Chapter 21 of When Egypt Went Broke: A Novel is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of When Egypt Went Broke: A Novel is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison. She was not present at his trial. She had respected his earnest wishes in that matter. When she came to him she smiled--she did not weep. When she smiled he wanted to weep.
Chapter 21 of When Egypt Went Broke: A Novel is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading “She had respected his earnest wishes in that matter.”
receiving deferential regard
From this reading “She had respected his earnest wishes in that matter.”
plural of “snap” — the act of catching an object with the hands
From this reading “THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.”
a lightweight cord
From this reading “THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.”
pulled or drawn tight
From this reading “THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.”
the act of testing something
From this reading “She was not present at his trial.”
shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading “When she came to him she smiled--she did not weep.”
plural of “wish” — a specific feeling of desire
From this reading “She had respected his earnest wishes in that matter.”
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 THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When she came to him she smiled--she did not weep.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading When she came to him she smiled--she did not weep.
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading She had respected his earnest wishes in that matter.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had respected his earnest wishes in that matter.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When she smiled he wanted to weep.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She was not present at his trial.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She had respected his earnest wishes in that matter.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading She had respected his earnest wishes in that matter.
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She was not present at his trial.
on one occasion
From this reading THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading She was not present at his trial.
a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment
From this reading THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.
receiving deferential regard
From this reading She had respected his earnest wishes in that matter.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was not present at his trial.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading When she came to him she smiled--she did not weep.
plural of “snap” — the act of catching an object with the hands
From this reading THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.
a lightweight cord
From this reading THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.
pulled or drawn tight
From this reading THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She had respected his earnest wishes in that matter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.
the act of testing something
From this reading She was not present at his trial.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading When she smiled he wanted to weep.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE TAUT STRING SNAPS Frank Vaniman's mother was allowed to visit him once a month at the prison.
shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading When she came to him she smiled--she did not weep.
at the time that
From this reading When she came to him she smiled--she did not weep.
plural of “wish” — a specific feeling of desire
From this reading She had respected his earnest wishes in that matter.
Chapter 21 of When Egypt Went Broke: A Novel by Holman Day holds 135 sentences, grouped into 27 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 135 sentences of When Egypt Went Broke: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of When Egypt Went Broke: A Novel by Holman Day exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 When Egypt Went Broke: A Novel by Holman Day on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5646 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4733 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4733, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 470 minutes of reading across 1130 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through When Egypt Went Broke: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of When Egypt Went Broke: A Novel 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 When Egypt Went Broke: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
