Chapter 13 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yes, for an hour or two." "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you." "My dear Frank, don't be foolish, I've taken lodgings." "Then give them up." "Nonsense, man!
Chapter 13 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
at or in or to any place
From this reading “"Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."”
strike violently
From this reading “"Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."”
the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)
From this reading “"Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."”
a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading “"Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."”
devoid of good sense or judgment
From this reading “"My dear Frank, don't be foolish, I've taken lodgings."”
temporary living quarters
From this reading “"My dear Frank, don't be foolish, I've taken lodgings."”
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading “"Nonsense, man!”
to go stealthily or furtively
From this reading “"Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."”
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 “"Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."”
In this reading “"Yes, for an hour or two."”
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 "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Yes, for an hour or two."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
at or in or to any place
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
strike violently
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "My dear Frank, don't be foolish, I've taken lodgings."
the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
dearly loved
From this reading "My dear Frank, don't be foolish, I've taken lodgings."
someone who is a detective
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "My dear Frank, don't be foolish, I've taken lodgings."
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
devoid of good sense or judgment
From this reading "My dear Frank, don't be foolish, I've taken lodgings."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Yes, for an hour or two."
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading "My dear Frank, don't be foolish, I've taken lodgings."
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "Then give them up."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading "Yes, for an hour or two."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "My dear Frank, don't be foolish, I've taken lodgings."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
temporary living quarters
From this reading "My dear Frank, don't be foolish, I've taken lodgings."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Nonsense, man!
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My dear Frank, don't be foolish, I've taken lodgings."
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading "Nonsense, man!
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Yes, for an hour or two."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
to go stealthily or furtively
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading "My dear Frank, don't be foolish, I've taken lodgings."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Then give them up."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then give them up."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "Yes, for an hour or two."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Then give them up."
a formal word for “on”
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, for an hour or two."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Dick," cried Pratt, bringing his fist down upon the table with a bang, "if you are such a sneak as to go and stay anywhere else, I'll cut you."
Chapter 13 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One by George Manville Fenn holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 13 holds 416 sentences of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 13 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 Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6449 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32929 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32929, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 537 minutes of reading across 1290 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One 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 Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
