Chapter 21 of The Master of the Ceremonies is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Master of the Ceremonies is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Ah!" sighed Mrs Barclay, as she watched Claire disappear down the street, and then closed the door. "Now for Jo-si-ah." Volume Three, Chapter V. THE MASTER OF THE CEREMONIES IS STUNG. Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.
Chapter 21 of The Master of the Ceremonies is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
plural of “ceremony” — a formal event performed on a special occasion
From this reading “THE MASTER OF THE CEREMONIES IS STUNG.”
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading “Volume Three, Chapter V.”
get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading “"Ah!" sighed Mrs Barclay, as she watched Claire disappear down the street, and then closed the door.”
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading “Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.”
breathing heavily (as after exertion)
From this reading “Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.”
aroused to impatience or anger
From this reading “THE MASTER OF THE CEREMONIES IS STUNG.”
the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading “Volume Three, Chapter V.”
-ing form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading “Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah!" sighed Mrs Barclay, as she watched Claire disappear down the street, and then closed the door.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Ah!" sighed Mrs Barclay, as she watched Claire disappear down the street, and then closed the door.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Ah!" sighed Mrs Barclay, as she watched Claire disappear down the street, and then closed the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah!" sighed Mrs Barclay, as she watched Claire disappear down the street, and then closed the door.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.
plural of “ceremony” — a formal event performed on a special occasion
From this reading THE MASTER OF THE CEREMONIES IS STUNG.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading Volume Three, Chapter V.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah!" sighed Mrs Barclay, as she watched Claire disappear down the street, and then closed the door.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading "Ah!" sighed Mrs Barclay, as she watched Claire disappear down the street, and then closed the door.
get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading "Ah!" sighed Mrs Barclay, as she watched Claire disappear down the street, and then closed the door.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading "Ah!" sighed Mrs Barclay, as she watched Claire disappear down the street, and then closed the door.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Ah!" sighed Mrs Barclay, as she watched Claire disappear down the street, and then closed the door.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Now for Jo-si-ah."
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE MASTER OF THE CEREMONIES IS STUNG.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now for Jo-si-ah."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading THE MASTER OF THE CEREMONIES IS STUNG.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "Ah!" sighed Mrs Barclay, as she watched Claire disappear down the street, and then closed the door.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now for Jo-si-ah."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE MASTER OF THE CEREMONIES IS STUNG.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.
breathing heavily (as after exertion)
From this reading Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Ah!" sighed Mrs Barclay, as she watched Claire disappear down the street, and then closed the door.
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading "Ah!" sighed Mrs Barclay, as she watched Claire disappear down the street, and then closed the door.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading "Ah!" sighed Mrs Barclay, as she watched Claire disappear down the street, and then closed the door.
aroused to impatience or anger
From this reading THE MASTER OF THE CEREMONIES IS STUNG.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Ah!" sighed Mrs Barclay, as she watched Claire disappear down the street, and then closed the door.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Ah!" sighed Mrs Barclay, as she watched Claire disappear down the street, and then closed the door.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Volume Three, Chapter V.
a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt
From this reading Volume Three, Chapter V.
the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading Volume Three, Chapter V.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading "Ah!" sighed Mrs Barclay, as she watched Claire disappear down the street, and then closed the door.
at the time that
From this reading Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.
-ing form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading Josiah Barclay was in his business room when his wife returned, panting and wiping her eyes, and he gave her one of his grim looks.
Chapter 21 of The Master of the Ceremonies by George Manville Fenn holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 21 holds 414 sentences of The Master of the Ceremonies, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Master of the Ceremonies by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 21 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 Master of the Ceremonies by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11848 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34492 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34492, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2370 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Master of the Ceremonies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Master of the Ceremonies 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 Master of the Ceremonies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
