Chapter 17 of The Secret of the League is here in full — 350 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Secret of the League is here in full — 350 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE INCIDENT OF THE 13TH OF JANUARY "I do not altogether like it," said A. "Do you prefer to leave things as they are, then?" demanded B. A. went over and stood by the window, looking moodily out. "It is merely a necessity," said C. "The necessity of a necessity," suggested D. happily.
Chapter 17 of The Secret of the League is here in full — 350 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/70 · 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.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading “THE INCIDENT OF THE 13TH OF JANUARY "I do not altogether like it," said A.”
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “"Do you prefer to leave things as they are, then?" demanded B.”
in a joyous manner
From this reading “"The necessity of a necessity," suggested D. happily.”
a single distinct event
From this reading “THE INCIDENT OF THE 13TH OF JANUARY "I do not altogether like it," said A.”
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading “THE INCIDENT OF THE 13TH OF JANUARY "I do not altogether like it," said A.”
the condition of being essential or indispensable
From this reading “"It is merely a necessity," said C.”
like better; value more highly
From this reading “"Do you prefer to leave things as they are, then?" demanded B.”
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “"The necessity of a necessity," suggested D. happily.”
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 “A. went over and stood by the window, looking moodily out.”
hold a review (of troops)
In this reading “A. went over and stood by the window, looking moodily out.”
In this reading “A. went over and stood by the window, looking moodily out.”
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 THE INCIDENT OF THE 13TH OF JANUARY "I do not altogether like it," said A.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE INCIDENT OF THE 13TH OF JANUARY "I do not altogether like it," said A.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading THE INCIDENT OF THE 13TH OF JANUARY "I do not altogether like it," said A.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A. went over and stood by the window, looking moodily out.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Do you prefer to leave things as they are, then?" demanded B.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Do you prefer to leave things as they are, then?" demanded B.
aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil
From this reading "Do you prefer to leave things as they are, then?" demanded B.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A. went over and stood by the window, looking moodily out.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading "It is merely a necessity," said C.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading "The necessity of a necessity," suggested D. happily.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "Do you prefer to leave things as they are, then?" demanded B.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading THE INCIDENT OF THE 13TH OF JANUARY "I do not altogether like it," said A.
in a joyous manner
From this reading "The necessity of a necessity," suggested D. happily.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE INCIDENT OF THE 13TH OF JANUARY "I do not altogether like it," said A.
a single distinct event
From this reading THE INCIDENT OF THE 13TH OF JANUARY "I do not altogether like it," said A.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is merely a necessity," said C.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE INCIDENT OF THE 13TH OF JANUARY "I do not altogether like it," said A.
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading THE INCIDENT OF THE 13TH OF JANUARY "I do not altogether like it," said A.
go away from a place
From this reading "Do you prefer to leave things as they are, then?" demanded B.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading THE INCIDENT OF THE 13TH OF JANUARY "I do not altogether like it," said A.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading A. went over and stood by the window, looking moodily out.
and nothing more
From this reading "It is merely a necessity," said C.
in a moody manner
From this reading A. went over and stood by the window, looking moodily out.
the condition of being essential or indispensable
From this reading "It is merely a necessity," said C.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading THE INCIDENT OF THE 13TH OF JANUARY "I do not altogether like it," said A.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE INCIDENT OF THE 13TH OF JANUARY "I do not altogether like it," said A.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading A. went over and stood by the window, looking moodily out.
above and across; more than
From this reading A. went over and stood by the window, looking moodily out.
like better; value more highly
From this reading "Do you prefer to leave things as they are, then?" demanded B.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading THE INCIDENT OF THE 13TH OF JANUARY "I do not altogether like it," said A.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading A. went over and stood by the window, looking moodily out.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading "The necessity of a necessity," suggested D. happily.
the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day
From this reading THE INCIDENT OF THE 13TH OF JANUARY "I do not altogether like it," said A.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE INCIDENT OF THE 13TH OF JANUARY "I do not altogether like it," said A.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Do you prefer to leave things as they are, then?" demanded B.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Do you prefer to leave things as they are, then?" demanded B.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "Do you prefer to leave things as they are, then?" demanded B.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Do you prefer to leave things as they are, then?" demanded B.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading A. went over and stood by the window, looking moodily out.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading A. went over and stood by the window, looking moodily out.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do you prefer to leave things as they are, then?" demanded B.
Chapter 17 of The Secret of the League by Ernest Bramah holds 350 sentences, grouped into 70 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 350 sentences of The Secret of the League, unabridged, divided into 70 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Secret of the League by Ernest Bramah exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 350 sentences, grouped into 70 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 70 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 70 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 Secret of the League by Ernest Bramah on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4829 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34522 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34522, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 402 minutes of reading across 966 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret of the League section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Secret of the League 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 of the League, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
