Chapter 21 of What Necessity Knows is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of What Necessity Knows is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
So the days wore on till August. One morning Cyril Harkness lay in wait for Eliza. It was early; none of the boarders at the hotel were down yet. Eliza, who was always about in very good time, found him in the corridor on the first floor. He did not often attempt to speak to her now.
Chapter 21 of What Necessity Knows is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “He did not often attempt to speak to her now.”
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading “So the days wore on till August.”
plural of “boarder” — a tenant in someone's house
From this reading “It was early; none of the boarders at the hotel were down yet.”
an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading “Eliza, who was always about in very good time, found him in the corridor on the first floor.”
Greek missionary; the invention of the Cyrillic alphabet is attributed to him (826-869)
From this reading “One morning Cyril Harkness lay in wait for Eliza.”
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading “Eliza, who was always about in very good time, found him in the corridor on the first floor.”
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading “It was early; none of the boarders at the hotel were down yet.”
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading “So the days wore on till August.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Eliza, who was always about in very good time, found him in the corridor on the first floor.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Eliza, who was always about in very good time, found him in the corridor on the first floor.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was early; none of the boarders at the hotel were down yet.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading He did not often attempt to speak to her now.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading So the days wore on till August.
plural of “boarder” — a tenant in someone's house
From this reading It was early; none of the boarders at the hotel were down yet.
an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading Eliza, who was always about in very good time, found him in the corridor on the first floor.
Greek missionary; the invention of the Cyrillic alphabet is attributed to him (826-869)
From this reading One morning Cyril Harkness lay in wait for Eliza.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading So the days wore on till August.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not often attempt to speak to her now.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading It was early; none of the boarders at the hotel were down yet.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading It was early; none of the boarders at the hotel were down yet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One morning Cyril Harkness lay in wait for Eliza.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Eliza, who was always about in very good time, found him in the corridor on the first floor.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Eliza, who was always about in very good time, found him in the corridor on the first floor.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading One morning Cyril Harkness lay in wait for Eliza.
set up or found
From this reading Eliza, who was always about in very good time, found him in the corridor on the first floor.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Eliza, who was always about in very good time, found him in the corridor on the first floor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One morning Cyril Harkness lay in wait for Eliza.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not often attempt to speak to her now.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He did not often attempt to speak to her now.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Eliza, who was always about in very good time, found him in the corridor on the first floor.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading It was early; none of the boarders at the hotel were down yet.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading One morning Cyril Harkness lay in wait for Eliza.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was early; none of the boarders at the hotel were down yet.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading One morning Cyril Harkness lay in wait for Eliza.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading One morning Cyril Harkness lay in wait for Eliza.
not one, and not any
From this reading It was early; none of the boarders at the hotel were down yet.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not often attempt to speak to her now.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He did not often attempt to speak to her now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was early; none of the boarders at the hotel were down yet.
many times at short intervals
From this reading He did not often attempt to speak to her now.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading So the days wore on till August.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One morning Cyril Harkness lay in wait for Eliza.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So the days wore on till August.
express in speech
From this reading He did not often attempt to speak to her now.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading So the days wore on till August.
up to a particular time
From this reading So the days wore on till August.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Eliza, who was always about in very good time, found him in the corridor on the first floor.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He did not often attempt to speak to her now.
precisely as stated
From this reading Eliza, who was always about in very good time, found him in the corridor on the first floor.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading One morning Cyril Harkness lay in wait for Eliza.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was early; none of the boarders at the hotel were down yet.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It was early; none of the boarders at the hotel were down yet.
which person or people
From this reading Eliza, who was always about in very good time, found him in the corridor on the first floor.
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading So the days wore on till August.
but in spite of that
From this reading It was early; none of the boarders at the hotel were down yet.
Chapter 21 of What Necessity Knows by L. (Lily) Dougall holds 157 sentences, grouped into 32 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 21 holds 157 sentences of What Necessity Knows, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of What Necessity Knows by L. (Lily) Dougall exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 157 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 21 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 What Necessity Knows by L. (Lily) Dougall on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7271 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16398 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16398, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1455 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through What Necessity Knows section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of What Necessity Knows 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 What Necessity Knows, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
