Chapter 2 of The Hollow Needle is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Hollow Needle is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Don’t you think so yourself? In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.” “Good! So that, if I were to ask you which were the objects stolen from this room—” “I should answer that I know.” “Bravo!
Chapter 2 of The Hollow Needle is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading “In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.””
in addition to; as well as
From this reading “In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.””
a murderer (especially one who kills a prominent political figure) who kills by a surprise attack and often is hired to do the deed
From this reading ““Bravo!”
not one, and not any
From this reading “In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.””
plural of “object” — a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading “So that, if I were to ask you which were the objects stolen from this room—” “I should answer that I know.””
having official authority or sanction
From this reading “In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.””
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading “In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.””
inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent
From this reading “So that, if I were to ask you which were the objects stolen from this room—” “I should answer that I know.””
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.
react verbally
From this reading So that, if I were to ask you which were the objects stolen from this room—” “I should answer that I know.”
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.”
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.”
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading So that, if I were to ask you which were the objects stolen from this room—” “I should answer that I know.”
in addition to; as well as
From this reading In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.”
a murderer (especially one who kills a prominent political figure) who kills by a surprise attack and often is hired to do the deed
From this reading “Bravo!
an occurrence of something
From this reading In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t you think so yourself?
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading So that, if I were to ask you which were the objects stolen from this room—” “I should answer that I know.”
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Good!
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading So that, if I were to ask you which were the objects stolen from this room—” “I should answer that I know.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading So that, if I were to ask you which were the objects stolen from this room—” “I should answer that I know.”
not one, and not any
From this reading In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.”
plural of “object” — a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading So that, if I were to ask you which were the objects stolen from this room—” “I should answer that I know.”
having official authority or sanction
From this reading In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.”
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.”
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading So that, if I were to ask you which were the objects stolen from this room—” “I should answer that I know.”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.”
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading So that, if I were to ask you which were the objects stolen from this room—” “I should answer that I know.”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “Don’t you think so yourself?
inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent
From this reading So that, if I were to ask you which were the objects stolen from this room—” “I should answer that I know.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading So that, if I were to ask you which were the objects stolen from this room—” “I should answer that I know.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “Don’t you think so yourself?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading So that, if I were to ask you which were the objects stolen from this room—” “I should answer that I know.”
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading So that, if I were to ask you which were the objects stolen from this room—” “I should answer that I know.”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading So that, if I were to ask you which were the objects stolen from this room—” “I should answer that I know.”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading In any case, I have ascertained none besides those which are set down in the official report.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Don’t you think so yourself?
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading “Don’t you think so yourself?
Chapter 2 of The Hollow Needle by Maurice Leblanc holds 421 sentences, grouped into 85 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 2 holds 421 sentences of The Hollow Needle, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Hollow Needle by Maurice Leblanc exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 2 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 Hollow Needle by Maurice Leblanc on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4680 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4017 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4017, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 390 minutes of reading across 936 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Hollow Needle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Hollow Needle 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 Hollow Needle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
