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The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery
The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery

Chapter XXXIII

Chapter 33 of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery
Context Illustration Reading 1/44 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE BATTERIES OPEN FIRE.
Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.
"You knew the uncle of the accused, Prof. Arnold?"
"Excellently.
He had been for many years an attendant at my church."
0:00 / 0:00
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery

Chapter XXXIII

Chapter 33 of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/44 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE BATTERIES OPEN FIRE.
/ðə ˈbætəriz ˈoʊ.pən ˈfaɪər/
Line 2
Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.
Line 3
"You knew the uncle of the accused, Prof. Arnold?"
Line 4
"Excellently.
/ˈeksələntli/
Line 5
He had been for many years an attendant at my church."
/hiː hæd bɪn fɔːr ˈmeni jɪrz æn əˈtendənt æt maɪ tʃɜːrtʃ/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Arnold noun US /ˈɑːrnəld/

English poet and literary critic (1822-1888)

From this reading “"You knew the uncle of the accused, Prof. Arnold?"”

attendant noun US /əˈtendənt/

someone who waits on or tends to or attends to the needs of another

From this reading “He had been for many years an attendant at my church."”

Attorney noun US /əˈtɜːrni/

a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice

From this reading “Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.”

Badger verb US /ˈbædʒər/

annoy persistently

From this reading “Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.”

batteries noun US /ˈbætəriz/

plural of “battery” — group of guns or missile launchers operated together at one place

From this reading “THE BATTERIES OPEN FIRE.”

Excellently adverb US /ˈeksələntli/

extremely well

From this reading “"Excellently.”

graduate verb US /ˈɡrædʒəwət/

receive an academic degree upon completion of one's studies

From this reading “Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.”

Thornton noun US /ˈθɔːrntən/

American architect (1759-1828)

From this reading “Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

District Attorney noun + noun

an official prosecutor for a judicial district

In this reading “Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.”

many years adjective + noun

In this reading “He had been for many years an attendant at my church."”

All words in this reading · 46

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.

accusednounUS /əˈkjuːzd/

a defendant in a criminal proceeding

From this reading "You knew the uncle of the accused, Prof. Arnold?"

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

ArnoldnounUS /ˈɑːrnəld/

English poet and literary critic (1822-1888)

From this reading "You knew the uncle of the accused, Prof. Arnold?"

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

AssistantnounUS /əˈsɪstənt/

a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He had been for many years an attendant at my church."

attendantnounUS /əˈtendənt/

someone who waits on or tends to or attends to the needs of another

From this reading He had been for many years an attendant at my church."

AttorneynounUS /əˈtɜːrni/

a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

BadgerverbUS /ˈbædʒər/

annoy persistently

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

BATTERIESnounUS /ˈbætəriz/

plural of “battery” — group of guns or missile launchers operated together at one place

From this reading THE BATTERIES OPEN FIRE.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading He had been for many years an attendant at my church."

churchnounUS /tʃɜːrtʃ/

one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship

From this reading He had been for many years an attendant at my church."

conductedverbUS /kənˈdʌktəd/

past form of “conduct” — direct the course of; manage or control

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

DistrictnounUS /ˈdɪstrɪkt/

a region marked off for administrative or other purposes

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

examinationnounUS /ɪɡˌzæməˈneɪʃən/

the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

ExcellentlyadverbUS /ˈeksələntli/

extremely well

From this reading "Excellently.

FIREverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

From this reading THE BATTERIES OPEN FIRE.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

gaveverbUS /ɡeɪv/

inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

GeorgenounUS /dʒɔːrdʒ/

Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

governmentnounUS /ˈɡʌvərmənt/

the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

graduateverbUS /ˈɡrædʒəwət/

receive an academic degree upon completion of one's studies

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading He had been for many years an attendant at my church."

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He had been for many years an attendant at my church."

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading "You knew the uncle of the accused, Prof. Arnold?"

mannernounUS /ˈmænər/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading He had been for many years an attendant at my church."

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading He had been for many years an attendant at my church."

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

OPENverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading THE BATTERIES OPEN FIRE.

OxfordnounUS /ˈɑːksfərd/

a city in southern England to the northwest of London; site of Oxford University

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

Profnoun

someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university

From this reading "You knew the uncle of the accused, Prof. Arnold?"

RevverbUS /rev/

increase the number of rotations per minute

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

St

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE BATTERIES OPEN FIRE.

ThorntonnounUS /ˈθɔːrntən/

American architect (1759-1828)

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

unclenounUS /ˈʌŋkəl/

the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt

From this reading "You knew the uncle of the accused, Prof. Arnold?"

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

witnessnounUS /ˈwɪtnəs/

someone who sees an event and reports what happened

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

woreverbUS /wɔːr/

inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in

From this reading Assistant District Attorney Badger conducted the examination of the first witness for the government, who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Thornton and wore the manner of an Oxford graduate.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading He had been for many years an attendant at my church."

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "You knew the uncle of the accused, Prof. Arnold?"

Chapter 33 of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery by William Augustine Leahy holds 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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.

What does chapter 33 of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery contain?

Chapter 33 holds 221 sentences of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 33 of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery by William Augustine Leahy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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.

How do I study chapter 33 of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery?

Work through the 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 45 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.

Can chapter 33 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 33 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.

Questions about reading The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery

Common questions about reading The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery by William Augustine Leahy on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery?

Yes. All 9305 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39544 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #39544, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1861 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery section by section

How to work through The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Fanfare
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Begins
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Half-past
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Three
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Incendiary: A Story of Mystery; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.