Chapter 20 of The Mystery of the Iron Box is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Mystery of the Iron Box is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock. “It’s Dad!” Ken said. “Now we’ll get the rest of the story.” Sandy eyed the tall paper bag that Ken’s father carried in each arm.
Chapter 20 of The Mystery of the Iron Box is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house
From this reading “FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.”
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading “Sandy eyed the tall paper bag that Ken’s father carried in each arm.”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading ““It’s Dad!””
having an eye or eyes or eyelike feature especially as specified; often used in combination
From this reading “Sandy eyed the tall paper bag that Ken’s father carried in each arm.”
range of what one can know or understand
From this reading “FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.”
possessive form of “ken” — range of what one can know or understand
fasten with a lock
From this reading “FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.”
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading “FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.”
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.
a bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases
In this reading “Sandy eyed the tall paper bag that Ken’s father carried in each arm.”
In this reading “FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.”
seek information from
In this reading “FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.”
In this reading ““Now we’ll get the rest of the story.””
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 FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading Sandy eyed the tall paper bag that Ken’s father carried in each arm.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading Sandy eyed the tall paper bag that Ken’s father carried in each arm.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading Sandy eyed the tall paper bag that Ken’s father carried in each arm.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “It’s Dad!”
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Sandy eyed the tall paper bag that Ken’s father carried in each arm.
having an eye or eyes or eyelike feature especially as specified; often used in combination
From this reading Sandy eyed the tall paper bag that Ken’s father carried in each arm.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Sandy eyed the tall paper bag that Ken’s father carried in each arm.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “Now we’ll get the rest of the story.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s Dad!”
range of what one can know or understand
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
possessive form of “ken” — range of what one can know or understand
From this reading Sandy eyed the tall paper bag that Ken’s father carried in each arm.
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
fasten with a lock
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
information about recent and important events
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Now we’ll get the rest of the story.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading Sandy eyed the tall paper bag that Ken’s father carried in each arm.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading “Now we’ll get the rest of the story.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Ken said.
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “Now we’ll get the rest of the story.”
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading Sandy eyed the tall paper bag that Ken’s father carried in each arm.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Sandy eyed the tall paper bag that Ken’s father carried in each arm.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading FRONT-PAGE NEWS Six hours later, in Richard Holt’s apartment, Ken and Sandy looked up at the sound of a key in the lock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Now we’ll get the rest of the story.”
Chapter 20 of The Mystery of the Iron Box by Bruce Campbell holds 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 20 holds 114 sentences of The Mystery of the Iron Box, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Mystery of the Iron Box by Bruce Campbell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 20 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.
