Chapter 16 of The Cross-Cut is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Cross-Cut is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Fairchild blinked in surprise at this and sank back into his chair. Finally he laughed uneasily and puffed again on the dubious cigar. "I 'd say," came finally, "that there is n't any such animal." "But there is. She has--" Then he stopped, as though to cover the slip.
Chapter 16 of The Cross-Cut is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
past form of “blink” — briefly shut the eyes
From this reading “Fairchild blinked in surprise at this and sank back into his chair.”
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading “Finally he laughed uneasily and puffed again on the dubious cigar.”
provide with a covering or cause to be covered
From this reading “She has--" Then he stopped, as though to cover the slip.”
fraught with uncertainty or doubt
From this reading “Finally he laughed uneasily and puffed again on the dubious cigar.”
gathered for protruding fullness
From this reading “Finally he laughed uneasily and puffed again on the dubious cigar.”
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading “Fairchild blinked in surprise at this and sank back into his chair.”
move stealthily
From this reading “She has--" Then he stopped, as though to cover the slip.”
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading “Finally he laughed uneasily and puffed again on the dubious cigar.”
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 Finally he laughed uneasily and puffed again on the dubious cigar.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Fairchild blinked in surprise at this and sank back into his chair.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading "I 'd say," came finally, "that there is n't any such animal."
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "I 'd say," came finally, "that there is n't any such animal."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She has--" Then he stopped, as though to cover the slip.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Fairchild blinked in surprise at this and sank back into his chair.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Fairchild blinked in surprise at this and sank back into his chair.
past form of “blink” — briefly shut the eyes
From this reading Fairchild blinked in surprise at this and sank back into his chair.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But there is.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "I 'd say," came finally, "that there is n't any such animal."
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Fairchild blinked in surprise at this and sank back into his chair.
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading Finally he laughed uneasily and puffed again on the dubious cigar.
provide with a covering or cause to be covered
From this reading She has--" Then he stopped, as though to cover the slip.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading "I 'd say," came finally, "that there is n't any such animal."
fraught with uncertainty or doubt
From this reading Finally he laughed uneasily and puffed again on the dubious cigar.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fairchild blinked in surprise at this and sank back into his chair.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading Finally he laughed uneasily and puffed again on the dubious cigar.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She has--" Then he stopped, as though to cover the slip.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Finally he laughed uneasily and puffed again on the dubious cigar.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Fairchild blinked in surprise at this and sank back into his chair.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I 'd say," came finally, "that there is n't any such animal."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Fairchild blinked in surprise at this and sank back into his chair.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Fairchild blinked in surprise at this and sank back into his chair.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I 'd say," came finally, "that there is n't any such animal."
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Finally he laughed uneasily and puffed again on the dubious cigar.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I 'd say," came finally, "that there is n't any such animal."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Finally he laughed uneasily and puffed again on the dubious cigar.
gathered for protruding fullness
From this reading Finally he laughed uneasily and puffed again on the dubious cigar.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading Fairchild blinked in surprise at this and sank back into his chair.
express in words
From this reading "I 'd say," came finally, "that there is n't any such animal."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She has--" Then he stopped, as though to cover the slip.
move stealthily
From this reading She has--" Then he stopped, as though to cover the slip.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading She has--" Then he stopped, as though to cover the slip.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "I 'd say," came finally, "that there is n't any such animal."
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading Fairchild blinked in surprise at this and sank back into his chair.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I 'd say," came finally, "that there is n't any such animal."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Finally he laughed uneasily and puffed again on the dubious cigar.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading She has--" Then he stopped, as though to cover the slip.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "I 'd say," came finally, "that there is n't any such animal."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Fairchild blinked in surprise at this and sank back into his chair.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading She has--" Then he stopped, as though to cover the slip.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She has--" Then he stopped, as though to cover the slip.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading Finally he laughed uneasily and puffed again on the dubious cigar.
Chapter 16 of The Cross-Cut by Courtney Ryley Cooper holds 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 16 holds 150 sentences of The Cross-Cut, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Cross-Cut by Courtney Ryley Cooper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 16 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 Cross-Cut by Courtney Ryley Cooper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5534 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20104 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20104, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 461 minutes of reading across 1107 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Cross-Cut section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Cross-Cut 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 Cross-Cut, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
