Chapter 23 of The Vanished Messenger is here in full — 238 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Vanished Messenger is here in full — 238 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it. He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass. “Where did it go?” she asked. “I have no idea,” he admitted. “Why don’t you help look for it?”
Chapter 23 of The Vanished Messenger is here in full — 238 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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.
the act of overcoming or outdoing
From this reading “He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.”
inflected form of “caddie” — act as a caddie and carry clubs for a player
From this reading “He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.”
(Old Testament) a beautiful Jewess chosen by the king of Persia to be his queen; she stopped a plot to massacre all the Jews in Persia (an event celebrated by Jews as the feast of Purim)
From this reading “Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.”
position nine in a countable series of things
From this reading “Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.”
with patience; in a patient manner
From this reading “Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.”
the region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean
From this reading “He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.”
prepared by cutting
From this reading “Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.”
plural of “tuft” — a bunch of hair or feathers or growing grass
From this reading “He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.”
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 Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading “I have no idea,” he admitted.
later than; following
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
separated or at a distance in place or position or time
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Where did it go?” she asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
the act of overcoming or outdoing
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
inflected form of “caddie” — act as a caddie and carry clubs for a player
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Where did it go?” she asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why don’t you help look for it?”
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
(Old Testament) a beautiful Jewess chosen by the king of Persia to be his queen; she stopped a plot to massacre all the Jews in Persia (an event celebrated by Jews as the feast of Purim)
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Where did it go?” she asked.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have no idea,” he admitted.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I have no idea,” he admitted.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “I have no idea,” he admitted.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
position nine in a countable series of things
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
not any; not one
From this reading “I have no idea,” he admitted.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
with patience; in a patient manner
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
the region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Where did it go?” she asked.
prepared by cutting
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
having a supporting base
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
plural of “tuft” — a bunch of hair or feathers or growing grass
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Hamel sliced his ball at the ninth, and after waiting for a few minutes patiently, Esther came to help him look for it.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
in or at the place that
From this reading “Where did it go?” she asked.
which person or people
From this reading He was standing down on the sands, a little apart from the two caddies who were beating out various tufts of long grass.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why don’t you help look for it?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Why don’t you help look for it?”
Chapter 23 of The Vanished Messenger by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim holds 238 sentences, grouped into 48 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 23 holds 238 sentences of The Vanished Messenger, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Vanished Messenger by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 238 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 23 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 Vanished Messenger by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6995 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1699 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1699, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 582 minutes of reading across 1399 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Vanished Messenger section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of The Vanished Messenger 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 Vanished Messenger, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
