Chapter 15 of Whispering Wires is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Whispering Wires is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Drew lowered his eyes and reached for the check. He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink. "I'll endorse it," he said, flattening out the check with his palm. "I'll endorse it so that it can be transferred." "To whom?" asked Loris.
Chapter 15 of Whispering Wires is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
with brightness
From this reading “He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.”
having abnormal sagging of the spine (especially in horses)
From this reading “He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.”
plural of “edge” — the boundary of a surface
From this reading “He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.”
be behind; approve of
From this reading “"I'll endorse it," he said, flattening out the check with his palm.”
-ing form of “flatten” — make flat or flatter
From this reading “"I'll endorse it," he said, flattening out the check with his palm.”
the process whereby a protein molecule assumes its intricate three-dimensional shape
From this reading “He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.”
a liquid used for printing or writing or drawing
From this reading “He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.”
inflected form of “transfer” — transfer somebody to a different position or location of work
From this reading “"I'll endorse it so that it can be transferred."”
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.
take and lift upward
In this reading “He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.”
In this reading “He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.”
In this reading “He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Drew lowered his eyes and reached for the check.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "To whom?" asked Loris.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I'll endorse it so that it can be transferred."
with brightness
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "I'll endorse it so that it can be transferred."
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading Drew lowered his eyes and reached for the check.
placed crosswise
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
having abnormal sagging of the spine (especially in horses)
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Drew lowered his eyes and reached for the check.
plural of “edge” — the boundary of a surface
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
be behind; approve of
From this reading "I'll endorse it," he said, flattening out the check with his palm.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Drew lowered his eyes and reached for the check.
-ing form of “flatten” — make flat or flatter
From this reading "I'll endorse it," he said, flattening out the check with his palm.
the process whereby a protein molecule assumes its intricate three-dimensional shape
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Drew lowered his eyes and reached for the check.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Drew lowered his eyes and reached for the check.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'll endorse it," he said, flattening out the check with his palm.
a liquid used for printing or writing or drawing
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "To whom?" asked Loris.
below the surround or below the normal position
From this reading Drew lowered his eyes and reached for the check.
the iridescent internal layer of a mollusk shell
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "I'll endorse it," he said, flattening out the check with his palm.
the inner surface of the hand from the wrist to the base of the fingers
From this reading "I'll endorse it," he said, flattening out the check with his palm.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Drew lowered his eyes and reached for the check.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I'll endorse it," he said, flattening out the check with his palm.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I'll endorse it so that it can be transferred."
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I'll endorse it so that it can be transferred."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Drew lowered his eyes and reached for the check.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "To whom?" asked Loris.
inflected form of “transfer” — transfer somebody to a different position or location of work
From this reading "I'll endorse it so that it can be transferred."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He glanced at it, started folding two edges, then smiled brightly as he crossed the room, picked up the mother-of-pearl penholder and dipped it into the ink.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "To whom?" asked Loris.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I'll endorse it," he said, flattening out the check with his palm.
Chapter 15 of Whispering Wires by Henry Leverage holds 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 15 holds 386 sentences of Whispering Wires, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Whispering Wires by Henry Leverage exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 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.
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.
