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A Canadian Bankclerk
A Canadian Bankclerk

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of A Canadian Bankclerk is here in full — 288 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for A Canadian Bankclerk
Context Illustration Reading 1/57 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
_HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.
Then he asked Henty bewilderedly: "Are you going to accept the sixty thousand?"
"Am _I_ going to?"
"Yes."
"Not unless my partner is willing," replied Henty.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Canadian Bankclerk

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of A Canadian Bankclerk is here in full — 288 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/57 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
_HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.
Line 2
Then he asked Henty bewilderedly: "Are you going to accept the sixty thousand?"
Line 3
"Am _I_ going to?"
/æm aɪ ˈɡoʊɪŋ tuː/
Line 4
"Yes."
/jes/
Line 5
"Not unless my partner is willing," replied Henty.

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.

association noun US /əˌsoʊsiˈeɪʃən/

a formal organization of people or groups of people

From this reading “_HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.”

finance noun US /fəˈnæns/

the commercial activity of providing funds and capital

From this reading “_HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.”

partner noun US /ˈpɑːrtnər/

a person's partner in marriage

From this reading “"Not unless my partner is willing," replied Henty.”

promoting verb US /prəˈmoʊtɪŋ/

-ing form of “promote” — contribute to the progress or growth of

From this reading “_HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.”

recover verb US /rɪˈkʌvər/

get or find back; recover the use of

From this reading “_HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.”

sixty adjective US /ˈsɪksti/

being ten more than fifty

From this reading “Then he asked Henty bewilderedly: "Are you going to accept the sixty thousand?"”

syndicate noun US /ˈsɪndɪkət/

a loose affiliation of gangsters in charge of organized criminal activities

From this reading “_HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.”

Watson's noun US /ˈwɑːtsənz/

possessive form of “watson” — United States telephone engineer who assisted Alexander Graham Bell in his experiments (1854-1934)

From this reading “_HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.”

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.

sixty thousand adjective + noun

In this reading “Then he asked Henty bewilderedly: "Are you going to accept the sixty thousand?"”

HIGH FINANCE adjective + noun

large and complex financial transactions (often used with the implication that those individuals or institutions who engage in them are unethical)

In this reading “_HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.”

some time adjective + noun

In this reading “_HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.”

recover from verb + particle

In this reading “_HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.”

from the shock preposition + article + noun counted as “from … shock”

In this reading “_HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.”

All words in this reading · 46

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 _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

acceptverbUS /ækˈsept/

consider or hold as true

From this reading Then he asked Henty bewilderedly: "Are you going to accept the sixty thousand?"

Amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading "Am _I_ going to?"

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

Areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Then he asked Henty bewilderedly: "Are you going to accept the sixty thousand?"

askedverbUS /æskt/

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

From this reading Then he asked Henty bewilderedly: "Are you going to accept the sixty thousand?"

associationnounUS /əˌsoʊsiˈeɪʃən/

a formal organization of people or groups of people

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

bewilderedlyadverb

in a bewildered manner

From this reading Then he asked Henty bewilderedly: "Are you going to accept the sixty thousand?"

BillnounUS /bɪl/

a statute in draft before it becomes law

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

Evan

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

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

FINANCEnounUS /fəˈnæns/

the commercial activity of providing funds and capital

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading Then he asked Henty bewilderedly: "Are you going to accept the sixty thousand?"

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Then he asked Henty bewilderedly: "Are you going to accept the sixty thousand?"

Henty

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

From this reading Then he asked Henty bewilderedly: "Are you going to accept the sixty thousand?"

HIGHadjectiveUS /haɪ/

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "Am _I_ going to?"

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Not unless my partner is willing," replied Henty.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "Not unless my partner is willing," replied Henty.

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

naturallyadverbUS /ˈnætʃərəli/

as might be expected

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

NotadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "Not unless my partner is willing," replied Henty.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

partnernounUS /ˈpɑːrtnər/

a person's partner in marriage

From this reading "Not unless my partner is willing," replied Henty.

producedverbUS /prəˈduːst/

past form of “produce” — bring forth or yield

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

PROMOTINGverbUS /prəˈmoʊtɪŋ/

-ing form of “promote” — contribute to the progress or growth of

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

real-estate

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

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

recoververbUS /rɪˈkʌvər/

get or find back; recover the use of

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

repliedverbUS /rɪˈplaɪd/

inflected form of “reply” — react verbally

From this reading "Not unless my partner is willing," replied Henty.

shocknounUS /ʃɑːk/

the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

sixtyadjectiveUS /ˈsɪksti/

being ten more than fifty

From this reading Then he asked Henty bewilderedly: "Are you going to accept the sixty thousand?"

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

syndicatenounUS /ˈsɪndɪkət/

a loose affiliation of gangsters in charge of organized criminal activities

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then he asked Henty bewilderedly: "Are you going to accept the sixty thousand?"

thousandnounUS /ˈθaʊzənd/

the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100

From this reading Then he asked Henty bewilderedly: "Are you going to accept the sixty thousand?"

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

unlessconjunctionUS /ənˈles/

except if; if not

From this reading "Not unless my partner is willing," replied Henty.

Watson'snounUS /ˈwɑːtsənz/

possessive form of “watson” — United States telephone engineer who assisted Alexander Graham Bell in his experiments (1854-1934)

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

willingadjectiveUS /ˈwɪlɪŋ/

disposed or inclined toward

From this reading "Not unless my partner is willing," replied Henty.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading _HIGH FINANCE AND PROMOTING._ It took Evan some time to recover from the shock association of Bill Watson's name with a real-estate syndicate naturally produced.

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading "Yes."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Then he asked Henty bewilderedly: "Are you going to accept the sixty thousand?"

Chapter 20 of A Canadian Bankclerk by Jack Preston holds 288 sentences, grouped into 58 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 20 of A Canadian Bankclerk contain?

Chapter 20 holds 288 sentences of A Canadian Bankclerk, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of A Canadian Bankclerk by Jack Preston exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 288 sentences, grouped into 58 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 20 of A Canadian Bankclerk?

Work through the 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 58 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 20 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 20 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 A Canadian Bankclerk

Common questions about reading A Canadian Bankclerk by Jack Preston on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Canadian Bankclerk?

Yes. All 5846 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31602 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Canadian Bankclerk is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #31602, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Canadian Bankclerk take to read?

About 487 minutes of reading across 1170 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Canadian Bankclerk section by section

How to work through A Canadian Bankclerk section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 22 chapters of A Canadian Bankclerk to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in A Canadian Bankclerk

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Canadian Bankclerk, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Others'
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Canadian Bankclerk; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pocket
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Canadian Bankclerk; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Crammed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Canadian Bankclerk; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cleric
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Canadian Bankclerk; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.