Chapter 17 of The House of Strange Secrets is here in full — 68 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The House of Strange Secrets is here in full — 68 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be. He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours. He was conscious of having been awakened by some sound. Yet there was no one in the room.
Chapter 17 of The House of Strange Secrets is here in full — 68 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 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.
aroused or activated
From this reading “He was conscious of having been awakened by some sound.”
possessive form of “burton” — English explorer who with John Speke was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika (1821-1890)
From this reading “POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.”
sleep lightly or for a short period of time
From this reading “He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.”
-ing form of “notice” — discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading “He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.”
possessive form of “potter” — a craftsman who shapes pottery on a potter's wheel and bakes them it a kiln
From this reading “POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.”
a rester who is sleeping
From this reading “POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.”
a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances; frequently (but not necessarily) a liquid solution
From this reading “POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.”
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.”
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 “He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.”
In this reading “He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.”
In this reading “He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.”
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 POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.
aroused or activated
From this reading He was conscious of having been awakened by some sound.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He was conscious of having been awakened by some sound.
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.
possessive form of “burton” — English explorer who with John Speke was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika (1821-1890)
From this reading POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.
intentionally conceived
From this reading He was conscious of having been awakened by some sound.
sleep lightly or for a short period of time
From this reading He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading He was conscious of having been awakened by some sound.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Yet there was no one in the room.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.
shelf that projects from wall above fireplace
From this reading He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.
not any; not one
From this reading Yet there was no one in the room.
-ing form of “notice” — discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was conscious of having been awakened by some sound.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Yet there was no one in the room.
possessive form of “potter” — a craftsman who shapes pottery on a potter's wheel and bakes them it a kiln
From this reading POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Yet there was no one in the room.
a rester who is sleeping
From this reading POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.
a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances; frequently (but not necessarily) a liquid solution
From this reading POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He was conscious of having been awakened by some sound.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading He was conscious of having been awakened by some sound.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Yet there was no one in the room.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.
precisely as stated
From this reading He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading POTTER'S SOLUTION The man from Burton's was a light sleeper--at least, so he believed himself to be.
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading He woke from his arm-chair doze very suddenly--noticing by the clock on the mantelpiece that he had slept for nearly two hours.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet there was no one in the room.
Chapter 17 of The House of Strange Secrets by A. Eric Bayly holds 68 sentences, grouped into 14 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 17 holds 68 sentences of The House of Strange Secrets, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The House of Strange Secrets by A. Eric Bayly exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 68 sentences, grouped into 14 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 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 14 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 17 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #34947, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 233 minutes of reading across 562 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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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 House of Strange Secrets, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
