Chapter 15 of The Disappearance of Kimball Webb is here in full — 265 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Disappearance of Kimball Webb is here in full — 265 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN UNIFORM “Is that a threat?” Elsie turned on Whiting, with sudden rage. “Not unless you choose to take it so.” But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination. “Don’t make me threaten you, Elsie,—why should it be necessary?
Chapter 15 of The Disappearance of Kimball Webb is here in full — 265 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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 clothing) custom-made
From this reading “But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.”
used of a height or viewpoint
From this reading “But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.”
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading “But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.”
begging
From this reading “But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.”
resembling steel as in hardness
From this reading “But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.”
something that is a source of danger
From this reading “IN UNIFORM “Is that a threat?””
pose a threat to; present a danger to
From this reading ““Don’t make me threaten you, Elsie,—why should it be necessary?”
flesh of a cod-like fish of the Atlantic waters of Europe
From this reading “Elsie turned on Whiting, with sudden rage.”
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 “But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.”
a line traced by a point traveling in a constant direction; a line of zero curvature
In this reading “But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.”
In this reading “But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.”
In this reading “Elsie turned on Whiting, with sudden rage.”
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 IN UNIFORM “Is that a threat?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Don’t make me threaten you, Elsie,—why should it be necessary?
(of clothing) custom-made
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading “Not unless you choose to take it so.”
used of a height or viewpoint
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t make me threaten you, Elsie,—why should it be necessary?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Elsie turned on Whiting, with sudden rage.
opinion or judgment
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
begging
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN UNIFORM “Is that a threat?”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading IN UNIFORM “Is that a threat?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Not unless you choose to take it so.”
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
engage in
From this reading “Don’t make me threaten you, Elsie,—why should it be necessary?
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Don’t make me threaten you, Elsie,—why should it be necessary?
absolutely essential
From this reading “Don’t make me threaten you, Elsie,—why should it be necessary?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Not unless you choose to take it so.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Elsie turned on Whiting, with sudden rage.
a feeling of intense anger
From this reading Elsie turned on Whiting, with sudden rage.
on the contrary
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “Don’t make me threaten you, Elsie,—why should it be necessary?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “Not unless you choose to take it so.”
resembling steel as in hardness
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
successive (without a break)
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading Elsie turned on Whiting, with sudden rage.
carry out
From this reading “Not unless you choose to take it so.”
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading IN UNIFORM “Is that a threat?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
something that is a source of danger
From this reading IN UNIFORM “Is that a threat?”
pose a threat to; present a danger to
From this reading “Don’t make me threaten you, Elsie,—why should it be necessary?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Not unless you choose to take it so.”
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Elsie turned on Whiting, with sudden rage.
always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences
From this reading IN UNIFORM “Is that a threat?”
except if; if not
From this reading “Not unless you choose to take it so.”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But the man’s steely grey eyes were commanding rather than imploring, and his thin lips were set in a straight line that bespoke determination.
flesh of a cod-like fish of the Atlantic waters of Europe
From this reading Elsie turned on Whiting, with sudden rage.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Don’t make me threaten you, Elsie,—why should it be necessary?
in the company of; together with
From this reading Elsie turned on Whiting, with sudden rage.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Not unless you choose to take it so.”
Chapter 15 of The Disappearance of Kimball Webb by Rowland Wright holds 265 sentences, grouped into 53 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 15 holds 265 sentences of The Disappearance of Kimball Webb, unabridged, divided into 53 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Disappearance of Kimball Webb by Rowland Wright exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 265 sentences, grouped into 53 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 53 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 53 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 15 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 Disappearance of Kimball Webb by Rowland Wright on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4813 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59060 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59060, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 401 minutes of reading across 963 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Disappearance of Kimball Webb section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Disappearance of Kimball Webb 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 Disappearance of Kimball Webb, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
