Chapter XXI of Will Somers, the Boy Detective, “The Initials,” is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXI
Chapter XXI of Will Somers, the Boy Detective, “The Initials,” is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Is Mr. Powers in?” inquired a lady’s voice, at North 10th street, No. 1,485. “Not at present,” was the reply. “But we expect him every minute. He does not leave the store till after five o’clock.” “In what store is he engaged?” asked the lady.
Chapter XXI of Will Somers, the Boy Detective, “The Initials,” is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading ““In what store is he engaged?” asked the lady.”
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading ““But we expect him every minute.”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading ““Is Mr. Powers in?” inquired a lady’s voice, at North 10th street, No. 1,485.”
possessive form of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading ““Is Mr. Powers in?” inquired a lady’s voice, at North 10th street, No. 1,485.”
according to the clock
plural of “power” — possession of controlling influence
From this reading ““Is Mr. Powers in?” inquired a lady’s voice, at North 10th street, No. 1,485.”
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading “He does not leave the store till after five o’clock.””
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.
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Is Mr. Powers in?” inquired a lady’s voice, at North 10th street, No. 1,485.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Is Mr. Powers in?” inquired a lady’s voice, at North 10th street, No. 1,485.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “Is Mr. Powers in?” inquired a lady’s voice, at North 10th street, No. 1,485.
later than; following
From this reading He does not leave the store till after five o’clock.”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “In what store is he engaged?” asked the lady.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Is Mr. Powers in?” inquired a lady’s voice, at North 10th street, No. 1,485.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But we expect him every minute.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He does not leave the store till after five o’clock.”
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading “In what store is he engaged?” asked the lady.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading “But we expect him every minute.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “But we expect him every minute.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading He does not leave the store till after five o’clock.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He does not leave the store till after five o’clock.”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “But we expect him every minute.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Is Mr. Powers in?” inquired a lady’s voice, at North 10th street, No. 1,485.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “Is Mr. Powers in?” inquired a lady’s voice, at North 10th street, No. 1,485.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Is Mr. Powers in?” inquired a lady’s voice, at North 10th street, No. 1,485.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading “In what store is he engaged?” asked the lady.
possessive form of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading “Is Mr. Powers in?” inquired a lady’s voice, at North 10th street, No. 1,485.
go away from a place
From this reading He does not leave the store till after five o’clock.”
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading “But we expect him every minute.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Is Mr. Powers in?” inquired a lady’s voice, at North 10th street, No. 1,485.
not any; not one
From this reading “Is Mr. Powers in?” inquired a lady’s voice, at North 10th street, No. 1,485.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading “Is Mr. Powers in?” inquired a lady’s voice, at North 10th street, No. 1,485.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Not at present,” was the reply.
according to the clock
From this reading He does not leave the store till after five o’clock.”
plural of “power” — possession of controlling influence
From this reading “Is Mr. Powers in?” inquired a lady’s voice, at North 10th street, No. 1,485.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading “Not at present,” was the reply.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading “Not at present,” was the reply.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading He does not leave the store till after five o’clock.”
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading “Is Mr. Powers in?” inquired a lady’s voice, at North 10th street, No. 1,485.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Not at present,” was the reply.
up to a particular time
From this reading He does not leave the store till after five o’clock.”
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “Is Mr. Powers in?” inquired a lady’s voice, at North 10th street, No. 1,485.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Not at present,” was the reply.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “But we expect him every minute.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “In what store is he engaged?” asked the lady.
Chapter 21 of Will Somers, the Boy Detective by Charles Morris holds 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 150 sentences of Will Somers, the Boy Detective, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Will Somers, the Boy Detective by Charles Morris exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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.
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Yes. All 3514 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60978 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60978, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 292 minutes of reading across 703 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Will Somers, the Boy Detective section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Will Somers, the Boy Detective to begin.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Will Somers, the Boy Detective, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
