Chapter 13 of The Swindler and Other Stories is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Swindler and Other Stories is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You don't seem to realise," the young man said, "that we are absolutely penniless--destitute. Everything is sunk in this Winhalla Railway scheme, up to the last penny. It seemed a gorgeous chance at the time. It ought to have brought in thousands. It would have done, too, if it had been properly supported.
Chapter 13 of The Swindler and Other Stories is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
poor enough to need help from others
From this reading “"You don't seem to realise," the young man said, "that we are absolutely penniless--destitute.”
dazzlingly beautiful
From this reading “It seemed a gorgeous chance at the time.”
not having enough money to pay for necessities
From this reading “"You don't seem to realise," the young man said, "that we are absolutely penniless--destitute.”
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading “Everything is sunk in this Winhalla Railway scheme, up to the last penny.”
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading “Everything is sunk in this Winhalla Railway scheme, up to the last penny.”
earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as salary or wages
From this reading “"You don't seem to realise," the young man said, "that we are absolutely penniless--destitute.”
doomed to extinction
From this reading “Everything is sunk in this Winhalla Railway scheme, up to the last penny.”
sustained or maintained by aid (as distinct from physical support)
From this reading “It would have done, too, if it had been properly supported.”
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 It seemed a gorgeous chance at the time.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading "You don't seem to realise," the young man said, "that we are absolutely penniless--destitute.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You don't seem to realise," the young man said, "that we are absolutely penniless--destitute.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It seemed a gorgeous chance at the time.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It would have done, too, if it had been properly supported.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading It ought to have brought in thousands.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading It seemed a gorgeous chance at the time.
poor enough to need help from others
From this reading "You don't seem to realise," the young man said, "that we are absolutely penniless--destitute.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You don't seem to realise," the young man said, "that we are absolutely penniless--destitute.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading It would have done, too, if it had been properly supported.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Everything is sunk in this Winhalla Railway scheme, up to the last penny.
dazzlingly beautiful
From this reading It seemed a gorgeous chance at the time.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It would have done, too, if it had been properly supported.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It ought to have brought in thousands.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It would have done, too, if it had been properly supported.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Everything is sunk in this Winhalla Railway scheme, up to the last penny.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Everything is sunk in this Winhalla Railway scheme, up to the last penny.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed a gorgeous chance at the time.
immediately past
From this reading Everything is sunk in this Winhalla Railway scheme, up to the last penny.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "You don't seem to realise," the young man said, "that we are absolutely penniless--destitute.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading It ought to have brought in thousands.
not having enough money to pay for necessities
From this reading "You don't seem to realise," the young man said, "that we are absolutely penniless--destitute.
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading Everything is sunk in this Winhalla Railway scheme, up to the last penny.
in the right manner; correctly; suitably
From this reading It would have done, too, if it had been properly supported.
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading Everything is sunk in this Winhalla Railway scheme, up to the last penny.
earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as salary or wages
From this reading "You don't seem to realise," the young man said, "that we are absolutely penniless--destitute.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You don't seem to realise," the young man said, "that we are absolutely penniless--destitute.
an elaborate and systematic plan of action
From this reading Everything is sunk in this Winhalla Railway scheme, up to the last penny.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "You don't seem to realise," the young man said, "that we are absolutely penniless--destitute.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed a gorgeous chance at the time.
doomed to extinction
From this reading Everything is sunk in this Winhalla Railway scheme, up to the last penny.
sustained or maintained by aid (as distinct from physical support)
From this reading It would have done, too, if it had been properly supported.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "You don't seem to realise," the young man said, "that we are absolutely penniless--destitute.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You don't seem to realise," the young man said, "that we are absolutely penniless--destitute.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Everything is sunk in this Winhalla Railway scheme, up to the last penny.
plural of “thousand” — the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading It ought to have brought in thousands.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It seemed a gorgeous chance at the time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You don't seem to realise," the young man said, "that we are absolutely penniless--destitute.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading It would have done, too, if it had been properly supported.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Everything is sunk in this Winhalla Railway scheme, up to the last penny.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "You don't seem to realise," the young man said, "that we are absolutely penniless--destitute.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Everything is sunk in this Winhalla Railway scheme, up to the last penny.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would have done, too, if it had been properly supported.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You don't seem to realise," the young man said, "that we are absolutely penniless--destitute.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "You don't seem to realise," the young man said, "that we are absolutely penniless--destitute.
Chapter 13 of The Swindler and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 390 sentences of The Swindler and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Swindler and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 Swindler and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8523 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18644 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18644, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1705 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Swindler and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Swindler and Other Stories 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 Swindler and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
