Chapter 21 of The mystery of the missing eyebrows is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The mystery of the missing eyebrows is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HELEN WEIR IS FOUND. The old man’s first words came in the form of a question. “Where are the rest of ’em?” Renfro did not attempt to answer. To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
Chapter 21 of The mystery of the missing eyebrows is here in full — 86 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.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “Renfro did not attempt to answer.”
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading “HELEN WEIR IS FOUND.”
prepare and issue for public distribution or sale
From this reading “To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.”
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
resembling steel as in hardness
From this reading “To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.”
past form of “tempt” — dispose or incline or entice to
From this reading “To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.”
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
From this reading “To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.”
a low dam built across a stream to raise its level or divert its flow
From this reading “HELEN WEIR IS FOUND.”
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 “To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.”
In this reading “To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.”
In this reading “The old man’s first words came in the form of a question.”
In this reading ““Where are the rest of ’em?””
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 The old man’s first words came in the form of a question.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
react verbally
From this reading Renfro did not attempt to answer.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Where are the rest of ’em?”
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading Renfro did not attempt to answer.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The old man’s first words came in the form of a question.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Renfro did not attempt to answer.
a quad with a square body
From this reading “Where are the rest of ’em?”
opinion or judgment
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
a boy or man
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The old man’s first words came in the form of a question.
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading The old man’s first words came in the form of a question.
set up or found
From this reading HELEN WEIR IS FOUND.
a throaty harshness
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading HELEN WEIR IS FOUND.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The old man’s first words came in the form of a question.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading HELEN WEIR IS FOUND.
prepare and issue for public distribution or sale
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The old man’s first words came in the form of a question.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Renfro did not attempt to answer.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The old man’s first words came in the form of a question.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old man’s first words came in the form of a question.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading The old man’s first words came in the form of a question.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Renfro did not attempt to answer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading “Where are the rest of ’em?”
resembling steel as in hardness
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
past form of “tempt” — dispose or incline or entice to
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The old man’s first words came in the form of a question.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Renfro did not attempt to answer.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
the act of using
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
a low dam built across a stream to raise its level or divert its flow
From this reading HELEN WEIR IS FOUND.
in or at the place that
From this reading “Where are the rest of ’em?”
the words that are spoken
From this reading The old man’s first words came in the form of a question.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading To force an issue the old fellow was tempted to use gruffness but a look deep into Renfro’s steely blue eyes told him that would be a waste of time.
Chapter 21 of The mystery of the missing eyebrows by Stephen Rudd holds 86 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 21 holds 86 sentences of The mystery of the missing eyebrows, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The mystery of the missing eyebrows by Stephen Rudd exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 86 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 21 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #76914, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 244 minutes of reading across 588 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The mystery of the missing eyebrows, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
