Chapter 17 of The White Desert is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The White Desert is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The former district attorney started slightly. Then, coming still closer, he peered into the tense, angry features of Barry Houston. "A bit melodramatic, aren't you?" he asked in a sneering tone. "Perhaps so. But then murder is always melodramatic."
Chapter 17 of The White Desert is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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 professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading “The former district attorney started slightly.”
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading “Then, coming still closer, he peered into the tense, angry features of Barry Houston.”
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading “The former district attorney started slightly.”
the largest city in Texas; located in southeastern Texas near the Gulf of Mexico; site of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
From this reading “Then, coming still closer, he peered into the tense, angry features of Barry Houston.”
having the excitement and emotional appeal of melodrama
From this reading “"A bit melodramatic, aren't you?" he asked in a sneering tone.”
past form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading “Then, coming still closer, he peered into the tense, angry features of Barry Houston.”
expressive of contempt
From this reading “"A bit melodramatic, aren't you?" he asked in a sneering tone.”
a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
From this reading “Then, coming still closer, he peered into the tense, angry features of Barry Houston.”
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 "A bit melodramatic, aren't you?" he asked in a sneering tone.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading But then murder is always melodramatic."
feeling or showing anger
From this reading Then, coming still closer, he peered into the tense, angry features of Barry Houston.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "A bit melodramatic, aren't you?" he asked in a sneering tone.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "A bit melodramatic, aren't you?" he asked in a sneering tone.
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading The former district attorney started slightly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then, coming still closer, he peered into the tense, angry features of Barry Houston.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading "A bit melodramatic, aren't you?" he asked in a sneering tone.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But then murder is always melodramatic."
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading Then, coming still closer, he peered into the tense, angry features of Barry Houston.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Then, coming still closer, he peered into the tense, angry features of Barry Houston.
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading The former district attorney started slightly.
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading Then, coming still closer, he peered into the tense, angry features of Barry Houston.
referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)
From this reading The former district attorney started slightly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then, coming still closer, he peered into the tense, angry features of Barry Houston.
the largest city in Texas; located in southeastern Texas near the Gulf of Mexico; site of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
From this reading Then, coming still closer, he peered into the tense, angry features of Barry Houston.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "A bit melodramatic, aren't you?" he asked in a sneering tone.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Then, coming still closer, he peered into the tense, angry features of Barry Houston.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But then murder is always melodramatic."
having the excitement and emotional appeal of melodrama
From this reading "A bit melodramatic, aren't you?" he asked in a sneering tone.
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading But then murder is always melodramatic."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then, coming still closer, he peered into the tense, angry features of Barry Houston.
past form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading Then, coming still closer, he peered into the tense, angry features of Barry Houston.
by chance
From this reading "Perhaps so.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading The former district attorney started slightly.
expressive of contempt
From this reading "A bit melodramatic, aren't you?" he asked in a sneering tone.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Perhaps so.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The former district attorney started slightly.
not in physical motion
From this reading Then, coming still closer, he peered into the tense, angry features of Barry Houston.
a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
From this reading Then, coming still closer, he peered into the tense, angry features of Barry Houston.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The former district attorney started slightly.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, coming still closer, he peered into the tense, angry features of Barry Houston.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading "A bit melodramatic, aren't you?" he asked in a sneering tone.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "A bit melodramatic, aren't you?" he asked in a sneering tone.
Chapter 17 of The White Desert by Courtney Ryley Cooper holds 189 sentences, grouped into 38 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 17 holds 189 sentences of The White Desert, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The White Desert by Courtney Ryley Cooper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 189 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 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.
Common questions about reading The White Desert by Courtney Ryley Cooper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5458 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20155 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20155, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 454 minutes of reading across 1092 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The White Desert section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The White Desert 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 White Desert, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
