Chapter 13 of The step on the stair is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The step on the stair is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?” “No.” “Why these stories then? Why these lies?” She was silent.
Chapter 13 of The step on the stair is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading ““Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?””
plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth
From this reading “Why these lies?””
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading ““Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?””
go across or through
From this reading ““Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?””
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading ““Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?””
marked by absence of sound
From this reading “She was silent.”
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading ““Why these stories then?”
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading ““Why these stories then?”
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 ““Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?””
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.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?”
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?”
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading “Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?”
plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth
From this reading Why these lies?”
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?”
not any; not one
From this reading “No.”
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?”
go across or through
From this reading “Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?”
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading “Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was silent.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading She was silent.
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “Why these stories then?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Why these stories then?
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading “Why these stories then?
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was silent.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why these stories then?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Did you see him or his shadow pass down the hall at any time that night?”
Chapter 13 of The step on the stair by Anna Katharine Green holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 13 holds 402 sentences of The step on the stair, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The step on the stair by Anna Katharine Green exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 13 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 step on the stair by Anna Katharine Green 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 step on the stair section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The step on the stair 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 step on the stair, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
