Chapter 3 of The Eight Strokes of the Clock is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Eight Strokes of the Clock is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Holding the receiver in his hand, he turned to Gaston Dutreuil: "I can ask some one to come here, I suppose? We shall be quite undisturbed?" "Quite." He listened again: "The secretary to the head of the criminal investigation department?
Chapter 3 of The Eight Strokes of the Clock is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure
From this reading “He listened again: "The secretary to the head of the criminal investigation department?”
a specialized division of a large organization
From this reading “He listened again: "The secretary to the head of the criminal investigation department?”
the act of retaining something
From this reading “Holding the receiver in his hand, he turned to Gaston Dutreuil:”
an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities
From this reading “He listened again: "The secretary to the head of the criminal investigation department?”
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading “He listened again: "The secretary to the head of the criminal investigation department?”
set that receives radio or tv signals
From this reading “Holding the receiver in his hand, he turned to Gaston Dutreuil:”
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading “He listened again: "The secretary to the head of the criminal investigation department?”
untroubled by interference or disturbance
From this reading “We shall be quite undisturbed?"”
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 He listened again: "The secretary to the head of the criminal investigation department?
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "I can ask some one to come here, I suppose?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading We shall be quite undisturbed?"
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "I can ask some one to come here, I suppose?
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "I can ask some one to come here, I suppose?
bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure
From this reading He listened again: "The secretary to the head of the criminal investigation department?
a specialized division of a large organization
From this reading He listened again: "The secretary to the head of the criminal investigation department?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Holding the receiver in his hand, he turned to Gaston Dutreuil:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Holding the receiver in his hand, he turned to Gaston Dutreuil:
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Holding the receiver in his hand, he turned to Gaston Dutreuil:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Holding the receiver in his hand, he turned to Gaston Dutreuil:
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He listened again: "The secretary to the head of the criminal investigation department?
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "I can ask some one to come here, I suppose?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Holding the receiver in his hand, he turned to Gaston Dutreuil:
the act of retaining something
From this reading Holding the receiver in his hand, he turned to Gaston Dutreuil:
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I can ask some one to come here, I suppose?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Holding the receiver in his hand, he turned to Gaston Dutreuil:
an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities
From this reading He listened again: "The secretary to the head of the criminal investigation department?
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading He listened again: "The secretary to the head of the criminal investigation department?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He listened again: "The secretary to the head of the criminal investigation department?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "I can ask some one to come here, I suppose?
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading We shall be quite undisturbed?"
set that receives radio or tv signals
From this reading Holding the receiver in his hand, he turned to Gaston Dutreuil:
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading He listened again: "The secretary to the head of the criminal investigation department?
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading We shall be quite undisturbed?"
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "I can ask some one to come here, I suppose?
express a supposition
From this reading "I can ask some one to come here, I suppose?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Holding the receiver in his hand, he turned to Gaston Dutreuil:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Holding the receiver in his hand, he turned to Gaston Dutreuil:
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Holding the receiver in his hand, he turned to Gaston Dutreuil:
untroubled by interference or disturbance
From this reading We shall be quite undisturbed?"
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We shall be quite undisturbed?"
Chapter 3 of The Eight Strokes of the Clock by Maurice Leblanc holds 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 3 holds 436 sentences of The Eight Strokes of the Clock, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Eight Strokes of the Clock by Maurice Leblanc exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 3 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 Eight Strokes of the Clock by Maurice Leblanc on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5109 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7896 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7896, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 425 minutes of reading across 1022 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Eight Strokes of the Clock section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Eight Strokes of the Clock 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 Eight Strokes of the Clock, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
