Chapter 18 of The Ragged Edge is here in full — 258 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Ragged Edge is here in full — 258 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room. "Why, hello, Ah Cum! What's the trouble?" Ah Cum took his hands from his sleeves. "I should like to know where Mr. Spurlock has gone."
Chapter 18 of The Ragged Edge is here in full — 258 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading “Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room.”
an expression of greeting
From this reading “"Why, hello, Ah Cum!”
at the same time but in another place
From this reading “Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room.”
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading “Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room.”
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading “Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room.”
plural of “sleeve” — the part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm
From this reading “Ah Cum took his hands from his sleeves.”
a source of difficulty
From this reading “What's the trouble?"”
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading “Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room.
the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room.
set up or found
From this reading Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Ah Cum took his hands from his sleeves.
destroyed or killed
From this reading "I should like to know where Mr. Spurlock has gone."
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Ah Cum took his hands from his sleeves.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I should like to know where Mr. Spurlock has gone."
an expression of greeting
From this reading "Why, hello, Ah Cum!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I should like to know where Mr. Spurlock has gone."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I should like to know where Mr. Spurlock has gone."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "I should like to know where Mr. Spurlock has gone."
at the same time but in another place
From this reading Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "I should like to know where Mr. Spurlock has gone."
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room.
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "I should like to know where Mr. Spurlock has gone."
plural of “sleeve” — the part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm
From this reading Ah Cum took his hands from his sleeves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I should like to know where Mr. Spurlock has gone."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Ah Cum took his hands from his sleeves.
a source of difficulty
From this reading What's the trouble?"
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Meanwhile the doctor, upon returning to his office, found Ah Cum in the waiting room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What's the trouble?"
in or at the place that
From this reading "I should like to know where Mr. Spurlock has gone."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, hello, Ah Cum!
Chapter 18 of The Ragged Edge by Harold MacGrath holds 258 sentences, grouped into 52 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 18 holds 258 sentences of The Ragged Edge, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Ragged Edge by Harold MacGrath exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 258 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 18 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 Ragged Edge by Harold MacGrath on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5928 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15614 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15614, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 494 minutes of reading across 1186 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ragged Edge section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Ragged Edge 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 Ragged Edge, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
