Chapter 26 of The Great Diamond Syndicate is here in full — 184 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The Great Diamond Syndicate is here in full — 184 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A DESPERATE RAID. Nick was dragged to the square of light in front of the open doorway. He appeared to be still under the influence of liquor. The men regarded him with rage and dismay, holding him fast in the meantime. “This is not the man we want,” one of them shouted.
Chapter 26 of The Great Diamond Syndicate is here in full — 184 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading “A DESPERATE RAID.”
the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
From this reading “The men regarded him with rage and dismay, holding him fast in the meantime.”
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading “Nick was dragged to the square of light in front of the open doorway.”
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading “Nick was dragged to the square of light in front of the open doorway.”
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading “He appeared to be still under the influence of liquor.”
the time between one event, process, or period and another
From this reading “The men regarded him with rage and dismay, holding him fast in the meantime.”
cut slightly, with a razor
From this reading “Nick was dragged to the square of light in front of the open doorway.”
search without warning, make a sudden surprise attack on
From this reading “A DESPERATE RAID.”
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 “Nick was dragged to the square of light in front of the open doorway.”
In this reading “He appeared to be still under the influence of liquor.”
during the intervening time
In this reading “The men regarded him with rage and dismay, holding him fast in the meantime.”
at or in the front
In this reading “Nick was dragged to the square of light in front of the open doorway.”
In this reading “The men regarded him with rage and dismay, holding him fast in the meantime.”
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 DESPERATE RAID.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The men regarded him with rage and dismay, holding him fast in the meantime.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He appeared to be still under the influence of liquor.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He appeared to be still under the influence of liquor.
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading A DESPERATE RAID.
the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
From this reading The men regarded him with rage and dismay, holding him fast in the meantime.
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading Nick was dragged to the square of light in front of the open doorway.
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading Nick was dragged to the square of light in front of the open doorway.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading The men regarded him with rage and dismay, holding him fast in the meantime.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading Nick was dragged to the square of light in front of the open doorway.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He appeared to be still under the influence of liquor.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The men regarded him with rage and dismay, holding him fast in the meantime.
the act of retaining something
From this reading The men regarded him with rage and dismay, holding him fast in the meantime.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Nick was dragged to the square of light in front of the open doorway.
a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc
From this reading He appeared to be still under the influence of liquor.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “This is not the man we want,” one of them shouted.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Nick was dragged to the square of light in front of the open doorway.
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading He appeared to be still under the influence of liquor.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “This is not the man we want,” one of them shouted.
the time between one event, process, or period and another
From this reading The men regarded him with rage and dismay, holding him fast in the meantime.
the force of workers available
From this reading The men regarded him with rage and dismay, holding him fast in the meantime.
cut slightly, with a razor
From this reading Nick was dragged to the square of light in front of the open doorway.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “This is not the man we want,” one of them shouted.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Nick was dragged to the square of light in front of the open doorway.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “This is not the man we want,” one of them shouted.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Nick was dragged to the square of light in front of the open doorway.
a feeling of intense anger
From this reading The men regarded him with rage and dismay, holding him fast in the meantime.
search without warning, make a sudden surprise attack on
From this reading A DESPERATE RAID.
past form of “regard” — deem to be
From this reading The men regarded him with rage and dismay, holding him fast in the meantime.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading “This is not the man we want,” one of them shouted.
make square
From this reading Nick was dragged to the square of light in front of the open doorway.
not in physical motion
From this reading He appeared to be still under the influence of liquor.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Nick was dragged to the square of light in front of the open doorway.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “This is not the man we want,” one of them shouted.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “This is not the man we want,” one of them shouted.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Nick was dragged to the square of light in front of the open doorway.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading He appeared to be still under the influence of liquor.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “This is not the man we want,” one of them shouted.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Nick was dragged to the square of light in front of the open doorway.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “This is not the man we want,” one of them shouted.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The men regarded him with rage and dismay, holding him fast in the meantime.
Chapter 26 of The Great Diamond Syndicate by Nicholas (House name) Carter holds 184 sentences, grouped into 37 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 26 holds 184 sentences of The Great Diamond Syndicate, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The Great Diamond Syndicate by Nicholas (House name) Carter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 184 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 26 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.
