Chapter 17 of The shears of destiny is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The shears of destiny is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE WHITE ONE She rose and crossed to him; and Ivan and Nicolai slipped out. She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl. Their hands gripped. He had never known before what the grip of a hand could be. Nor how glowing a pair of blue eyes.
Chapter 17 of The shears of destiny is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
of textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles
From this reading “She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.”
a plant consisting of one or more buildings with facilities for manufacturing
From this reading “She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.”
highly enthusiastic
From this reading “Nor how glowing a pair of blue eyes.”
the act of grasping
From this reading “He had never known before what the grip of a hand could be.”
inflected form of “grip” — hold fast or firmly
From this reading “Their hands gripped.”
a short coat
From this reading “She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.”
made of layers of fabric held together by patterned stitching
From this reading “She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.”
cloak consisting of an oblong piece of cloth used to cover the head and shoulders
From this reading “She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.”
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 “Nor how glowing a pair of blue eyes.”
In this reading “He had never known before what the grip of a hand could be.”
In this reading “THE WHITE ONE She rose and crossed to him; and Ivan and Nicolai slipped out.”
In this reading “She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.”
In this reading “Their hands gripped.”
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 She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE WHITE ONE She rose and crossed to him; and Ivan and Nicolai slipped out.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He had never known before what the grip of a hand could be.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading Nor how glowing a pair of blue eyes.
of textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He had never known before what the grip of a hand could be.
placed crosswise
From this reading THE WHITE ONE She rose and crossed to him; and Ivan and Nicolai slipped out.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Nor how glowing a pair of blue eyes.
a plant consisting of one or more buildings with facilities for manufacturing
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
a young female
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
highly enthusiastic
From this reading Nor how glowing a pair of blue eyes.
the act of grasping
From this reading He had never known before what the grip of a hand could be.
inflected form of “grip” — hold fast or firmly
From this reading Their hands gripped.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He had never known before what the grip of a hand could be.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Their hands gripped.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading THE WHITE ONE She rose and crossed to him; and Ivan and Nicolai slipped out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nor how glowing a pair of blue eyes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WHITE ONE She rose and crossed to him; and Ivan and Nicolai slipped out.
a short coat
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading He had never known before what the grip of a hand could be.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He had never known before what the grip of a hand could be.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WHITE ONE She rose and crossed to him; and Ivan and Nicolai slipped out.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Nor how glowing a pair of blue eyes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading THE WHITE ONE She rose and crossed to him; and Ivan and Nicolai slipped out.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading THE WHITE ONE She rose and crossed to him; and Ivan and Nicolai slipped out.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading Nor how glowing a pair of blue eyes.
made of layers of fabric held together by patterned stitching
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading THE WHITE ONE She rose and crossed to him; and Ivan and Nicolai slipped out.
Identical; not different.
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
cloak consisting of an oblong piece of cloth used to cover the head and shoulders
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE WHITE ONE She rose and crossed to him; and Ivan and Nicolai slipped out.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading THE WHITE ONE She rose and crossed to him; and Ivan and Nicolai slipped out.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE WHITE ONE She rose and crossed to him; and Ivan and Nicolai slipped out.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their hands gripped.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE WHITE ONE She rose and crossed to him; and Ivan and Nicolai slipped out.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading She was dressed as he had seen her in this same room a week before--in the coarse, quilted jacket and head-swathing shawl of a factory girl.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He had never known before what the grip of a hand could be.
a Caucasian
From this reading THE WHITE ONE She rose and crossed to him; and Ivan and Nicolai slipped out.
Chapter 17 of The shears of destiny by Leroy Scott holds 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 138 sentences of The shears of destiny, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The shears of destiny by Leroy Scott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 shears of destiny by Leroy Scott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The shears of destiny section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The shears of destiny 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 shears of destiny, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
