Chapter 17 of The Sign of the Spider is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Sign of the Spider is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DISSENSIONS. "Well, I'm uncommonly glad I was out of that affair yesterday, Stanninghame. But it isn't like you, letting those poor devils off, eh?" Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party. "I don't know.
Chapter 17 of The Sign of the Spider is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
plural of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading “But it isn't like you, letting those poor devils off, eh?"”
the side of military or naval formation
From this reading “Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.”
a fictitious detective in stories by A. Conan Doyle
From this reading “Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.”
in an unhurried way or at one's convenience
From this reading “Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.”
property that is leased or rented out or let
From this reading “But it isn't like you, letting those poor devils off, eh?"”
following in order to overtake or capture or as accompaniment to such pursuit
From this reading “Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.”
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading “Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.”
exceptionally
From this reading “"Well, I'm uncommonly glad I was out of that affair yesterday, Stanninghame.”
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.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "Well, I'm uncommonly glad I was out of that affair yesterday, Stanninghame.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it isn't like you, letting those poor devils off, eh?"
plural of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading But it isn't like you, letting those poor devils off, eh?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DISSENSIONS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But it isn't like you, letting those poor devils off, eh?"
the side of military or naval formation
From this reading Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading "Well, I'm uncommonly glad I was out of that affair yesterday, Stanninghame.
a fictitious detective in stories by A. Conan Doyle
From this reading Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, I'm uncommonly glad I was out of that affair yesterday, Stanninghame.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, I'm uncommonly glad I was out of that affair yesterday, Stanninghame.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But it isn't like you, letting those poor devils off, eh?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But it isn't like you, letting those poor devils off, eh?"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know.
in an unhurried way or at one's convenience
From this reading Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.
property that is leased or rented out or let
From this reading But it isn't like you, letting those poor devils off, eh?"
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading But it isn't like you, letting those poor devils off, eh?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Well, I'm uncommonly glad I was out of that affair yesterday, Stanninghame.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading But it isn't like you, letting those poor devils off, eh?"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Well, I'm uncommonly glad I was out of that affair yesterday, Stanninghame.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading But it isn't like you, letting those poor devils off, eh?"
following in order to overtake or capture or as accompaniment to such pursuit
From this reading Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, I'm uncommonly glad I was out of that affair yesterday, Stanninghame.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Well, I'm uncommonly glad I was out of that affair yesterday, Stanninghame.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading But it isn't like you, letting those poor devils off, eh?"
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.
exceptionally
From this reading "Well, I'm uncommonly glad I was out of that affair yesterday, Stanninghame.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Well, I'm uncommonly glad I was out of that affair yesterday, Stanninghame.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, I'm uncommonly glad I was out of that affair yesterday, Stanninghame.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Thus Holmes, as the two were leisurely pursuing their way, somewhat on the rear flank of the slave-party.
the day immediately before today
From this reading "Well, I'm uncommonly glad I was out of that affair yesterday, Stanninghame.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But it isn't like you, letting those poor devils off, eh?"
Chapter 17 of The Sign of the Spider by Bertram Mitford holds 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 162 sentences of The Sign of the Spider, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Sign of the Spider by Bertram Mitford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 Sign of the Spider by Bertram Mitford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5340 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27476 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27476, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 445 minutes of reading across 1068 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sign of the Spider section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Sign of the Spider 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 Sign of the Spider, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
