Chapter 17 of The pit is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The pit is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He hung up the receiver and leaned back in his chair. "They'll report the trade in a minute," he said. "Better wait and see." Cressler stood at the window, his hands clasped behind his back, looking down into the street. He did not answer.
Chapter 17 of The pit is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “He hung up the receiver and leaned back in his chair.”
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading “Cressler stood at the window, his hands clasped behind his back, looking down into the street.”
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading “He hung up the receiver and leaned back in his chair.”
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading “He hung up the receiver and leaned back in his chair.”
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading “"They'll report the trade in a minute," he said.”
set that receives radio or tv signals
From this reading “He hung up the receiver and leaned back in his chair.”
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading “"They'll report the trade in a minute," he said.”
the commercial exchange (buying and selling on domestic or international markets) of goods and services
From this reading “"They'll report the trade in a minute," he said.”
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 "They'll report the trade in a minute," he said.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He hung up the receiver and leaned back in his chair.
react verbally
From this reading He did not answer.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Cressler stood at the window, his hands clasped behind his back, looking down into the street.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He hung up the receiver and leaned back in his chair.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Cressler stood at the window, his hands clasped behind his back, looking down into the street.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "Better wait and see."
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading He hung up the receiver and leaned back in his chair.
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading Cressler stood at the window, his hands clasped behind his back, looking down into the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cressler stood at the window, his hands clasped behind his back, looking down into the street.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not answer.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Cressler stood at the window, his hands clasped behind his back, looking down into the street.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Cressler stood at the window, his hands clasped behind his back, looking down into the street.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He hung up the receiver and leaned back in his chair.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He hung up the receiver and leaned back in his chair.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading He hung up the receiver and leaned back in his chair.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He hung up the receiver and leaned back in his chair.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Cressler stood at the window, his hands clasped behind his back, looking down into the street.
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading He hung up the receiver and leaned back in his chair.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Cressler stood at the window, his hands clasped behind his back, looking down into the street.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading "They'll report the trade in a minute," he said.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not answer.
set that receives radio or tv signals
From this reading He hung up the receiver and leaned back in his chair.
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading "They'll report the trade in a minute," he said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "They'll report the trade in a minute," he said.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Better wait and see."
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Cressler stood at the window, his hands clasped behind his back, looking down into the street.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Cressler stood at the window, his hands clasped behind his back, looking down into the street.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He hung up the receiver and leaned back in his chair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They'll report the trade in a minute," he said.
the commercial exchange (buying and selling on domestic or international markets) of goods and services
From this reading "They'll report the trade in a minute," he said.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He hung up the receiver and leaned back in his chair.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading "Better wait and see."
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Cressler stood at the window, his hands clasped behind his back, looking down into the street.
Chapter 17 of The pit by Frank Norris holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 17 holds 407 sentences of The pit, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The pit by Frank Norris exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 17 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 pit by Frank Norris on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8642 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4382 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4382, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1729 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The pit section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The pit 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 pit, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
