Chapter 17 of The Wire Tappers is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Wire Tappers is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders. “It _is_ a great deal! But we’re up against a great deal! If we had twice as much, it would be even better. I have a possible twelve hundred now, altogether—just a scrawny, miserable twelve hundred!
Chapter 17 of The Wire Tappers is here in full — 239 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.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading “I have a possible twelve hundred now, altogether—just a scrawny, miserable twelve hundred!”
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading ““Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.”
lacking spirit or liveliness
From this reading ““Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.”
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading “I have a possible twelve hundred now, altogether—just a scrawny, miserable twelve hundred!”
being very thin
From this reading “I have a possible twelve hundred now, altogether—just a scrawny, miserable twelve hundred!”
a gesture involving the shoulders
From this reading ““Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading “I have a possible twelve hundred now, altogether—just a scrawny, miserable twelve hundred!”
two times
From this reading “If we had twice as much, it would be even better.”
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.
In this reading ““Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.”
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and one thousand
In this reading ““Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.”
In this reading “I have a possible twelve hundred now, altogether—just a scrawny, miserable twelve hundred!”
In this reading ““Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.”
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 “Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading But we’re up against a great deal!
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading I have a possible twelve hundred now, altogether—just a scrawny, miserable twelve hundred!
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading If we had twice as much, it would be even better.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If we had twice as much, it would be even better.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading If we had twice as much, it would be even better.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But we’re up against a great deal!
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading “Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading “Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading “Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.
divisible by two
From this reading If we had twice as much, it would be even better.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading “Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading “Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading If we had twice as much, it would be even better.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have a possible twelve hundred now, altogether—just a scrawny, miserable twelve hundred!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.
ten 10s
From this reading I have a possible twelve hundred now, altogether—just a scrawny, miserable twelve hundred!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have a possible twelve hundred now, altogether—just a scrawny, miserable twelve hundred!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If we had twice as much, it would be even better.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It _is_ a great deal!
and nothing more
From this reading I have a possible twelve hundred now, altogether—just a scrawny, miserable twelve hundred!
lacking spirit or liveliness
From this reading “Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading I have a possible twelve hundred now, altogether—just a scrawny, miserable twelve hundred!
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading “Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading If we had twice as much, it would be even better.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I have a possible twelve hundred now, altogether—just a scrawny, miserable twelve hundred!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading I have a possible twelve hundred now, altogether—just a scrawny, miserable twelve hundred!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.
being very thin
From this reading I have a possible twelve hundred now, altogether—just a scrawny, miserable twelve hundred!
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading “Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.
a gesture involving the shoulders
From this reading “Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading “Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading “Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading I have a possible twelve hundred now, altogether—just a scrawny, miserable twelve hundred!
two times
From this reading If we had twice as much, it would be even better.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading But we’re up against a great deal!
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading If we had twice as much, it would be even better.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But we’re up against a great deal!
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Ten thousand dollars is a great deal of money!” said Frank, easily, with a languid shrug of her shoulders.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If we had twice as much, it would be even better.
Chapter 17 of The Wire Tappers by Arthur Stringer holds 239 sentences, grouped into 48 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 239 sentences of The Wire Tappers, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Wire Tappers by Arthur Stringer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 239 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 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 Wire Tappers by Arthur Stringer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3904 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50203 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50203, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 325 minutes of reading across 781 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Wire Tappers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Wire Tappers 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 Tappers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
