Chapter 7 of Whispering Wires is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Whispering Wires is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"That's a picture of the girl in the case. Forgot I had it. Good-by!" The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb. Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
Chapter 7 of Whispering Wires is here in full — 404 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.
a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes
From this reading “The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.”
lifting device consisting of a platform or cage that is raised and lowered mechanically in a vertical shaft in order to move people from one floor to another in a building
From this reading “The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.”
inflected form of “jab” — poke or thrust abruptly
From this reading “The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.”
a heavy coat worn over clothes in winter
From this reading “Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.”
inflected form of “slam” — close violently
From this reading “The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.”
an electric railway operating below the surface of the ground (usually in a city)
From this reading “Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.”
past form of “swirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading “Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.”
the thick short innermost digit of the forelimb
From this reading “The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.”
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.
a building containing offices where work is done
In this reading “Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.”
In this reading “"That's a picture of the girl in the case.”
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 "That's a picture of the girl in the case.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.
plural of “building” — a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes
From this reading The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.
an occurrence of something
From this reading "That's a picture of the girl in the case.
the protruding part of the lower jaw
From this reading Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
a band that fits around the neck and is usually folded over
From this reading Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.
extending or moving from a higher to a lower place
From this reading Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
lifting device consisting of a platform or cage that is raised and lowered mechanically in a vertical shaft in order to move people from one floor to another in a building
From this reading The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading Forgot I had it.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
a young female
From this reading "That's a picture of the girl in the case.
a farewell remark
From this reading Good-by!"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Forgot I had it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Forgot I had it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "That's a picture of the girl in the case.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Forgot I had it.
inflected form of “jab” — poke or thrust abruptly
From this reading The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.
(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance
From this reading Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "That's a picture of the girl in the case.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
above and across; more than
From this reading The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.
a heavy coat worn over clothes in winter
From this reading Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading "That's a picture of the girl in the case.
past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
precisely, exactly
From this reading The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.
inflected form of “slam” — close violently
From this reading The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
inflected form of “stride” — walk with long steps
From this reading The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.
an electric railway operating below the surface of the ground (usually in a city)
From this reading Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
past form of “swirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's a picture of the girl in the case.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "That's a picture of the girl in the case.
the thick short innermost digit of the forelimb
From this reading The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.
the application of tiles to cover a surface
From this reading The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
a Caucasian
From this reading The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The door slammed as he strode over the white tiling and jabbed at an elevator button with his right thumb.
covered with or as if with clothes or a wrap or cloak
From this reading Swirled in wind-blown snow from the office buildings and wrapped to the chin with the collar of his overcoat, Drew plunged, with head downward, for the nearest subway station.
Chapter 7 of Whispering Wires by Henry Leverage holds 404 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 7 holds 404 sentences of Whispering Wires, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Whispering Wires by Henry Leverage exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 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 7 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 Whispering Wires by Henry Leverage on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6089 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34046 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34046, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 507 minutes of reading across 1218 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Whispering Wires section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Whispering Wires 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 Whispering Wires, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
