Chapter 3 of The Wire Devils is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Wire Devils is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MacVightie's eyes narrowed. “One of our own men—eh?” he repeated curtly. “Who was it?” “Nothing doing there!” Lanson shook his head again, emphatically this time.
Chapter 3 of The Wire Devils is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner
From this reading ““One of our own men—eh?” he repeated curtly.”
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading ““Nothing doing there!””
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading “Lanson shook his head again, emphatically this time.”
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading “Lanson shook his head again, emphatically this time.”
reduced in size as by squeezing together
From this reading “MacVightie's eyes narrowed.”
not one thing; not anything
From this reading ““Nothing doing there!””
recurring again and again
From this reading ““One of our own men—eh?” he repeated curtly.”
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading “Lanson shook his head again, emphatically this time.”
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.
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.
anew
From this reading Lanson shook his head again, emphatically this time.
in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner
From this reading “One of our own men—eh?” he repeated curtly.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading “Nothing doing there!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “One of our own men—eh?” he repeated curtly.
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading Lanson shook his head again, emphatically this time.
opinion or judgment
From this reading MacVightie's eyes narrowed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “One of our own men—eh?” he repeated curtly.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Lanson shook his head again, emphatically this time.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Lanson shook his head again, emphatically this time.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Who was it?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lanson shook his head again, emphatically this time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MacVightie's eyes narrowed.
the force of workers available
From this reading “One of our own men—eh?” he repeated curtly.
reduced in size as by squeezing together
From this reading MacVightie's eyes narrowed.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “Nothing doing there!”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “One of our own men—eh?” he repeated curtly.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “One of our own men—eh?” he repeated curtly.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “One of our own men—eh?” he repeated curtly.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading “One of our own men—eh?” he repeated curtly.
recurring again and again
From this reading “One of our own men—eh?” he repeated curtly.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Lanson shook his head again, emphatically this time.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Nothing doing there!”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Lanson shook his head again, emphatically this time.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Lanson shook his head again, emphatically this time.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Who was it?”
which person or people
From this reading “Who was it?”
Chapter 3 of The Wire Devils by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard holds 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 3 holds 428 sentences of The Wire Devils, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Wire Devils by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 3 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 Wire Devils by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4380 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52084 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52084, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 365 minutes of reading across 876 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Wire Devils section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Wire Devils 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 Wire Devils, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
