Chapter 10 of The house without a key is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The house without a key is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes. He selected a large, comfortable-looking chair and sank into it. "Anything the matter?" he inquired. "You seem disturbed." "I've just been having a lot of pilikia," she announced.
Chapter 10 of The house without a key is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
having the place or position changed
From this reading “"You seem disturbed."”
(Roman mythology) goddess of wisdom; counterpart of Greek Athena
From this reading “A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.”
a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading “A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.”
(music) the speed at which a composition is to be played
From this reading “A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.”
American patriot who presented the colonists' grievances to the English king (1744-1775)
From this reading “A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.”
stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading “A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.”
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading “He selected a large, comfortable-looking chair and sank into it.”
chosen in preference to another
From this reading “He selected a large, comfortable-looking chair and sank into it.”
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 selected a large, comfortable-looking chair and sank into it.”
recover something or somebody that appeared to be lost
In this reading “A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.”
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 NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading "I've just been having a lot of pilikia," she announced.
any thing at all
From this reading "Anything the matter?" he inquired.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "I've just been having a lot of pilikia," she announced.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading He selected a large, comfortable-looking chair and sank into it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He selected a large, comfortable-looking chair and sank into it.
having the place or position changed
From this reading "You seem disturbed."
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
opinion or judgment
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
set up or found
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading "I've just been having a lot of pilikia," she announced.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've just been having a lot of pilikia," she announced.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading "Anything the matter?" he inquired.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He selected a large, comfortable-looking chair and sank into it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He selected a large, comfortable-looking chair and sank into it.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
and nothing more
From this reading "I've just been having a lot of pilikia," she announced.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He selected a large, comfortable-looking chair and sank into it.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
a room in a private house or establishment where people can sit and talk and relax
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading "I've just been having a lot of pilikia," she announced.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "Anything the matter?" he inquired.
(Roman mythology) goddess of wisdom; counterpart of Greek Athena
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
(music) the speed at which a composition is to be played
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've just been having a lot of pilikia," she announced.
American patriot who presented the colonists' grievances to the English king (1744-1775)
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading He selected a large, comfortable-looking chair and sank into it.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "You seem disturbed."
chosen in preference to another
From this reading He selected a large, comfortable-looking chair and sank into it.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I've just been having a lot of pilikia," she announced.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
at the time that
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A NEWSPAPER RIPPED IN ANGER When John Quincy got back to the living-room he found Miss Minerva pacing up and down with the light of battle in her eyes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You seem disturbed."
Chapter 10 of The house without a key by Earl Derr Biggers holds 387 sentences, grouped into 78 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 10 holds 387 sentences of The house without a key, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The house without a key by Earl Derr Biggers exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 387 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 10 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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Words and structures a reader meets early in The house without a key, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
