Chapter 16 of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
My heart went down at this piece of news. "She's at a sanatorium at Amityville," Lorina went on. "I got a servant into the house, and I know her habits. I won't take any chances this time. This is a job for you, English."
Chapter 16 of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
plural of “chance” — a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “I won't take any chances this time.”
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading “This is a job for you, English."”
plural of “habit” — an established custom
From this reading “"I got a servant into the house, and I know her habits.”
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading “My heart went down at this piece of news.”
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading “This is a job for you, English."”
information about recent and important events
From this reading “My heart went down at this piece of news.”
a separate part of a whole
From this reading “My heart went down at this piece of news.”
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading “"I got a servant into the house, and I know her habits.”
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 “I won't take any chances this time.”
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading “My heart went down at this piece of news.”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “"She's at a sanatorium at Amityville," Lorina went on.”
In this reading “"I got a servant into the house, and I know her habits.”
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 "She's at a sanatorium at Amityville," Lorina went on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She's at a sanatorium at Amityville," Lorina went on.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I got a servant into the house, and I know her habits.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I won't take any chances this time.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading My heart went down at this piece of news.
plural of “chance” — a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading I won't take any chances this time.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading My heart went down at this piece of news.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading This is a job for you, English."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading This is a job for you, English."
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "I got a servant into the house, and I know her habits.
plural of “habit” — an established custom
From this reading "I got a servant into the house, and I know her habits.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading My heart went down at this piece of news.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "I got a servant into the house, and I know her habits.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "I got a servant into the house, and I know her habits.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I got a servant into the house, and I know her habits.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "I got a servant into the house, and I know her habits.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This is a job for you, English."
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading This is a job for you, English."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I got a servant into the house, and I know her habits.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She's at a sanatorium at Amityville," Lorina went on.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My heart went down at this piece of news.
information about recent and important events
From this reading My heart went down at this piece of news.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading My heart went down at this piece of news.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "She's at a sanatorium at Amityville," Lorina went on.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading My heart went down at this piece of news.
a hospital for recuperation or for the treatment of chronic diseases
From this reading "She's at a sanatorium at Amityville," Lorina went on.
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading "I got a servant into the house, and I know her habits.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She's at a sanatorium at Amityville," Lorina went on.
carry out
From this reading I won't take any chances this time.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I got a servant into the house, and I know her habits.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading My heart went down at this piece of news.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I won't take any chances this time.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading My heart went down at this piece of news.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I won't take any chances this time.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading This is a job for you, English."
Chapter 16 of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story by Hulbert Footner holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 16 holds 402 sentences of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story by Hulbert Footner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 16 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 Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story by Hulbert Footner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6984 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57236 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57236, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 582 minutes of reading across 1397 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story 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 Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
