Chapter 16 of The Poisoned Pen is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Poisoned Pen is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me." "Very well, then," agreed Kennedy. "To-morrow morning we shall be on hand. Jack, depend on us. We will do our level best to get you out of this scrape."
Chapter 16 of The Poisoned Pen is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading “"Very well, then," agreed Kennedy.”
be contingent upon (something that is elided)
From this reading “Jack, depend on us.”
steadfast in affection or allegiance
From this reading “"Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."”
35th President of the United States; established the Peace Corps; assassinated in Dallas (1917-1963)
From this reading “"Very well, then," agreed Kennedy.”
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading “We will do our level best to get you out of this scrape."”
(ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Irish descent
From this reading “"Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."”
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading “"Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."”
scratch repeatedly
From this reading “We will do our level best to get you out of this scrape."”
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 "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading "Very well, then," agreed Kennedy.
(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 "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "To-morrow morning we shall be on hand.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading We will do our level best to get you out of this scrape."
be contingent upon (something that is elided)
From this reading Jack, depend on us.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
steadfast in affection or allegiance
From this reading "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading We will do our level best to get you out of this scrape."
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading "To-morrow morning we shall be on hand.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
a small worthless amount
From this reading Jack, depend on us.
35th President of the United States; established the Peace Corps; assassinated in Dallas (1917-1963)
From this reading "Very well, then," agreed Kennedy.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading We will do our level best to get you out of this scrape."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "To-morrow morning we shall be on hand.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We will do our level best to get you out of this scrape."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "To-morrow morning we shall be on hand.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We will do our level best to get you out of this scrape."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading We will do our level best to get you out of this scrape."
(ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Irish descent
From this reading "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
Identical; not different.
From this reading "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
scratch repeatedly
From this reading We will do our level best to get you out of this scrape."
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "To-morrow morning we shall be on hand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Very well, then," agreed Kennedy.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading We will do our level best to get you out of this scrape."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We will do our level best to get you out of this scrape."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "To-morrow morning we shall be on hand.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Jack, depend on us.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Very well, then," agreed Kennedy.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "To-morrow morning we shall be on hand.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Very well, then," agreed Kennedy.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Indade I will do that same, sor," responded the faithful Paddy, "an' it's a shmall return for all ye've done for me."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading We will do our level best to get you out of this scrape."
Chapter 16 of The Poisoned Pen by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve holds 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 16 holds 196 sentences of The Poisoned Pen, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Poisoned Pen by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 16 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 Poisoned Pen by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6378 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1923 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1923, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 531 minutes of reading across 1276 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Poisoned Pen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Poisoned Pen 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 Poisoned Pen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
