Chapter 18 of The Desert Moon mystery is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Desert Moon mystery is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Hubert Hand Talks “Well,” he said, “I can talk all right. But I want to start with this understanding. I don’t know any facts that amount to a damn. You’re right that I have suspicions. If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
Chapter 18 of The Desert Moon mystery is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
the opening of a subject to widespread discussion and debate
From this reading “If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.”
a quantity of money
From this reading “I don’t know any facts that amount to a damn.”
used as expletives
From this reading “I don’t know any facts that amount to a damn.”
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading “I don’t know any facts that amount to a damn.”
-ing form of “force” — to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means
From this reading “If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.”
plural of “suspicion” — an impression that something might be the case
From this reading “You’re right that I have suspicions.”
a discussion intended to produce an agreement
From this reading “Hubert Hand Talks “Well,” he said, “I can talk all right.”
the cognitive condition of someone who understands
From this reading “But I want to start with this understanding.”
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 “If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.”
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 I don’t know any facts that amount to a damn.
the opening of a subject to widespread discussion and debate
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Hubert Hand Talks “Well,” he said, “I can talk all right.
a quantity of money
From this reading I don’t know any facts that amount to a damn.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I don’t know any facts that amount to a damn.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I want to start with this understanding.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Hubert Hand Talks “Well,” he said, “I can talk all right.
used as expletives
From this reading I don’t know any facts that amount to a damn.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know any facts that amount to a damn.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading I don’t know any facts that amount to a damn.
-ing form of “force” — to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Hubert Hand Talks “Well,” he said, “I can talk all right.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You’re right that I have suspicions.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Hubert Hand Talks “Well,” he said, “I can talk all right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hubert Hand Talks “Well,” he said, “I can talk all right.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Hubert Hand Talks “Well,” he said, “I can talk all right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I don’t know any facts that amount to a damn.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
precisely, exactly
From this reading Hubert Hand Talks “Well,” he said, “I can talk all right.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Hubert Hand Talks “Well,” he said, “I can talk all right.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading But I want to start with this understanding.
plural of “suspicion” — an impression that something might be the case
From this reading You’re right that I have suspicions.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Hubert Hand Talks “Well,” he said, “I can talk all right.
a discussion intended to produce an agreement
From this reading Hubert Hand Talks “Well,” he said, “I can talk all right.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I don’t know any facts that amount to a damn.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But I want to start with this understanding.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But I want to start with this understanding.
the cognitive condition of someone who understands
From this reading But I want to start with this understanding.
up to a particular time
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading But I want to start with this understanding.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Hubert Hand Talks “Well,” he said, “I can talk all right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
in the company of; together with
From this reading But I want to start with this understanding.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading If you weren’t forcing them out of me, I’d have sense enough to keep my mouth shut, from now on, at least until airing them might do some good.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You’re right that I have suspicions.
Chapter 18 of The Desert Moon mystery by Kay Cleaver Strahan holds 203 sentences, grouped into 41 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 18 holds 203 sentences of The Desert Moon mystery, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Desert Moon mystery by Kay Cleaver Strahan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 203 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 18 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 Desert Moon mystery by Kay Cleaver Strahan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Desert Moon mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Desert Moon mystery 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 Desert Moon mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
