Chapter 16 of The Secret Wireless is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 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 Wireless is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices. Captain Hardy chuckled. "I think he was," he said. "But for a time it was I who was surprised. The Chief knew from his own men all about yesterday's message.
Chapter 16 of The Secret Wireless is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
past form of “chuckle” — laugh quietly or with restraint
From this reading “Captain Hardy chuckled.”
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading “Captain Hardy chuckled.”
plural of “office” — place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading “AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.”
a detachment used for security or reconnaissance
From this reading “AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.”
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading “AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.”
not expected or anticipated
From this reading “AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.”
medium for communication
From this reading “AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.”
possessive form of “yesterday” — the day immediately before today
From this reading “The Chief knew from his own men all about yesterday's message.”
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 "But for a time it was I who was surprised.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The Chief knew from his own men all about yesterday's message.
later than; following
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
(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 The Chief knew from his own men all about yesterday's message.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But for a time it was I who was surprised.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
a person who is in charge
From this reading The Chief knew from his own men all about yesterday's message.
past form of “chuckle” — laugh quietly or with restraint
From this reading Captain Hardy chuckled.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "But for a time it was I who was surprised.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The Chief knew from his own men all about yesterday's message.
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading Captain Hardy chuckled.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I think he was," he said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "But for a time it was I who was surprised.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The Chief knew from his own men all about yesterday's message.
a room in a private house or establishment where people can sit and talk and relax
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
the force of workers available
From this reading The Chief knew from his own men all about yesterday's message.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
plural of “office” — place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading The Chief knew from his own men all about yesterday's message.
a detachment used for security or reconnaissance
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I think he was," he said.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I think he was," he said.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "But for a time it was I who was surprised.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
which person or people
From this reading "But for a time it was I who was surprised.
medium for communication
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MESSAGE "Was he surprised?" cried the four boys of the wireless patrol, as their captain entered the living-room after his trip to the secret service offices.
possessive form of “yesterday” — the day immediately before today
From this reading The Chief knew from his own men all about yesterday's message.
Chapter 16 of The Secret Wireless by Lewis E. (Lewis Edwin) Theiss holds 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 16 holds 104 sentences of The Secret Wireless, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Secret Wireless by Lewis E. (Lewis Edwin) Theiss exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Wireless by Lewis E. (Lewis Edwin) Theiss on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3775 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21955 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21955, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 314 minutes of reading across 755 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret Wireless section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Secret Wireless 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 Wireless, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
