Chapter 17 of The Detective's Clew is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Detective's Clew is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A GLAD MEETING. The Reverend Mr. Withers expressed his pleasure in a hollow, sepulchral tone at meeting the gentlemen. Carlos replied rather stiffly. Mr. Werner contemplated the proceedings curiously, yet courteously. Mr. Duncan seemed struggling to suppress an exhibition of merriment.
Chapter 17 of The Detective's Clew is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
Venezuelan master terrorist raised by a Marxist-Leninist father; trained and worked with many terrorist groups (born in 1949)
From this reading “Carlos replied rather stiffly.”
past form of “contemplate” — look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought
From this reading “Mr. Werner contemplated the proceedings curiously, yet courteously.”
United States dancer and pioneer of modern dance (1878-1927)
From this reading “Mr. Duncan seemed struggling to suppress an exhibition of merriment.”
the act of exhibiting
From this reading “Mr. Duncan seemed struggling to suppress an exhibition of merriment.”
a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church
From this reading “The Reverend Mr. Withers expressed his pleasure in a hollow, sepulchral tone at meeting the gentlemen.”
in a stiff manner
From this reading “Carlos replied rather stiffly.”
bring under control by force or authority
From this reading “Mr. Duncan seemed struggling to suppress an exhibition of merriment.”
the highest part of the back at the base of the neck of various animals especially draft animals
From this reading “The Reverend Mr. Withers expressed his pleasure in a hollow, sepulchral tone at meeting the gentlemen.”
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 “The Reverend Mr. Withers expressed his pleasure in a hollow, sepulchral tone at meeting the gentlemen.”
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 A GLAD MEETING.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Mr. Duncan seemed struggling to suppress an exhibition of merriment.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The Reverend Mr. Withers expressed his pleasure in a hollow, sepulchral tone at meeting the gentlemen.
Venezuelan master terrorist raised by a Marxist-Leninist father; trained and worked with many terrorist groups (born in 1949)
From this reading Carlos replied rather stiffly.
past form of “contemplate” — look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought
From this reading Mr. Werner contemplated the proceedings curiously, yet courteously.
in a polite manner
From this reading Mr. Werner contemplated the proceedings curiously, yet courteously.
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading Mr. Werner contemplated the proceedings curiously, yet courteously.
United States dancer and pioneer of modern dance (1878-1927)
From this reading Mr. Duncan seemed struggling to suppress an exhibition of merriment.
the act of exhibiting
From this reading Mr. Duncan seemed struggling to suppress an exhibition of merriment.
communicated in words
From this reading The Reverend Mr. Withers expressed his pleasure in a hollow, sepulchral tone at meeting the gentlemen.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading The Reverend Mr. Withers expressed his pleasure in a hollow, sepulchral tone at meeting the gentlemen.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading A GLAD MEETING.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Reverend Mr. Withers expressed his pleasure in a hollow, sepulchral tone at meeting the gentlemen.
not solid; having a space or gap or cavity
From this reading The Reverend Mr. Withers expressed his pleasure in a hollow, sepulchral tone at meeting the gentlemen.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Reverend Mr. Withers expressed his pleasure in a hollow, sepulchral tone at meeting the gentlemen.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading A GLAD MEETING.
a gay feeling
From this reading Mr. Duncan seemed struggling to suppress an exhibition of merriment.
a form of address for a man
From this reading The Reverend Mr. Withers expressed his pleasure in a hollow, sepulchral tone at meeting the gentlemen.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mr. Duncan seemed struggling to suppress an exhibition of merriment.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading The Reverend Mr. Withers expressed his pleasure in a hollow, sepulchral tone at meeting the gentlemen.
(law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
From this reading Mr. Werner contemplated the proceedings curiously, yet courteously.
on the contrary
From this reading Carlos replied rather stiffly.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading Carlos replied rather stiffly.
a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church
From this reading The Reverend Mr. Withers expressed his pleasure in a hollow, sepulchral tone at meeting the gentlemen.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Mr. Duncan seemed struggling to suppress an exhibition of merriment.
of or relating to a sepulchre
From this reading The Reverend Mr. Withers expressed his pleasure in a hollow, sepulchral tone at meeting the gentlemen.
in a stiff manner
From this reading Carlos replied rather stiffly.
engaged in a struggle to overcome especially poverty or obscurity
From this reading Mr. Duncan seemed struggling to suppress an exhibition of merriment.
bring under control by force or authority
From this reading Mr. Duncan seemed struggling to suppress an exhibition of merriment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Reverend Mr. Withers expressed his pleasure in a hollow, sepulchral tone at meeting the gentlemen.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mr. Duncan seemed struggling to suppress an exhibition of merriment.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading The Reverend Mr. Withers expressed his pleasure in a hollow, sepulchral tone at meeting the gentlemen.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Werner contemplated the proceedings curiously, yet courteously.
the highest part of the back at the base of the neck of various animals especially draft animals
From this reading The Reverend Mr. Withers expressed his pleasure in a hollow, sepulchral tone at meeting the gentlemen.
but in spite of that
From this reading Mr. Werner contemplated the proceedings curiously, yet courteously.
Chapter 17 of The Detective's Clew by O. S. Adams holds 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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 17 holds 167 sentences of The Detective's Clew, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Detective's Clew by O. S. Adams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 17 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 Detective's Clew by O. S. Adams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5190 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59760 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59760, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 432 minutes of reading across 1038 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Detective's Clew section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Detective's Clew 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 Detective's Clew, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
