Chapter 39 of The Stolen Brain is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of The Stolen Brain is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN ATTACK ON NICK’S HOME. When the detective and the reporter were left alone, Nick said to the latter: “I almost regret that you fired that shot, old man.” “Why?” asked the other. “Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.
Chapter 39 of The Stolen Brain is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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 short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading ““Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.”
a tract of land with few or no trees in the middle of a wooded area
From this reading ““Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.”
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “When the detective and the reporter were left alone, Nick said to the latter:”
having lost your job
From this reading ““I almost regret that you fired that shot, old man.””
cut slightly, with a razor
From this reading “AN ATTACK ON NICK’S HOME.”
possessive form of “nick” — an impression in a surface (as made by a blow)
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading ““I almost regret that you fired that shot, old man.””
a person who investigates and reports or edits news stories
From this reading “When the detective and the reporter were left alone, Nick said to the latter:”
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.
a man who is very old
In this reading ““I almost regret that you fired that shot, old man.””
In this reading ““Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.”
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.
possessing life
From this reading “Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “I almost regret that you fired that shot, old man.”
Having no one else present.
From this reading When the detective and the reporter were left alone, Nick said to the latter:
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN ATTACK ON NICK’S HOME.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When the detective and the reporter were left alone, Nick said to the latter:
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Why?” asked the other.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading AN ATTACK ON NICK’S HOME.
for the reason that
From this reading “Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading “Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.
an occurrence of something
From this reading “Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.
a tract of land with few or no trees in the middle of a wooded area
From this reading “Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading When the detective and the reporter were left alone, Nick said to the latter:
having lost your job
From this reading “I almost regret that you fired that shot, old man.”
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading “Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading AN ATTACK ON NICK’S HOME.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I almost regret that you fired that shot, old man.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.
referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)
From this reading When the detective and the reporter were left alone, Nick said to the latter:
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading When the detective and the reporter were left alone, Nick said to the latter:
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “I almost regret that you fired that shot, old man.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading “Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.
cut slightly, with a razor
From this reading When the detective and the reporter were left alone, Nick said to the latter:
possessive form of “nick” — an impression in a surface (as made by a blow)
From this reading AN ATTACK ON NICK’S HOME.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “I almost regret that you fired that shot, old man.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading AN ATTACK ON NICK’S HOME.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading “Why?” asked the other.
established beyond doubt
From this reading “Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading “I almost regret that you fired that shot, old man.”
a person who investigates and reports or edits news stories
From this reading When the detective and the reporter were left alone, Nick said to the latter:
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading When the detective and the reporter were left alone, Nick said to the latter:
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading “Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading “I almost regret that you fired that shot, old man.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I almost regret that you fired that shot, old man.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When the detective and the reporter were left alone, Nick said to the latter:
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When the detective and the reporter were left alone, Nick said to the latter:
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading When the detective and the reporter were left alone, Nick said to the latter:
at the time that
From this reading When the detective and the reporter were left alone, Nick said to the latter:
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why?” asked the other.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I almost regret that you fired that shot, old man.”
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case.
Chapter 39 of The Stolen Brain by Nicholas (House name) Carter holds 178 sentences, grouped into 36 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 39 holds 178 sentences of The Stolen Brain, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of The Stolen Brain by Nicholas (House name) Carter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 178 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 39 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 Stolen Brain by Nicholas (House name) Carter on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4124 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66740 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66740, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 343 minutes of reading across 825 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Stolen Brain section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Stolen Brain 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 Stolen Brain, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
