Chapter 17 of The Salamander is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Salamander is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Hold tight!" She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap. "Look out! Don't touch my arm!" he cried warningly. The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.
Chapter 17 of The Salamander is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
moving at very high speed
From this reading “She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.”
material resulting from the process of grinding
From this reading “She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.”
close in time; about to occur
From this reading “The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.”
crossed or intersected in the form of an X
From this reading “The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.”
a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
From this reading “She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.”
past form of “release” — release, as from one's grip
From this reading “She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.”
being all around the edges; enclosing
From this reading “The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.”
a wheeled vehicle that runs on rails and is propelled by electricity
From this reading “The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.”
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.
a wheeled vehicle that runs on rails and is propelled by electricity
In this reading “The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.”
hold firmly, usually with one's hands
In this reading “"Hold tight!"”
In this reading “The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.”
a street intersecting a main street and terminating there
In this reading “She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.”
be vigilant, be on the lookout or be careful
In this reading “"Look out!”
In this reading “The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.”
In this reading “The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.”
In this reading “She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.”
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 She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading Don't touch my arm!" he cried warningly.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.
a line of approach
From this reading The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.
moving at very high speed
From this reading She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Don't touch my arm!" he cried warningly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don't touch my arm!" he cried warningly.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.
material resulting from the process of grinding
From this reading She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Don't touch my arm!" he cried warningly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "Hold tight!"
close in time; about to occur
From this reading The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.
plural of “inch” — a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.
crossed or intersected in the form of an X
From this reading The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.
a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
From this reading She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Look out!
a particular point in time
From this reading The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Don't touch my arm!" he cried warningly.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Look out!
past form of “release” — release, as from one's grip
From this reading She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.
move hurridly
From this reading The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.
being all around the edges; enclosing
From this reading The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading "Hold tight!"
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading Don't touch my arm!" he cried warningly.
a wheeled vehicle that runs on rails and is propelled by electricity
From this reading The next moment they had leaped an intersecting avenue, skirting the impending rush of a trolley car by inches.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading She caught his shoulder at a sudden grinding stop, a breakneck turn into a side street, and the released forward leap.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don't touch my arm!" he cried warningly.
Chapter 17 of The Salamander by Owen Johnson holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 17 holds 426 sentences of The Salamander, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Salamander by Owen Johnson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Salamander by Owen Johnson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9886 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36355 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36355, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1978 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Salamander section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Salamander 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 Salamander, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
