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The String of Pearls
The String of Pearls

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of The String of Pearls is here in full — 834 sentences across 167 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The String of Pearls
Context Illustration Reading 1/166 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
RETURNS TO JOHANNA.
We return to Johanna Oakley.
"What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.
"What is the meaning of all this?
Am I going mad?"
0:00 / 0:00
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The String of Pearls

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of The String of Pearls is here in full — 834 sentences across 167 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/166 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
RETURNS TO JOHANNA.
Line 2
We return to Johanna Oakley.
Line 3
"What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.
Line 4
"What is the meaning of all this?
/wʌt ɪz ðə ˈmiːnɪŋ ʌv ɔːl ðɪs/
Line 5
Am I going mad?"
/æm aɪ ˈɡoʊɪŋ mæd/

Learner Dictionary

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.

concerted adjective US /kənˈsɜːrtəd/

involving the joint activity of two or more

From this reading “"What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.”

Oakley noun US /ˈoʊkli/

United States sharpshooter who was featured in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (1860-1926)

From this reading “We return to Johanna Oakley.”

operations noun US /ˌɑːpərˈeɪʃənz/

financial transactions at a brokerage; having to do with the execution of trades and keeping customer records

From this reading “"What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.”

regarding verb US /rɪˈɡɑːrdɪŋ/

-ing form of “regard” — deem to be

From this reading “"What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.”

returns noun US /rɪˈtɜːrnz/

plural of “return” — document giving the tax collector information about the taxpayer's tax liability

From this reading “RETURNS TO JOHANNA.”

romantic adjective US /roʊˈmæntɪk/

belonging to or characteristic of Romanticism or the Romantic Movement in the arts

From this reading “"What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.”

shop verb US /ʃɑːp/

do one's shopping

From this reading “"What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.”

Todd noun US /tɑːd/

Scottish chemist noted for his research into the structure of nucleic acids (born in 1907)

From this reading “"What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

about the hour preposition + article + noun counted as “about … hour”

In this reading “"What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.”

All words in this reading · 48

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

Amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading Am I going mad?"

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

Arabella

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

concertedadjectiveUS /kənˈsɜːrtəd/

involving the joint activity of two or more

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

followingadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːloʊɪŋ/

about to be mentioned or specified

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

friendnounUS /frend/

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading Am I going mad?"

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

hournounUS /ˈaʊər/

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Am I going mad?"

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

JOHANNA

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading RETURNS TO JOHANNA.

madadjectiveUS /mæd/

roused to anger

From this reading Am I going mad?"

meaningnounUS /ˈmiːnɪŋ/

the message that is intended or expressed or signified

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

OakleynounUS /ˈoʊkli/

United States sharpshooter who was featured in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (1860-1926)

From this reading We return to Johanna Oakley.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

operationsnounUS /ˌɑːpərˈeɪʃənz/

financial transactions at a brokerage; having to do with the execution of trades and keeping customer records

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

planverbUS /plæn/

have the will and intention to carry out some action

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

regardingverbUS /rɪˈɡɑːrdɪŋ/

-ing form of “regard” — deem to be

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

returnverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading We return to Johanna Oakley.

RETURNSnounUS /rɪˈtɜːrnz/

plural of “return” — document giving the tax collector information about the taxpayer's tax liability

From this reading RETURNS TO JOHANNA.

romanticadjectiveUS /roʊˈmæntɪk/

belonging to or characteristic of Romanticism or the Romantic Movement in the arts

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

shopverbUS /ʃɑːp/

do one's shopping

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

Sweeney

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

TOparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading RETURNS TO JOHANNA.

ToddnounUS /tɑːd/

Scottish chemist noted for his research into the structure of nucleic acids (born in 1907)

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

twelvenounUS /twelv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We return to Johanna Oakley.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading "What is the meaning of all this?" said Sweeney Todd, as he sat in his shop about the hour of twelve on the morning following that upon which Johanna Oakley and her friend Arabella had concerted so romantic a plan of operations regarding him.

Chapter 17 of The String of Pearls by James Malcolm Rymer holds 834 sentences, grouped into 167 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.

What does chapter 17 of The String of Pearls contain?

Chapter 17 holds 834 sentences of The String of Pearls, unabridged, divided into 167 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of The String of Pearls by James Malcolm Rymer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 834 sentences, grouped into 167 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.

How do I study chapter 17 of The String of Pearls?

Work through the 167 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 167 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.

Can chapter 17 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The String of Pearls

Common questions about reading The String of Pearls by James Malcolm Rymer on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The String of Pearls?

Yes. All 23908 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59828 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The String of Pearls is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #59828, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The String of Pearls take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 4782 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The String of Pearls section by section

How to work through The String of Pearls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of The String of Pearls to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The String of Pearls

Words and structures a reader meets early in The String of Pearls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Https
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The String of Pearls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Domestic
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The String of Pearls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Romance
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The String of Pearls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Preface
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The String of Pearls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.