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Triple Spies
Triple Spies

Chapter XV · Chapter 15

Chapter 15 of Triple Spies is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Triple Spies
Context Illustration Reading 1/49 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.
Then he flattened himself against the wall and listened.
Yes, it came at last, the faint thud of cautious footsteps.
He had not thrown the man off the scent.
"Well then, I will," he muttered, gritting his teeth.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Triple Spies

Chapter XV · Chapter 15

Chapter 15 of Triple Spies is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/49 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.
/ðə kæt kraɪ ʌv ðə ˈʌndərwɜːrld ˈdɑːdʒɪŋ ɪn frʌnt ʌv ə striːt kɑːr ˈdʒɑːni tɜːrnd əˈbrʌptli tuː ðə raɪt ənd treɪld ə ˈtæksi fɔːr hæf ə blɑːk ðen hiː ʃɑːt əˈkrɔːs ðə ˈsaɪdwɔːk tuː ðə end ʌv ə dɑːrk ˈæli/
Line 2
Then he flattened himself against the wall and listened.
/ðen hiː ˈflætənd hɪmˈself əˈɡenst ðə wɔːl ənd ˈlɪsənd/
Line 3
Yes, it came at last, the faint thud of cautious footsteps.
/jes ɪt keɪm æt læst ðə feɪnt θʌd ʌv ˈkɔːʃəs ˈfʊtsteps/
Line 4
He had not thrown the man off the scent.
/hiː hæd nɑːt θroʊn ðə mæn ɔːf ðə sɛnt/
Line 5
"Well then, I will," he muttered, gritting his teeth.
/wel ðen aɪ wɪl hiː ˈmʌtərd ˈɡrɪtɪŋ hɪz tiːθ/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Dodging noun US /ˈdɑːdʒɪŋ/

nonperformance of something distasteful (as by deceit or trickery) that you are supposed to do

From this reading “THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
flattened adjective US /ˈflætənd/

having been flattened

From this reading “Then he flattened himself against the wall and listened.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gritting verb US /ˈɡrɪtɪŋ/

inflected form of “grit” — cover with a grit

From this reading “"Well then, I will," he muttered, gritting his teeth.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sidewalk noun US /ˈsaɪdwɔːk/

walk consisting of a paved area for pedestrians; usually beside a street or roadway

From this reading “THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
taxi verb US /ˈtæksi/

travel slowly

From this reading “THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thud verb US /θʌd/

make a dull sound

From this reading “Yes, it came at last, the faint thud of cautious footsteps.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
trailed verb US /treɪld/

past form of “trail” — to lag or linger behind

From this reading “THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
underworld noun US /ˈʌndərwɜːrld/

the criminal class

From this reading “THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 57

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
abruptlyadverbUS /əˈbrʌptli/

quickly and without warning

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading Then he flattened himself against the wall and listened.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
alleynounUS /ˈæli/

a narrow street with walls on both sides

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Yes, it came at last, the faint thud of cautious footsteps.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
blocknounUS /blɑːk/

a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Yes, it came at last, the faint thud of cautious footsteps.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
carnounUS /kɑːr/

a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CATnounUS /kæt/

feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cautiousadjectiveUS /ˈkɔːʃəs/

showing careful forethought

From this reading Yes, it came at last, the faint thud of cautious footsteps.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CRYverbUS /kraɪ/

utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
darknounUS /dɑːrk/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DodgingnounUS /ˈdɑːdʒɪŋ/

nonperformance of something distasteful (as by deceit or trickery) that you are supposed to do

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
faintadjectiveUS /feɪnt/

deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc

From this reading Yes, it came at last, the faint thud of cautious footsteps.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
flattenedadjectiveUS /ˈflætənd/

having been flattened

From this reading Then he flattened himself against the wall and listened.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
footstepsnounUS /ˈfʊtsteps/

plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking

From this reading Yes, it came at last, the faint thud of cautious footsteps.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
frontnounUS /frʌnt/

the side that is forward or prominent

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
grittingverbUS /ˈɡrɪtɪŋ/

inflected form of “grit” — cover with a grit

From this reading "Well then, I will," he muttered, gritting his teeth.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading He had not thrown the man off the scent.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
halfadjectiveUS /hæf/

consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Then he flattened himself against the wall and listened.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading "Well then, I will," he muttered, gritting his teeth.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "Well then, I will," he muttered, gritting his teeth.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Yes, it came at last, the faint thud of cautious footsteps.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
JohnnynounUS /ˈdʒɑːni/

“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading Yes, it came at last, the faint thud of cautious footsteps.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
listenedverbUS /ˈlɪsənd/

past form of “listen” — hear with intention

From this reading Then he flattened himself against the wall and listened.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading He had not thrown the man off the scent.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mutteredverbUS /ˈmʌtərd/

past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice

From this reading "Well then, I will," he muttered, gritting his teeth.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He had not thrown the man off the scent.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading He had not thrown the man off the scent.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
scentnounUS /sɛnt/

A distinctive smell or aroma.

From this reading He had not thrown the man off the scent.

Velmora curated lexicon
shotnounUS /ʃɑːt/

the act of firing a projectile

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sidewalknounUS /ˈsaɪdwɔːk/

walk consisting of a paved area for pedestrians; usually beside a street or roadway

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
streetnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
taxiverbUS /ˈtæksi/

travel slowly

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
teethnounUS /tiːθ/

the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal

From this reading "Well then, I will," he muttered, gritting his teeth.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thrownadjectiveUS /θroʊn/

caused to fall to the ground

From this reading He had not thrown the man off the scent.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thudverbUS /θʌd/

make a dull sound

From this reading Yes, it came at last, the faint thud of cautious footsteps.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
trailedverbUS /treɪld/

past form of “trail” — to lag or linger behind

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
turnedadjectiveUS /tɜːrnd/

moved around an axis or center

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
UNDERWORLDnounUS /ˈʌndərwɜːrld/

the criminal class

From this reading THE CAT CRY OF THE UNDERWORLD Dodging in front of a street car, Johnny turned abruptly to the right and trailed a taxi for half a block; then he shot across the sidewalk to the end of a dark alley.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wallnounUS /wɔːl/

an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading Then he flattened himself against the wall and listened.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WelladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading "Well then, I will," he muttered, gritting his teeth.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "Well then, I will," he muttered, gritting his teeth.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading Yes, it came at last, the faint thud of cautious footsteps.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 15 of Triple Spies by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell holds 246 sentences, grouped into 50 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.

What does chapter 15 of Triple Spies contain?

Chapter 15 holds 246 sentences of Triple Spies, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 15 of Triple Spies by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 246 sentences, grouped into 50 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.

How do I study chapter 15 of Triple Spies?

Work through the 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 50 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.

Can chapter 15 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 15 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.

Questions about reading Triple Spies

Common questions about reading Triple Spies by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell on this page, its source edition and its audio.

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Which edition of Triple Spies is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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Vocabulary met early in Triple Spies

Words and structures a reader meets early in Triple Spies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of Triple Spies, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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