Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds
The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds

Chapter XXXIX · Man and Beast

Chapter XXXIX of The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds, “Man and Beast,” is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds
Context Illustration Reading 1/15 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.
Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.
"No need," Grover laughed, "with its partner, the ape, bound.
There is no way to get out of that hide."
He gestured toward the cabinet.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds

Chapter XXXIX · Man and Beast

Chapter XXXIX of The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds, “Man and Beast,” is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/15 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.
Line 2
Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.
Line 3
"No need," Grover laughed, "with its partner, the ape, bound.
Line 4
There is no way to get out of that hide."
/ðer ɪz noʊ weɪ tuː ɡet aʊt ʌv ðæt haɪd/
Line 5
He gestured toward the cabinet.
/hiː ˈdʒestʃərd təˈwɔːrd ðə ˈkæbənət/

Learner Dictionary

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.

ape noun US /eɪp/

any of various primates with short tails or no tail at all

From this reading “"No need," Grover laughed, "with its partner, the ape, bound.”

cabinets noun US /ˈkæbənəts/

plural of “cabinet” — a piece of furniture resembling a cupboard with doors and shelves and drawers; for storage or display

From this reading “With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.”

gestured verb US /ˈdʒestʃərd/

past form of “gesture” — show, express or direct through movement

From this reading “He gestured toward the cabinet.”

hop verb US /hɑːp/

jump lightly

From this reading “Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.”

paws noun US /pɔːz/

plural of “paw” — a clawed foot of an animal especially a quadruped

From this reading “Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.”

sidled verb US /ˈsaɪdəld/

past form of “sidle” — move unobtrusively or furtively

From this reading “Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.”

snatch verb US /snætʃ/

to grasp hastily or eagerly

From this reading “Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.”

unlocked adjective US /ənˈlɑːkt/

not firmly fastened or secured

From this reading “With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

hop away verb + particle

In this reading “Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.”

get out verb + adjective

move out of or depart from

In this reading “There is no way to get out of that hide."”

All words in this reading · 55

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.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

apenounUS /eɪp/

any of various primates with short tails or no tail at all

From this reading "No need," Grover laughed, "with its partner, the ape, bound.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

beastnounUS /biːst/

a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

blocknounUS /blɑːk/

a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

boundadjectiveUS /baʊnd/

confined by bonds

From this reading "No need," Grover laughed, "with its partner, the ape, bound.

cabinetnounUS /ˈkæbənət/

a piece of furniture resembling a cupboard with doors and shelves and drawers; for storage or display

From this reading He gestured toward the cabinet.

cabinetsnounUS /ˈkæbənəts/

plural of “cabinet” — a piece of furniture resembling a cupboard with doors and shelves and drawers; for storage or display

From this reading With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

gesturedverbUS /ˈdʒestʃərd/

past form of “gesture” — show, express or direct through movement

From this reading He gestured toward the cabinet.

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading There is no way to get out of that hide."

Grover

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He gestured toward the cabinet.

hideverbUS /haɪd/

prevent from being seen or discovered

From this reading There is no way to get out of that hide."

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.

hopverbUS /hɑːp/

jump lightly

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading There is no way to get out of that hide."

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

laughedverbUS /læft/

past form of “laugh” — produce laughter

From this reading "No need," Grover laughed, "with its partner, the ape, bound.

mockingadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːkɪŋ/

abusing vocally; expressing contempt or ridicule

From this reading With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.

nearadverbUS /nɪr/

near in time or place or relationship

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

neednounUS /niːd/

a condition requiring relief

From this reading "No need," Grover laughed, "with its partner, the ape, bound.

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "No need," Grover laughed, "with its partner, the ape, bound.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading There is no way to get out of that hide."

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading There is no way to get out of that hide."

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.

partnernounUS /ˈpɑːrtnər/

a person's partner in marriage

From this reading "No need," Grover laughed, "with its partner, the ape, bound.

pawsnounUS /pɔːz/

plural of “paw” — a clawed foot of an animal especially a quadruped

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

Potts

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

Roger

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

safetynounUS /ˈseɪfti/

the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions

From this reading With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.

sidledverbUS /ˈsaɪdəld/

past form of “sidle” — move unobtrusively or furtively

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

smileverbUS /smaɪl/

change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure

From this reading With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.

snatchverbUS /snætʃ/

to grasp hastily or eagerly

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

taughtverbUS /tɔːt/

inflected form of “teach” — impart skills or knowledge to

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading There is no way to get out of that hide."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Roger, with Potts, sidled over near the door, to block the beast if it had been taught to snatch anything in its paws and hop away.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There is no way to get out of that hide."

threwverbUS /θruː/

inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air

From this reading With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.

towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading He gestured toward the cabinet.

unlockedadjectiveUS /ənˈlɑːkt/

not firmly fastened or secured

From this reading With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.

walkedverbUS /wɔːkt/

past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps

From this reading With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading There is no way to get out of that hide."

wideadjectiveUS /waɪd/

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading With his mocking smile Grover walked over to their safety cabinets, unlocked and threw one wide open.

Chapter 39 of The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds by Van Powell holds 79 sentences, grouped into 16 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.

What does chapter 39 of The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds contain?

Chapter 39 holds 79 sentences of The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 39 of The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds by Van Powell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 79 sentences, grouped into 16 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.

How do I study chapter 39 of The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds?

Work through the 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 16 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.

Can chapter 39 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 39 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.

Questions about reading The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds

Common questions about reading The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds by Van Powell on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds?

Yes. All 3942 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53214 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #53214, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds take to read?

About 328 minutes of reading across 789 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds section by section

How to work through The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Wonder
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Roger
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Father
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
You're
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mystery of the Fifteen Sounds; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.