.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading Through the open lodge gates he slipped into the garden unseen.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TRANTER ATTACKS THE CROOKED HOUSE In the evening, Tranter set off to the Crooked House.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Through the open lodge gates he slipped into the garden unseen.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TRANTER ATTACKS THE CROOKED HOUSE In the evening, Tranter set off to the Crooked House.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TRANTER ATTACKS THE CROOKED HOUSE In the evening, Tranter set off to the Crooked House.
not seen or perceived
From this reading Through the open lodge gates he slipped into the garden unseen.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was dark when he reached it, and the roads were empty.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It was dark when he reached it, and the roads were empty.
at the time that
From this reading It was dark when he reached it, and the roads were empty.
Chapter 21 of The Crooked House by Brandon Fleming holds 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 21 holds 120 sentences of The Crooked House, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Crooked House by Brandon Fleming exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 21 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 Crooked House by Brandon Fleming on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4272 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22820 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22820, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 356 minutes of reading across 855 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Crooked House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of The Crooked 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 Crooked House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
