Chapter 16 of The Secret Passage is here in full — 306 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Secret Passage is here in full — 306 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment. He never expected to hear that Juliet herself had been on the spot. Seeing this, she went on quickly. "Now you can understand why I held my tongue. You were at Rose Cottage on that night.
Chapter 16 of The Secret Passage is here in full — 306 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/61 · 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.
the act of admitting someone to enter
From this reading “JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.”
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading “JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.”
a small house with a single story
From this reading “You were at Rose Cottage on that night.”
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading “He never expected to hear that Juliet herself had been on the spot.”
with speed
From this reading “Seeing this, she went on quickly.”
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “He never expected to hear that Juliet herself had been on the spot.”
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading “JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.”
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading “"Now you can understand why I held my tongue.”
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 JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.
the act of admitting someone to enter
From this reading JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading You were at Rose Cottage on that night.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He never expected to hear that Juliet herself had been on the spot.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Now you can understand why I held my tongue.
without stop or interruption
From this reading JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.
a small house with a single story
From this reading You were at Rose Cottage on that night.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading He never expected to hear that Juliet herself had been on the spot.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He never expected to hear that Juliet herself had been on the spot.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He never expected to hear that Juliet herself had been on the spot.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading He never expected to hear that Juliet herself had been on the spot.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading He never expected to hear that Juliet herself had been on the spot.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Now you can understand why I held my tongue.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He never expected to hear that Juliet herself had been on the spot.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.
a particular point in time
From this reading JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Now you can understand why I held my tongue.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He never expected to hear that Juliet herself had been on the spot.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading You were at Rose Cottage on that night.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now you can understand why I held my tongue.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He never expected to hear that Juliet herself had been on the spot.
with speed
From this reading Seeing this, she went on quickly.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading You were at Rose Cottage on that night.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading Seeing this, she went on quickly.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Seeing this, she went on quickly.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading He never expected to hear that Juliet herself had been on the spot.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He never expected to hear that Juliet herself had been on the spot.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He never expected to hear that Juliet herself had been on the spot.
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading "Now you can understand why I held my tongue.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading "Now you can understand why I held my tongue.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading JULIET'S STORY CONTINUED Cuthbert was so surprised by this admission that astonishment held him silent for a moment.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Seeing this, she went on quickly.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You were at Rose Cottage on that night.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Now you can understand why I held my tongue.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Now you can understand why I held my tongue.
Chapter 16 of The Secret Passage by Fergus Hume holds 306 sentences, grouped into 62 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 16 holds 306 sentences of The Secret Passage, unabridged, divided into 62 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Secret Passage by Fergus Hume exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 306 sentences, grouped into 62 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 62 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 62 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 16 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 Passage by Fergus Hume on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6904 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4531 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4531, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 575 minutes of reading across 1381 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret Passage section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Secret Passage 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 Passage, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
