Chapter XVI of The Shadow Passes: A Mystery Story for Boys, “Looming Peril,” is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter XVI of The Shadow Passes: A Mystery Story for Boys, “Looming Peril,” is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this. “Not a bit of good to row,” was MacGregor’s decision. “We’ve not the least notion which way to go. If there was a breeze we might row by that. There’s no breeze.”
Chapter XVI of The Shadow Passes: A Mystery Story for Boys, “Looming Peril,” is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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 small piece or quantity of something
From this reading ““Not a bit of good to row,” was MacGregor’s decision.”
a slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading “If there was a breeze we might row by that.”
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading ““Not a bit of good to row,” was MacGregor’s decision.”
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading “Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this.”
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading ““We’ve not the least notion which way to go.”
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading ““We’ve not the least notion which way to go.”
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading ““Not a bit of good to row,” was MacGregor’s decision.”
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading “Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this.”
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 “Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this.”
In this reading ““We’ve not the least notion which way to go.”
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 “Not a bit of good to row,” was MacGregor’s decision.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading “Not a bit of good to row,” was MacGregor’s decision.
a slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading If there was a breeze we might row by that.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading If there was a breeze we might row by that.
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading “Not a bit of good to row,” was MacGregor’s decision.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “We’ve not the least notion which way to go.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Not a bit of good to row,” was MacGregor’s decision.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If there was a breeze we might row by that.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this.
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading “We’ve not the least notion which way to go.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Not a bit of good to row,” was MacGregor’s decision.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading If there was a breeze we might row by that.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this.
not any; not one
From this reading There’s no breeze.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Not a bit of good to row,” was MacGregor’s decision.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading “We’ve not the least notion which way to go.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Not a bit of good to row,” was MacGregor’s decision.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this.
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading “Not a bit of good to row,” was MacGregor’s decision.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading If there was a breeze we might row by that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “We’ve not the least notion which way to go.
in or at that place or location
From this reading If there was a breeze we might row by that.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There’s no breeze.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Not a bit of good to row,” was MacGregor’s decision.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Not a bit of good to row,” was MacGregor’s decision.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “We’ve not the least notion which way to go.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading If there was a breeze we might row by that.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We’ve not the least notion which way to go.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “We’ve not the least notion which way to go.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Many times in his young life Johnny had been on his own, but never quite like this.
Chapter 16 of The Shadow Passes: A Mystery Story for Boys by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell holds 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 146 sentences of The Shadow Passes: A Mystery Story for Boys, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Shadow Passes: A Mystery Story for Boys by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Shadow Passes: A Mystery Story for Boys by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3956 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44352 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44352, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 329 minutes of reading across 792 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Shadow Passes: A Mystery Story for Boys section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Shadow Passes: A Mystery Story for Boys 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 Shadow Passes: A Mystery Story for Boys, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
