Chapter 18 of The Mystery of the Iron Box is here in full — 229 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Mystery of the Iron Box is here in full — 229 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood. He seemed completely stunned by the catastrophe which had overtaken them. Ken’s bloodless lips shaped the words. “That was our last chance.” “We’re not licked yet,” Sandy shouted.
Chapter 18 of The Mystery of the Iron Box is here in full — 229 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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.
destitute of blood or apparently so
From this reading “Ken’s bloodless lips shaped the words.”
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading “He seemed completely stunned by the catastrophe which had overtaken them.”
range of what one can know or understand
From this reading “THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood.”
possessive form of “ken” — range of what one can know or understand
having been got the better of
From this reading ““We’re not licked yet,” Sandy shouted.”
inflected form of “overtake” — catch up with and possibly overtake
From this reading “He seemed completely stunned by the catastrophe which had overtaken them.”
shaped to fit by or as if by altering the contours of a pliable mass (as by work or effort)
From this reading “Ken’s bloodless lips shaped the words.”
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading “He seemed completely stunned by the catastrophe which had overtaken them.”
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 “Ken’s bloodless lips shaped the words.”
In this reading “THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood.”
In this reading ““That was our last chance.””
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.
anew
From this reading THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood.
destitute of blood or apparently so
From this reading Ken’s bloodless lips shaped the words.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He seemed completely stunned by the catastrophe which had overtaken them.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading He seemed completely stunned by the catastrophe which had overtaken them.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “That was our last chance.”
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading He seemed completely stunned by the catastrophe which had overtaken them.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He seemed completely stunned by the catastrophe which had overtaken them.
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood.
range of what one can know or understand
From this reading THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood.
possessive form of “ken” — range of what one can know or understand
From this reading Ken’s bloodless lips shaped the words.
immediately past
From this reading “That was our last chance.”
rough shelter whose roof has only one slope
From this reading THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood.
having been got the better of
From this reading “We’re not licked yet,” Sandy shouted.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Ken’s bloodless lips shaped the words.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “We’re not licked yet,” Sandy shouted.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “That was our last chance.”
inflected form of “overtake” — catch up with and possibly overtake
From this reading He seemed completely stunned by the catastrophe which had overtaken them.
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He seemed completely stunned by the catastrophe which had overtaken them.
shaped to fit by or as if by altering the contours of a pliable mass (as by work or effort)
From this reading Ken’s bloodless lips shaped the words.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading “We’re not licked yet,” Sandy shouted.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading He seemed completely stunned by the catastrophe which had overtaken them.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “That was our last chance.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He seemed completely stunned by the catastrophe which had overtaken them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “That was our last chance.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We’re not licked yet,” Sandy shouted.
in or at the place that
From this reading THE IRON BOX AGAIN Sandy looked at Ken, and then back at the spot where the lean-to had stood.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He seemed completely stunned by the catastrophe which had overtaken them.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Ken’s bloodless lips shaped the words.
but in spite of that
From this reading “We’re not licked yet,” Sandy shouted.
Chapter 18 of The Mystery of the Iron Box by Bruce Campbell holds 229 sentences, grouped into 46 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 229 sentences of The Mystery of the Iron Box, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Mystery of the Iron Box by Bruce Campbell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 229 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 Mystery of the Iron Box by Bruce Campbell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4866 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48144 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48144, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 405 minutes of reading across 974 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mystery of the Iron Box section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Mystery of the Iron 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 Mystery of the Iron Box, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
