Chapter 14 of The Secret City is here in full — 679 sentences across 136 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of The Secret City is here in full — 679 sentences across 136 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She closed it. "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching. "What is it?" Nina asked in a whisper. "I don't know," said Vera, also whispering.
Chapter 14 of The Secret City is here in full — 679 sentences across 136 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/135 · 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.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading “She closed it.”
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading “"Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.”
the Babylonian goddess of the watery deep and daughter of Ea
From this reading “"Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.”
having a supporting base
From this reading “"Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.”
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading “"Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.”
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading “Nina asked in a whisper.”
a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind
From this reading “"I don't know," said Vera, also whispering.”
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading “"Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.”
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.
In this reading “Nina asked in a whisper.”
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 "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
in addition
From this reading "I don't know," said Vera, also whispering.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading She closed it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know," said Vera, also whispering.
opinion or judgment
From this reading "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't know," said Vera, also whispering.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Nina asked in a whisper.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She closed it.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know," said Vera, also whispering.
the Babylonian goddess of the watery deep and daughter of Ea
From this reading "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I don't know," said Vera, also whispering.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She closed it.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
having a supporting base
From this reading "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know," said Vera, also whispering.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading Nina asked in a whisper.
a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind
From this reading "I don't know," said Vera, also whispering.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Now what is it?" she asked, and then, hearing a sound, turned to find that Nina was standing with wide eyes, watching.
Chapter 14 of The Secret City by Hugh Walpole holds 679 sentences, grouped into 136 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 14 holds 679 sentences of The Secret City, unabridged, divided into 136 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of The Secret City by Hugh Walpole exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 679 sentences, grouped into 136 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 136 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 136 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 14 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 Secret City by Hugh Walpole on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8967 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12349 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12349, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1794 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret City section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Secret City 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 Secret City, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
