Chapter 19 of The Voice on the Wire is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of The Voice on the Wire is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving. They looked somewhat embarrassed but his manner was cordiality itself. “Sorry you are going. I was just stepping up to see Miss Marigold. Won't you come back?”
Chapter 19 of The Voice on the Wire is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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 state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
From this reading “Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.”
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading “They looked somewhat embarrassed but his manner was cordiality itself.”
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading “Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.”
any of various tropical American plants of the genus Tagetes widely cultivated for their showy yellow or orange flowers
From this reading “I was just stepping up to see Miss Marigold.”
to a small degree or extent
From this reading “They looked somewhat embarrassed but his manner was cordiality itself.”
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading “I was just stepping up to see Miss Marigold.”
United States composer and music critic (1885-1966)
From this reading “Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.”
United States writer and poet (1905-1989)
From this reading “Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Sorry you are going.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Won't you come back?”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading They looked somewhat embarrassed but his manner was cordiality itself.
a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
From this reading Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Won't you come back?”
a cordial disposition
From this reading They looked somewhat embarrassed but his manner was cordiality itself.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading They looked somewhat embarrassed but his manner was cordiality itself.
the act of departing
From this reading “Sorry you are going.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading They looked somewhat embarrassed but his manner was cordiality itself.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was just stepping up to see Miss Marigold.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading They looked somewhat embarrassed but his manner was cordiality itself.
and nothing more
From this reading Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.
the act of departing
From this reading Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading They looked somewhat embarrassed but his manner was cordiality itself.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading They looked somewhat embarrassed but his manner was cordiality itself.
any of various tropical American plants of the genus Tagetes widely cultivated for their showy yellow or orange flowers
From this reading I was just stepping up to see Miss Marigold.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading I was just stepping up to see Miss Marigold.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I was just stepping up to see Miss Marigold.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading They looked somewhat embarrassed but his manner was cordiality itself.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading “Sorry you are going.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading I was just stepping up to see Miss Marigold.
United States composer and music critic (1885-1966)
From this reading Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They looked somewhat embarrassed but his manner was cordiality itself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.
United States writer and poet (1905-1989)
From this reading Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They looked somewhat embarrassed but his manner was cordiality itself.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Shirley walked up to the Hotel California, at the door of which he met Warren and Taylor just leaving.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Won't you come back?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Sorry you are going.
Chapter 19 of The Voice on the Wire by Eustace Hale Ball holds 173 sentences, grouped into 35 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 19 holds 173 sentences of The Voice on the Wire, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of The Voice on the Wire by Eustace Hale Ball exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 173 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 19 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 Voice on the Wire by Eustace Hale Ball on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3844 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5672 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5672, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 320 minutes of reading across 769 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Voice on the Wire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Voice on the Wire 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 Voice on the Wire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
