Chapter 21 of The Secret House is here in full — 67 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Secret House is here in full — 67 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up. The detective leapt out. "They have taken T. B.," he said. He addressed a divisional inspector, who was in charge of the corps. "Close up the cordon," he went on, "and all men who are armed follow me."
Chapter 21 of The Secret House is here in full — 67 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 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.
a series of sentinels or of military posts enclosing or guarding some place or thing
From this reading “"Close up the cordon," he went on, "and all men who are armed follow me."”
an army unit usually consisting of two or more divisions and their support
From this reading “He addressed a divisional inspector, who was in charge of the corps.”
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “The detective leapt out.”
of or relating to a military division
From this reading “He addressed a divisional inspector, who was in charge of the corps.”
an extreme leftist terrorist group formed in Greece in 1971 to oppose the military junta that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974; a revolutionary group opposed to capitalism and imperialism and the United States
From this reading “There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.”
United States computer entrepreneur whose software company made him the youngest multi-billionaire in the history of the United States (born in 1955)
From this reading “There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.”
a high ranking police officer
From this reading “He addressed a divisional inspector, who was in charge of the corps.”
inflected form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “The detective leapt out.”
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 member of a police force
In this reading “There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “"Close up the cordon," he went on, "and all men who are armed follow me."”
In this reading “There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.”
In this reading “He addressed a divisional inspector, who was in charge of the corps.”
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 There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading He addressed a divisional inspector, who was in charge of the corps.
(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 "Close up the cordon," he went on, "and all men who are armed follow me."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Close up the cordon," he went on, "and all men who are armed follow me."
(used of persons or the military) characterized by having or bearing arms
From this reading "Close up the cordon," he went on, "and all men who are armed follow me."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil
From this reading "They have taken T. B.," he said.
relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading He addressed a divisional inspector, who was in charge of the corps.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading "Close up the cordon," he went on, "and all men who are armed follow me."
a series of sentinels or of military posts enclosing or guarding some place or thing
From this reading "Close up the cordon," he went on, "and all men who are armed follow me."
an army unit usually consisting of two or more divisions and their support
From this reading He addressed a divisional inspector, who was in charge of the corps.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading The detective leapt out.
of or relating to a military division
From this reading He addressed a divisional inspector, who was in charge of the corps.
an extreme leftist terrorist group formed in Greece in 1971 to oppose the military junta that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974; a revolutionary group opposed to capitalism and imperialism and the United States
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
moving swiftly
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading "Close up the cordon," he went on, "and all men who are armed follow me."
United States computer entrepreneur whose software company made him the youngest multi-billionaire in the history of the United States (born in 1955)
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "They have taken T. B.," he said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They have taken T. B.," he said.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He addressed a divisional inspector, who was in charge of the corps.
a high ranking police officer
From this reading He addressed a divisional inspector, who was in charge of the corps.
inflected form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading The detective leapt out.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Close up the cordon," he went on, "and all men who are armed follow me."
the force of workers available
From this reading "Close up the cordon," he went on, "and all men who are armed follow me."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
plural of “officer” — any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Close up the cordon," he went on, "and all men who are armed follow me."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The detective leapt out.
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "They have taken T. B.," he said.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading "They have taken T. B.," he said.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading "They have taken T. B.," he said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They have taken T. B.," he said.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Close up the cordon," he went on, "and all men who are armed follow me."
which person or people
From this reading He addressed a divisional inspector, who was in charge of the corps.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading There was a group of police officers about the gates of the Secret House as the car bearing Ela and the woman came flying up.
Chapter 21 of The Secret House by Edgar Wallace holds 67 sentences, grouped into 14 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 21 holds 67 sentences of The Secret House, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Secret House by Edgar Wallace exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 67 sentences, grouped into 14 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 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 14 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 21 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 House by Edgar Wallace on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3580 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26176 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26176, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 298 minutes of reading across 716 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Secret House 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 House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
