Chapter 17 of The Riddle of the Sands is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Riddle of the Sands is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Clearing the Air “Has he gone to get the police, do you think?” said Davies, grimly. “I don’t think so,” said I. “Let’s go aboard before that Customs fellow buttonholes us.” A diminished row of stolid Frisians still ruminated over the _Dulcibella_. Friend Grimm was visible smoking on his forecastle.
Chapter 17 of The Riddle of the Sands is here in full — 256 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.
plural of “buttonhole” — a hole through which buttons are pushed
From this reading ““Let’s go aboard before that Customs fellow buttonholes us.””
money collected under a tariff
From this reading ““Let’s go aboard before that Customs fellow buttonholes us.””
plural of “davy” — English chemist who was a pioneer in electrochemistry and who used it to isolate elements sodium and potassium and barium and boron and calcium and magnesium and chlorine (1778-1829)
From this reading “Clearing the Air “Has he gone to get the police, do you think?” said Davies, grimly.”
impaired by diminution
From this reading “A diminished row of stolid Frisians still ruminated over the _Dulcibella_.”
in a grim implacable manner
From this reading “Clearing the Air “Has he gone to get the police, do you think?” said Davies, grimly.”
the younger of the two Grimm brothers remembered best for their fairy stories (1786-1859)
From this reading “Friend Grimm was visible smoking on his forecastle.”
past form of “ruminate” — chew the cuds
From this reading “A diminished row of stolid Frisians still ruminated over the _Dulcibella_.”
having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited
From this reading “A diminished row of stolid Frisians still ruminated over the _Dulcibella_.”
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 A diminished row of stolid Frisians still ruminated over the _Dulcibella_.
on a ship, train, plane or other vehicle
From this reading “Let’s go aboard before that Customs fellow buttonholes us.”
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Clearing the Air “Has he gone to get the police, do you think?” said Davies, grimly.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “Let’s go aboard before that Customs fellow buttonholes us.”
plural of “buttonhole” — a hole through which buttons are pushed
From this reading “Let’s go aboard before that Customs fellow buttonholes us.”
a tract of land with few or no trees in the middle of a wooded area
From this reading Clearing the Air “Has he gone to get the police, do you think?” said Davies, grimly.
money collected under a tariff
From this reading “Let’s go aboard before that Customs fellow buttonholes us.”
plural of “davy” — English chemist who was a pioneer in electrochemistry and who used it to isolate elements sodium and potassium and barium and boron and calcium and magnesium and chlorine (1778-1829)
From this reading Clearing the Air “Has he gone to get the police, do you think?” said Davies, grimly.
impaired by diminution
From this reading A diminished row of stolid Frisians still ruminated over the _Dulcibella_.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Clearing the Air “Has he gone to get the police, do you think?” said Davies, grimly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t think so,” said I.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A diminished row of stolid Frisians still ruminated over the _Dulcibella_.
a boy or man
From this reading “Let’s go aboard before that Customs fellow buttonholes us.”
living quarters consisting of a superstructure in the bow of a merchant ship where the crew is housed
From this reading Friend Grimm was visible smoking on his forecastle.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Friend Grimm was visible smoking on his forecastle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A diminished row of stolid Frisians still ruminated over the _Dulcibella_.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Clearing the Air “Has he gone to get the police, do you think?” said Davies, grimly.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Let’s go aboard before that Customs fellow buttonholes us.”
destroyed or killed
From this reading Clearing the Air “Has he gone to get the police, do you think?” said Davies, grimly.
in a grim implacable manner
From this reading Clearing the Air “Has he gone to get the police, do you think?” said Davies, grimly.
the younger of the two Grimm brothers remembered best for their fairy stories (1786-1859)
From this reading Friend Grimm was visible smoking on his forecastle.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Clearing the Air “Has he gone to get the police, do you think?” said Davies, grimly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Clearing the Air “Has he gone to get the police, do you think?” said Davies, grimly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Friend Grimm was visible smoking on his forecastle.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I don’t think so,” said I.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Let’s go aboard before that Customs fellow buttonholes us.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A diminished row of stolid Frisians still ruminated over the _Dulcibella_.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Friend Grimm was visible smoking on his forecastle.
above and across; more than
From this reading A diminished row of stolid Frisians still ruminated over the _Dulcibella_.
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading Clearing the Air “Has he gone to get the police, do you think?” said Davies, grimly.
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading A diminished row of stolid Frisians still ruminated over the _Dulcibella_.
past form of “ruminate” — chew the cuds
From this reading A diminished row of stolid Frisians still ruminated over the _Dulcibella_.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Clearing the Air “Has he gone to get the police, do you think?” said Davies, grimly.
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading Friend Grimm was visible smoking on his forecastle.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “I don’t think so,” said I.
not in physical motion
From this reading A diminished row of stolid Frisians still ruminated over the _Dulcibella_.
having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited
From this reading A diminished row of stolid Frisians still ruminated over the _Dulcibella_.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Let’s go aboard before that Customs fellow buttonholes us.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Clearing the Air “Has he gone to get the police, do you think?” said Davies, grimly.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Clearing the Air “Has he gone to get the police, do you think?” said Davies, grimly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Clearing the Air “Has he gone to get the police, do you think?” said Davies, grimly.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Let’s go aboard before that Customs fellow buttonholes us.”
capable of being seen; or open to easy view
From this reading Friend Grimm was visible smoking on his forecastle.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Friend Grimm was visible smoking on his forecastle.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Clearing the Air “Has he gone to get the police, do you think?” said Davies, grimly.
Chapter 17 of The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers holds 256 sentences, grouped into 52 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 256 sentences of The Riddle of the Sands, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 256 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 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 Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6235 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2360 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2360, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 519 minutes of reading across 1247 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Riddle of the Sands section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Riddle of the Sands 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 Riddle of the Sands, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
