Chapter 10 of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You’re wrong, Mr. Harker," she said, gravely. "You’ve never seen a tangible materialization. I have—and I know." "Anyway," he laughed, "there’s no use attempting to ask her to take them off, because she won’t. And incidentally it looks to me as if the worthy Professor was going to get busy.
Chapter 10 of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading “"Anyway," he laughed, "there’s no use attempting to ask her to take them off, because she won’t.”
-ing form of “attempt” — make an effort or attempt
From this reading “"Anyway," he laughed, "there’s no use attempting to ask her to take them off, because she won’t.”
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading “And incidentally it looks to me as if the worthy Professor was going to get busy.”
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading “"You’re wrong, Mr. Harker," she said, gravely.”
introducing a different topic
From this reading “And incidentally it looks to me as if the worthy Professor was going to get busy.”
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading “And incidentally it looks to me as if the worthy Professor was going to get busy.”
perceptible by the senses especially the sense of touch
From this reading “"You’ve never seen a tangible materialization.”
Having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in character or magic.
From this reading “And incidentally it looks to me as if the worthy Professor was going to get busy.”
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.
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 "You’ve never seen a tangible materialization.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I have—and I know."
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading "Anyway," he laughed, "there’s no use attempting to ask her to take them off, because she won’t.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And incidentally it looks to me as if the worthy Professor was going to get busy.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Anyway," he laughed, "there’s no use attempting to ask her to take them off, because she won’t.
-ing form of “attempt” — make an effort or attempt
From this reading "Anyway," he laughed, "there’s no use attempting to ask her to take them off, because she won’t.
for the reason that
From this reading "Anyway," he laughed, "there’s no use attempting to ask her to take them off, because she won’t.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading And incidentally it looks to me as if the worthy Professor was going to get busy.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading And incidentally it looks to me as if the worthy Professor was going to get busy.
the act of departing
From this reading And incidentally it looks to me as if the worthy Professor was going to get busy.
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading "You’re wrong, Mr. Harker," she said, gravely.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You’re wrong, Mr. Harker," she said, gravely.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have—and I know."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Anyway," he laughed, "there’s no use attempting to ask her to take them off, because she won’t.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Anyway," he laughed, "there’s no use attempting to ask her to take them off, because she won’t.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have—and I know."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And incidentally it looks to me as if the worthy Professor was going to get busy.
introducing a different topic
From this reading And incidentally it looks to me as if the worthy Professor was going to get busy.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And incidentally it looks to me as if the worthy Professor was going to get busy.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I have—and I know."
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading "Anyway," he laughed, "there’s no use attempting to ask her to take them off, because she won’t.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading And incidentally it looks to me as if the worthy Professor was going to get busy.
the process of coming into being; becoming reality
From this reading "You’ve never seen a tangible materialization.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And incidentally it looks to me as if the worthy Professor was going to get busy.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "You’re wrong, Mr. Harker," she said, gravely.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "You’ve never seen a tangible materialization.
not any; not one
From this reading "Anyway," he laughed, "there’s no use attempting to ask her to take them off, because she won’t.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Anyway," he laughed, "there’s no use attempting to ask her to take them off, because she won’t.
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading And incidentally it looks to me as if the worthy Professor was going to get busy.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You’re wrong, Mr. Harker," she said, gravely.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "You’ve never seen a tangible materialization.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You’re wrong, Mr. Harker," she said, gravely.
carry out
From this reading "Anyway," he laughed, "there’s no use attempting to ask her to take them off, because she won’t.
perceptible by the senses especially the sense of touch
From this reading "You’ve never seen a tangible materialization.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And incidentally it looks to me as if the worthy Professor was going to get busy.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Anyway," he laughed, "there’s no use attempting to ask her to take them off, because she won’t.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Anyway," he laughed, "there’s no use attempting to ask her to take them off, because she won’t.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Anyway," he laughed, "there’s no use attempting to ask her to take them off, because she won’t.
the act of using
From this reading "Anyway," he laughed, "there’s no use attempting to ask her to take them off, because she won’t.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And incidentally it looks to me as if the worthy Professor was going to get busy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Anyway," he laughed, "there’s no use attempting to ask her to take them off, because she won’t.
Having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in character or magic.
From this reading And incidentally it looks to me as if the worthy Professor was going to get busy.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading "You’re wrong, Mr. Harker," she said, gravely.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You’re wrong, Mr. Harker," she said, gravely.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You’ve never seen a tangible materialization.
Chapter 10 of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories by H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 402 sentences of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories by H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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.
Common questions about reading The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories by H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4866 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49590 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49590, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 405 minutes of reading across 974 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories 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 Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
