Chapter 40 of The Mystery of the Ravenspurs is here in full — 294 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XL
Chapter 40 of The Mystery of the Ravenspurs is here in full — 294 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HAND AND FOOT What did it mean? Why was there all this commotion in the house? And why did everybody leave her so severely alone? These were the questions that Princess Zara, otherwise Mrs. May, otherwise Mrs. Jasper Ravenspur, asked herself. And why had Marion not returned?
Chapter 40 of The Mystery of the Ravenspurs is here in full — 294 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/58 · 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 disorderly outburst or tumult
From this reading “Why was there all this commotion in the house?”
every person
From this reading “And why did everybody leave her so severely alone?”
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading “HAND AND FOOT What did it mean?”
an opaque form of quartz; red or yellow or brown or dark green in color; used for ornamentation or as a gemstone
From this reading “These were the questions that Princess Zara, otherwise Mrs. May, otherwise Mrs. Jasper Ravenspur, asked herself.”
in other respects or ways
From this reading “These were the questions that Princess Zara, otherwise Mrs. May, otherwise Mrs. Jasper Ravenspur, asked herself.”
The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.
From this reading “These were the questions that Princess Zara, otherwise Mrs. May, otherwise Mrs. Jasper Ravenspur, asked herself.”
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading “These were the questions that Princess Zara, otherwise Mrs. May, otherwise Mrs. Jasper Ravenspur, asked herself.”
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading “And why did everybody leave her so severely alone?”
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 “And why did everybody leave her so severely alone?”
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.
(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 Why was there all this commotion in the house?
Having no one else present.
From this reading And why did everybody leave her so severely alone?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading HAND AND FOOT What did it mean?
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading These were the questions that Princess Zara, otherwise Mrs. May, otherwise Mrs. Jasper Ravenspur, asked herself.
a disorderly outburst or tumult
From this reading Why was there all this commotion in the house?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading HAND AND FOOT What did it mean?
every person
From this reading And why did everybody leave her so severely alone?
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading HAND AND FOOT What did it mean?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And why had Marion not returned?
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading HAND AND FOOT What did it mean?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And why did everybody leave her so severely alone?
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading These were the questions that Princess Zara, otherwise Mrs. May, otherwise Mrs. Jasper Ravenspur, asked herself.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Why was there all this commotion in the house?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Why was there all this commotion in the house?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading HAND AND FOOT What did it mean?
an opaque form of quartz; red or yellow or brown or dark green in color; used for ornamentation or as a gemstone
From this reading These were the questions that Princess Zara, otherwise Mrs. May, otherwise Mrs. Jasper Ravenspur, asked herself.
go away from a place
From this reading And why did everybody leave her so severely alone?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And why had Marion not returned?
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading These were the questions that Princess Zara, otherwise Mrs. May, otherwise Mrs. Jasper Ravenspur, asked herself.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading HAND AND FOOT What did it mean?
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading These were the questions that Princess Zara, otherwise Mrs. May, otherwise Mrs. Jasper Ravenspur, asked herself.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading And why had Marion not returned?
in other respects or ways
From this reading These were the questions that Princess Zara, otherwise Mrs. May, otherwise Mrs. Jasper Ravenspur, asked herself.
The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.
From this reading These were the questions that Princess Zara, otherwise Mrs. May, otherwise Mrs. Jasper Ravenspur, asked herself.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading These were the questions that Princess Zara, otherwise Mrs. May, otherwise Mrs. Jasper Ravenspur, asked herself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These were the questions that Princess Zara, otherwise Mrs. May, otherwise Mrs. Jasper Ravenspur, asked herself.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading And why had Marion not returned?
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading And why did everybody leave her so severely alone?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And why did everybody leave her so severely alone?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading These were the questions that Princess Zara, otherwise Mrs. May, otherwise Mrs. Jasper Ravenspur, asked herself.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Why was there all this commotion in the house?
in or at that place or location
From this reading Why was there all this commotion in the house?
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These were the questions that Princess Zara, otherwise Mrs. May, otherwise Mrs. Jasper Ravenspur, asked herself.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Why was there all this commotion in the house?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Why was there all this commotion in the house?
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading These were the questions that Princess Zara, otherwise Mrs. May, otherwise Mrs. Jasper Ravenspur, asked herself.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading HAND AND FOOT What did it mean?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why was there all this commotion in the house?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These were the questions that Princess Zara, otherwise Mrs. May, otherwise Mrs. Jasper Ravenspur, asked herself.
Chapter 40 of The Mystery of the Ravenspurs by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White holds 294 sentences, grouped into 59 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 40 holds 294 sentences of The Mystery of the Ravenspurs, unabridged, divided into 59 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 40 of The Mystery of the Ravenspurs by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 294 sentences, grouped into 59 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 59 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 59 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 40 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 Ravenspurs by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8039 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48882 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48882, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1608 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mystery of the Ravenspurs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Mystery of the Ravenspurs 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 Ravenspurs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
