Chapter 22 of The Messenger is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXII
Chapter 22 of The Messenger is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Napier arrived at the White House some minutes before the time set for his interview. Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis. Her greeting was the strangest, considering all things. "How do you do? I wanted to know--oh, _have_ you seen Greta?"
Chapter 22 of The Messenger is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading “Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.”
plural of “elli” — (Norse mythology) goddess of old age who defeated Thor in a wrestling match
From this reading “Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.”
past form of “embark” — go on board
From this reading “Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.”
(usually plural) an acknowledgment or expression of good will (especially on meeting)
From this reading “Her greeting was the strangest, considering all things.”
your grandmother
From this reading “Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.”
Scottish mathematician who invented logarithms; introduced the use of the decimal point in writing numbers (1550-1617)
From this reading “Napier arrived at the White House some minutes before the time set for his interview.”
superlative of “strange” — being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading “Her greeting was the strangest, considering all things.”
a journey or route all the way around a particular place or area
From this reading “Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.”
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.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
In this reading “Napier arrived at the White House some minutes before the time set for his interview.”
In this reading “Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.”
In this reading “Napier arrived at the White House some minutes before the time set for his interview.”
In this reading “Her greeting was the strangest, considering all things.”
the chief executive department of the United States government
In this reading “Napier arrived at the White House some minutes before the time set for his interview.”
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 Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Her greeting was the strangest, considering all things.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading Napier arrived at the White House some minutes before the time set for his interview.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Napier arrived at the White House some minutes before the time set for his interview.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Napier arrived at the White House some minutes before the time set for his interview.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
-ing form of “consider” — deem to be
From this reading Her greeting was the strangest, considering all things.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "How do you do?
plural of “elli” — (Norse mythology) goddess of old age who defeated Thor in a wrestling match
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
past form of “embark” — go on board
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Napier arrived at the White House some minutes before the time set for his interview.
(usually plural) an acknowledgment or expression of good will (especially on meeting)
From this reading Her greeting was the strangest, considering all things.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wanted to know--oh, _have_ you seen Greta?"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
only a very short time before
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I wanted to know--oh, _have_ you seen Greta?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her greeting was the strangest, considering all things.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Napier arrived at the White House some minutes before the time set for his interview.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Napier arrived at the White House some minutes before the time set for his interview.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How do you do?
moving with great haste
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I wanted to know--oh, _have_ you seen Greta?"
conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting
From this reading Napier arrived at the White House some minutes before the time set for his interview.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I wanted to know--oh, _have_ you seen Greta?"
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading Napier arrived at the White House some minutes before the time set for his interview.
your grandmother
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
Scottish mathematician who invented logarithms; introduced the use of the decimal point in writing numbers (1550-1617)
From this reading Napier arrived at the White House some minutes before the time set for his interview.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading I wanted to know--oh, _have_ you seen Greta?"
people in general considered as a whole
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I wanted to know--oh, _have_ you seen Greta?"
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Napier arrived at the White House some minutes before the time set for his interview.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Napier arrived at the White House some minutes before the time set for his interview.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
superlative of “strange” — being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Her greeting was the strangest, considering all things.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Napier arrived at the White House some minutes before the time set for his interview.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Her greeting was the strangest, considering all things.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Napier arrived at the White House some minutes before the time set for his interview.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
a journey or route all the way around a particular place or area
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading I wanted to know--oh, _have_ you seen Greta?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Her greeting was the strangest, considering all things.
at the time that
From this reading Hardly had he embarked upon a little kill-time tour through the public rooms when he heard hurrying steps behind him, and turned to confront Nan Ellis.
a Caucasian
From this reading Napier arrived at the White House some minutes before the time set for his interview.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "How do you do?
Chapter 22 of The Messenger by Elizabeth Robins holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 22 holds 430 sentences of The Messenger, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 22 of The Messenger by Elizabeth Robins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 22 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 Messenger by Elizabeth Robins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8778 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35671 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35671, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1756 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Messenger section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Messenger 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 Messenger, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
