Chapter 31 of The Midnight Guest: A Detective Story is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of The Midnight Guest: A Detective Story is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT. "I cannot do it," Vera said quietly. "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor. You claim to be my mother, and perhaps you are. But till tonight I had no mother.
Chapter 31 of The Midnight Guest: A Detective Story is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
an assertion of a right (as to money or property)
From this reading “You claim to be my mother, and perhaps you are.”
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading “"Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.”
stop blaming or grant forgiveness
From this reading “"Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.”
be the source of pain
From this reading “"Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.”
a person who makes deceitful pretenses
From this reading “"Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.”
being nothing more than specified
From this reading “"Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.”
be shown or be found to be
From this reading “"Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.”
On the present night.
From this reading “But till tonight I had no mother.”
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 "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You claim to be my mother, and perhaps you are.
any thing at all
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading You claim to be my mother, and perhaps you are.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I cannot do it," Vera said quietly.
an assertion of a right (as to money or property)
From this reading You claim to be my mother, and perhaps you are.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I cannot do it," Vera said quietly.
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
stop blaming or grant forgiveness
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But till tonight I had no mother.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
be the source of pain
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I cannot do it," Vera said quietly.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
a person who makes deceitful pretenses
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I cannot do it," Vera said quietly.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading You claim to be my mother, and perhaps you are.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT.
not any; not one
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT.
by chance
From this reading You claim to be my mother, and perhaps you are.
be shown or be found to be
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
with low volume
From this reading "I cannot do it," Vera said quietly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I cannot do it," Vera said quietly.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT.
up to a particular time
From this reading But till tonight I had no mother.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
On the present night.
From this reading But till tonight I had no mother.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I cannot do it," Vera said quietly.
the words that are spoken
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Forgive me if my words hurt you, but so far I have no evidence to prove that you are anything more than a mere impostor.
Chapter 31 of The Midnight Guest: A Detective Story by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White holds 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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 31 holds 136 sentences of The Midnight Guest: A Detective Story, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of The Midnight Guest: A Detective Story by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 31 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 Midnight Guest: A Detective Story by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6016 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56960 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56960, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 501 minutes of reading across 1204 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Midnight Guest: A Detective Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Midnight Guest: A Detective Story 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 Midnight Guest: A Detective Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
