Chapter 24 of The Sign of the Spider is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of The Sign of the Spider is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AS FROM THE DEAD. "There, there, Holmes. Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp. "And Hazon, too? In truth, life is full of surprises.
Chapter 24 of The Sign of the Spider is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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 boy or man
From this reading “Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.”
hold firmly
From this reading “Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.”
a fictitious detective in stories by A. Conan Doyle
From this reading “"There, there, Holmes.”
have in mind as a purpose
From this reading “Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.”
-ing form of “liberate” — give equal rights to; of women and minorities
From this reading “Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.”
injure or wound seriously and leave permanent disfiguration or mutilation
From this reading “Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.”
plural of “surprise” — the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “In truth, life is full of surprises.”
-ing form of “wring” — twist and press out of shape
From this reading “Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.”
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 Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And Hazon, too?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading AS FROM THE DEAD.
a boy or man
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading AS FROM THE DEAD.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading AS FROM THE DEAD.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading In truth, life is full of surprises.
hold firmly
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And Hazon, too?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
a fictitious detective in stories by A. Conan Doyle
From this reading "There, there, Holmes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In truth, life is full of surprises.
have in mind as a purpose
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In truth, life is full of surprises.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
-ing form of “liberate” — give equal rights to; of women and minorities
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
injure or wound seriously and leave permanent disfiguration or mutilation
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In truth, life is full of surprises.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
plural of “surprise” — the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading In truth, life is full of surprises.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AS FROM THE DEAD.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There, there, Holmes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "And Hazon, too?
a fact that has been verified
From this reading In truth, life is full of surprises.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
-ing form of “wring” — twist and press out of shape
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Do you quite intend to maim a chap for life, or what?" exclaimed Laurence, liberating, with an effort, his hand from the other's wringing grasp.
Chapter 24 of The Sign of the Spider by Bertram Mitford holds 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 24 holds 183 sentences of The Sign of the Spider, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of The Sign of the Spider by Bertram Mitford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 24 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.
