Chapter 21 of The Great Diamond Syndicate is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Great Diamond Syndicate is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FLUSHING THE BIRDS. A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins. He stepped impudently in front of the detectives as they followed Julius and the woman from the room. His manner was insulting in the extreme. “How did you get into that room?” he demanded.
Chapter 21 of The Great Diamond Syndicate is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 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.
of or relating to the nations of Africa or their peoples
From this reading “A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.”
plural of “detective” — a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “He stepped impudently in front of the detectives as they followed Julius and the woman from the room.”
-ing form of “flush” — turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
From this reading “FLUSHING THE BIRDS.”
expressing extreme contempt
From this reading “His manner was insulting in the extreme.”
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading “A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.”
plural of “trace” — a just detectable amount
From this reading “A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.”
plural of “vein” — a blood vessel that carries blood from the capillaries toward the heart
From this reading “A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.”
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading “A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.”
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.
at or in the front
In this reading “He stepped impudently in front of the detectives as they followed Julius and the woman from the room.”
get involved in or with
In this reading ““How did you get into that room?” he demanded.”
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 waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.
of or relating to the nations of Africa or their peoples
From this reading A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He stepped impudently in front of the detectives as they followed Julius and the woman from the room.
past form of “approach” — move towards
From this reading A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He stepped impudently in front of the detectives as they followed Julius and the woman from the room.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading FLUSHING THE BIRDS.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “How did you get into that room?” he demanded.
plural of “detective” — a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading He stepped impudently in front of the detectives as they followed Julius and the woman from the room.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “How did you get into that room?” he demanded.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.
of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity
From this reading His manner was insulting in the extreme.
a boy or man
From this reading A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.
-ing form of “flush” — turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
From this reading FLUSHING THE BIRDS.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading He stepped impudently in front of the detectives as they followed Julius and the woman from the room.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He stepped impudently in front of the detectives as they followed Julius and the woman from the room.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading He stepped impudently in front of the detectives as they followed Julius and the woman from the room.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “How did you get into that room?” he demanded.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stepped impudently in front of the detectives as they followed Julius and the woman from the room.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How did you get into that room?” he demanded.
in an impudent or impertinent manner
From this reading He stepped impudently in front of the detectives as they followed Julius and the woman from the room.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.
expressing extreme contempt
From this reading His manner was insulting in the extreme.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading “How did you get into that room?” he demanded.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stepped impudently in front of the detectives as they followed Julius and the woman from the room.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading His manner was insulting in the extreme.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading He stepped impudently in front of the detectives as they followed Julius and the woman from the room.
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading He stepped impudently in front of the detectives as they followed Julius and the woman from the room.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “How did you get into that room?” he demanded.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FLUSHING THE BIRDS.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stepped impudently in front of the detectives as they followed Julius and the woman from the room.
plural of “trace” — a just detectable amount
From this reading A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.
plural of “vein” — a blood vessel that carries blood from the capillaries toward the heart
From this reading A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His manner was insulting in the extreme.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A waiter approached, a tall, dark, slim fellow, with evident traces of African blood in his veins.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading He stepped impudently in front of the detectives as they followed Julius and the woman from the room.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “How did you get into that room?” he demanded.
Chapter 21 of The Great Diamond Syndicate by Nicholas (House name) Carter holds 154 sentences, grouped into 31 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 21 holds 154 sentences of The Great Diamond Syndicate, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Great Diamond Syndicate by Nicholas (House name) Carter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 154 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 21 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 Great Diamond Syndicate by Nicholas (House name) Carter on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4246 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63340 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63340, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 353 minutes of reading across 850 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Great Diamond Syndicate section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Great Diamond Syndicate 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 Great Diamond Syndicate, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
