Chapter 18 of The Missing Tin Box is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Missing Tin Box is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HAL IN A TIGHT SITUATION. Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth. "Hush!" he muttered. "I'll fix it all right." A square table stood in one corner of the room, and under it was a quantity of old bagging.
Chapter 18 of The Missing Tin Box is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
coarse fabric used for bags or sacks
From this reading “A square table stood in one corner of the room, and under it was a quantity of old bagging.”
possessive form of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.”
inflected form of “clap” — put quickly or forcibly
From this reading “Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.”
restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading “"I'll fix it all right."”
become quiet or still; fall silent
From this reading “"Hush!" he muttered.”
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “"Hush!" he muttered.”
how much there is or how many there are of something that you can quantify
From this reading “A square table stood in one corner of the room, and under it was a quantity of old bagging.”
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading “HAL IN A TIGHT SITUATION.”
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.
In this reading “Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.”
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 HAL IN A TIGHT SITUATION.
(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 "I'll fix it all right."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A square table stood in one corner of the room, and under it was a quantity of old bagging.
coarse fabric used for bags or sacks
From this reading A square table stood in one corner of the room, and under it was a quantity of old bagging.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.
possessive form of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.
inflected form of “clap” — put quickly or forcibly
From this reading Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading A square table stood in one corner of the room, and under it was a quantity of old bagging.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.
someone who is a detective
From this reading Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.
restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading "I'll fix it all right."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HAL IN A TIGHT SITUATION.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Hush!" he muttered.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.
become quiet or still; fall silent
From this reading "Hush!" he muttered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'll fix it all right."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading HAL IN A TIGHT SITUATION.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I'll fix it all right."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading "Hush!" he muttered.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A square table stood in one corner of the room, and under it was a quantity of old bagging.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading A square table stood in one corner of the room, and under it was a quantity of old bagging.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading A square table stood in one corner of the room, and under it was a quantity of old bagging.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.
above and across; more than
From this reading Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.
how much there is or how many there are of something that you can quantify
From this reading A square table stood in one corner of the room, and under it was a quantity of old bagging.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "I'll fix it all right."
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading A square table stood in one corner of the room, and under it was a quantity of old bagging.
express in words
From this reading Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading HAL IN A TIGHT SITUATION.
make square
From this reading A square table stood in one corner of the room, and under it was a quantity of old bagging.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading A square table stood in one corner of the room, and under it was a quantity of old bagging.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading A square table stood in one corner of the room, and under it was a quantity of old bagging.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading HAL IN A TIGHT SITUATION.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading A square table stood in one corner of the room, and under it was a quantity of old bagging.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A square table stood in one corner of the room, and under it was a quantity of old bagging.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Before Dick Ferris could say a word or move, Macklin clapped his hand over the tall boy's mouth.
Chapter 18 of The Missing Tin Box by Edward Stratemeyer holds 87 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 holds 87 sentences of The Missing Tin Box, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Missing Tin Box by Edward Stratemeyer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 87 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 18 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 Missing Tin Box by Edward Stratemeyer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4507 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30864 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30864, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 375 minutes of reading across 902 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Missing Tin Box section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Missing Tin Box 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 Missing Tin Box, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
