Chapter 16 of The Street of Seven Stars is here in full — 274 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Street of Seven Stars is here in full — 274 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Quite suddenly Peter's house, built on the sand, collapsed. The shock came on Christmas-Day, after young McLean, now frankly infatuated, had been driven home by Peter. Peter did it after his own fashion. Harmony, with unflagging enthusiasm, was looking tired. Suggestions to this effect rolled off McLean's back like rain off a roof.
Chapter 16 of The Street of Seven Stars is here in full — 274 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/54 · 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.
past form of “collapse” — break down, literally or metaphorically
From this reading “Quite suddenly Peter's house, built on the sand, collapsed.”
a feeling of excitement
From this reading “Harmony, with unflagging enthusiasm, was looking tired.”
(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that
From this reading “The shock came on Christmas-Day, after young McLean, now frankly infatuated, had been driven home by Peter.”
compatibility in opinion and action
From this reading “Harmony, with unflagging enthusiasm, was looking tired.”
marked by foolish or unreasoning fondness
From this reading “The shock came on Christmas-Day, after young McLean, now frankly infatuated, had been driven home by Peter.”
possessive form of “peter” — disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading “Quite suddenly Peter's house, built on the sand, collapsed.”
plural of “suggestion” — an idea that is suggested
From this reading “Suggestions to this effect rolled off McLean's back like rain off a roof.”
showing sustained enthusiastic action with unflagging vitality
From this reading “Harmony, with unflagging enthusiasm, was looking tired.”
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 Suggestions to this effect rolled off McLean's back like rain off a roof.
later than; following
From this reading The shock came on Christmas-Day, after young McLean, now frankly infatuated, had been driven home by Peter.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Suggestions to this effect rolled off McLean's back like rain off a roof.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The shock came on Christmas-Day, after young McLean, now frankly infatuated, had been driven home by Peter.
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading Quite suddenly Peter's house, built on the sand, collapsed.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The shock came on Christmas-Day, after young McLean, now frankly infatuated, had been driven home by Peter.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The shock came on Christmas-Day, after young McLean, now frankly infatuated, had been driven home by Peter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The shock came on Christmas-Day, after young McLean, now frankly infatuated, had been driven home by Peter.
past form of “collapse” — break down, literally or metaphorically
From this reading Quite suddenly Peter's house, built on the sand, collapsed.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Peter did it after his own fashion.
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
From this reading The shock came on Christmas-Day, after young McLean, now frankly infatuated, had been driven home by Peter.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading Suggestions to this effect rolled off McLean's back like rain off a roof.
a feeling of excitement
From this reading Harmony, with unflagging enthusiasm, was looking tired.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Peter did it after his own fashion.
(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that
From this reading The shock came on Christmas-Day, after young McLean, now frankly infatuated, had been driven home by Peter.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The shock came on Christmas-Day, after young McLean, now frankly infatuated, had been driven home by Peter.
compatibility in opinion and action
From this reading Harmony, with unflagging enthusiasm, was looking tired.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Peter did it after his own fashion.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading The shock came on Christmas-Day, after young McLean, now frankly infatuated, had been driven home by Peter.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Quite suddenly Peter's house, built on the sand, collapsed.
marked by foolish or unreasoning fondness
From this reading The shock came on Christmas-Day, after young McLean, now frankly infatuated, had been driven home by Peter.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Peter did it after his own fashion.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Suggestions to this effect rolled off McLean's back like rain off a roof.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Harmony, with unflagging enthusiasm, was looking tired.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The shock came on Christmas-Day, after young McLean, now frankly infatuated, had been driven home by Peter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Suggestions to this effect rolled off McLean's back like rain off a roof.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The shock came on Christmas-Day, after young McLean, now frankly infatuated, had been driven home by Peter.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Suggestions to this effect rolled off McLean's back like rain off a roof.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Quite suddenly Peter's house, built on the sand, collapsed.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Peter did it after his own fashion.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading The shock came on Christmas-Day, after young McLean, now frankly infatuated, had been driven home by Peter.
possessive form of “peter” — disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading Quite suddenly Peter's house, built on the sand, collapsed.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Quite suddenly Peter's house, built on the sand, collapsed.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading Suggestions to this effect rolled off McLean's back like rain off a roof.
especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward
From this reading Suggestions to this effect rolled off McLean's back like rain off a roof.
a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading Suggestions to this effect rolled off McLean's back like rain off a roof.
a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral
From this reading Quite suddenly Peter's house, built on the sand, collapsed.
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading The shock came on Christmas-Day, after young McLean, now frankly infatuated, had been driven home by Peter.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Quite suddenly Peter's house, built on the sand, collapsed.
plural of “suggestion” — an idea that is suggested
From this reading Suggestions to this effect rolled off McLean's back like rain off a roof.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Quite suddenly Peter's house, built on the sand, collapsed.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Suggestions to this effect rolled off McLean's back like rain off a roof.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading Harmony, with unflagging enthusiasm, was looking tired.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Suggestions to this effect rolled off McLean's back like rain off a roof.
showing sustained enthusiastic action with unflagging vitality
From this reading Harmony, with unflagging enthusiasm, was looking tired.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Harmony, with unflagging enthusiasm, was looking tired.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Harmony, with unflagging enthusiasm, was looking tired.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The shock came on Christmas-Day, after young McLean, now frankly infatuated, had been driven home by Peter.
Chapter 16 of The Street of Seven Stars by Mary Roberts Rinehart holds 274 sentences, grouped into 55 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 16 holds 274 sentences of The Street of Seven Stars, unabridged, divided into 55 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Street of Seven Stars by Mary Roberts Rinehart exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 274 sentences, grouped into 55 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 55 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 55 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 16 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 Street of Seven Stars by Mary Roberts Rinehart on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5973 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1214 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1214, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 497 minutes of reading across 1195 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Street of Seven Stars section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Street of Seven Stars 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 Street of Seven Stars, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
