Will Somers, the Boy Detective

Chapter XIII · No Answer

Chapter XIII of Will Somers, the Boy Detective, “No Answer,” is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Charles Morris • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Will Somers, the Boy Detective

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

A salesman approached, supposing him to be a customer.

“What can I do for you, sir?” he asked.

“I came to inquire about a boy you have engaged here.

I believe you have a boy?”

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

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/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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Chapter XIII Reading 1/33

Will Somers, the Boy Detective

Chapter XIII · No Answer

Chapter XIII of Will Somers, the Boy Detective, “No Answer,” is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/33 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

Line 2

A salesman approached, supposing him to be a customer.

/ə ˈseɪlzmən əˈproʊtʃt səˈpoʊzɪŋ hɪm tuː biː ə ˈkʌstəmər/

Line 3

“What can I do for you, sir?” he asked.

/wʌt kæn aɪ duː fɔːr juː sɜːr hiː æskt/

Line 4

“I came to inquire about a boy you have engaged here.

/aɪ keɪm tuː ˌɪnˈkwaɪr əˈbaʊt ə bɔɪ juː hæv enˈɡeɪdʒd hiːr/

Line 5

I believe you have a boy?”

/aɪ bɪˈliːv juː hæv ə bɔɪ/

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.

address verb US /ˈædres/

speak to

From this reading “An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.”

approached verb US /əˈproʊtʃt/

past form of “approach” — move towards

From this reading “A salesman approached, supposing him to be a customer.”

customer noun US /ˈkʌstəmər/

someone who pays for goods or services

From this reading “A salesman approached, supposing him to be a customer.”

inquire verb US /ˌɪnˈkwaɪr/

address a question to and expect an answer from

From this reading ““I came to inquire about a boy you have engaged here.”

Leonard's noun US /ˈlenərdz/

possessive form of “leonard” — United States writer of thrillers (born in 1925)

salesman noun US /ˈseɪlzmən/

a man salesperson

From this reading “A salesman approached, supposing him to be a customer.”

store noun US /stɔːr/

a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services

From this reading “An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.”

supposing verb US /səˈpoʊzɪŋ/

-ing form of “suppose” — express a supposition

From this reading “A salesman approached, supposing him to be a customer.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

stood looking verb + noun

In this reading “An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.”

inquire about verb + particle

In this reading ““I came to inquire about a boy you have engaged here.”

All words in this reading · 49

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 A salesman approached, supposing him to be a customer.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “I came to inquire about a boy you have engaged here.

addressverbUS /ˈædres/

speak to

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

AndeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

approachedverbUS /əˈproʊtʃt/

past form of “approach” — move towards

From this reading A salesman approached, supposing him to be a customer.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading “What can I do for you, sir?” he asked.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading A salesman approached, supposing him to be a customer.

believeverbUS /bɪˈliːv/

accept as true; take to be true

From this reading I believe you have a boy?”

boynounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

From this reading “I came to inquire about a boy you have engaged here.

calledverbUS /kɔːld/

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

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

From this reading “I came to inquire about a boy you have engaged here.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading “What can I do for you, sir?” he asked.

customernounUS /ˈkʌstəmər/

someone who pays for goods or services

From this reading A salesman approached, supposing him to be a customer.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading “What can I do for you, sir?” he asked.

doubtnounUS /daʊt/

the state of being unsure of something

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

engagedadjectiveUS /enˈɡeɪdʒd/

having ones attention or mind or energy engaged

From this reading “I came to inquire about a boy you have engaged here.

fine-faced

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

floornounUS /flɔːr/

the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading “What can I do for you, sir?” he asked.

gentlemannounUS /ˈdʒentəlmən/

a man of refinement

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “I came to inquire about a boy you have engaged here.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading “What can I do for you, sir?” he asked.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading “I came to inquire about a boy you have engaged here.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading A salesman approached, supposing him to be a customer.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading “What can I do for you, sir?” he asked.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

inquireverbUS /ˌɪnˈkwaɪr/

address a question to and expect an answer from

From this reading “I came to inquire about a boy you have engaged here.

irresolutelyadverb

lacking determination or decisiveness

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

Leonard'snounUS /ˈlenərdz/

possessive form of “leonard” — United States writer of thrillers (born in 1925)

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

salesmannounUS /ˈseɪlzmən/

a man salesperson

From this reading A salesman approached, supposing him to be a customer.

sirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading “What can I do for you, sir?” he asked.

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

storenounUS /stɔːr/

a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

supposingverbUS /səˈpoʊzɪŋ/

-ing form of “suppose” — express a supposition

From this reading A salesman approached, supposing him to be a customer.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

well-dressedadjective

having tasteful clothing and being scrupulously neat

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading “What can I do for you, sir?” he asked.

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “What can I do for you, sir?” he asked.

Chapter 13 of Will Somers, the Boy Detective by Charles Morris holds 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 13 of Will Somers, the Boy Detective contain?

Chapter 13 holds 166 sentences of Will Somers, the Boy Detective, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 13 of Will Somers, the Boy Detective by Charles Morris exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 13 of Will Somers, the Boy Detective?

Work through the 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 34 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 13 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 13 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 Will Somers, the Boy Detective

Common questions about reading Will Somers, the Boy Detective by Charles Morris on this page, its source edition and its audio.

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Yes. All 3514 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60978 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #60978, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 292 minutes of reading across 703 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Chapter XIII · No Answer

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