Chapter 20 of A House of Gentlefolk is here in full — 34 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of A House of Gentlefolk is here in full — 34 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree. “Master!” said Lavretsky among other things, “you will soon have to compose a triumphal cantata.” “On what occasion?” “For the nuptials of Mr. Panshin and Lisa. Did you notice what attention he paid her yesterday?
Chapter 20 of A House of Gentlefolk is here in full — 34 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/6 · 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 musical composition for voices and orchestra based on a religious text
From this reading ““Master!” said Lavretsky among other things, “you will soon have to compose a triumphal cantata.””
form the substance of
From this reading ““Master!” said Lavretsky among other things, “you will soon have to compose a triumphal cantata.””
inflected form of “drink” — take in liquids
From this reading “The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.”
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading “The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.”
the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed
From this reading ““For the nuptials of Mr. Panshin and Lisa.”
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading “The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.”
relating to or celebrating a triumph
From this reading ““Master!” said Lavretsky among other things, “you will soon have to compose a triumphal cantata.””
the day immediately before today
From this reading “Did you notice what attention he paid her yesterday?”
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 “Master!” said Lavretsky among other things, “you will soon have to compose a triumphal cantata.”
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading “Master!” said Lavretsky among other things, “you will soon have to compose a triumphal cantata.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading Did you notice what attention he paid her yesterday?
a musical composition for voices and orchestra based on a religious text
From this reading “Master!” said Lavretsky among other things, “you will soon have to compose a triumphal cantata.”
form the substance of
From this reading “Master!” said Lavretsky among other things, “you will soon have to compose a triumphal cantata.”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Did you notice what attention he paid her yesterday?
inflected form of “drink” — take in liquids
From this reading The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “For the nuptials of Mr. Panshin and Lisa.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Master!” said Lavretsky among other things, “you will soon have to compose a triumphal cantata.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Did you notice what attention he paid her yesterday?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Did you notice what attention he paid her yesterday?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Master!” said Lavretsky among other things, “you will soon have to compose a triumphal cantata.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “For the nuptials of Mr. Panshin and Lisa.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “For the nuptials of Mr. Panshin and Lisa.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading Did you notice what attention he paid her yesterday?
the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed
From this reading “For the nuptials of Mr. Panshin and Lisa.
an event that occurs at a critical time
From this reading “On what occasion?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “On what occasion?”
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading “Master!” said Lavretsky among other things, “you will soon have to compose a triumphal cantata.”
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading Did you notice what attention he paid her yesterday?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “For the nuptials of Mr. Panshin and Lisa.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Master!” said Lavretsky among other things, “you will soon have to compose a triumphal cantata.”
in the near future
From this reading “Master!” said Lavretsky among other things, “you will soon have to compose a triumphal cantata.”
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “Master!” said Lavretsky among other things, “you will soon have to compose a triumphal cantata.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Master!” said Lavretsky among other things, “you will soon have to compose a triumphal cantata.”
relating to or celebrating a triumph
From this reading “Master!” said Lavretsky among other things, “you will soon have to compose a triumphal cantata.”
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The next morning the master of the house and his guest drank tea in the garden under an old lime-tree.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “On what occasion?”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Master!” said Lavretsky among other things, “you will soon have to compose a triumphal cantata.”
the day immediately before today
From this reading Did you notice what attention he paid her yesterday?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Master!” said Lavretsky among other things, “you will soon have to compose a triumphal cantata.”
Chapter 20 of A House of Gentlefolk by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev holds 34 sentences, grouped into 7 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 20 holds 34 sentences of A House of Gentlefolk, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of A House of Gentlefolk by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 34 sentences, grouped into 7 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 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 7 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 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.
Common questions about reading A House of Gentlefolk by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3134 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5721 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5721, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 261 minutes of reading across 627 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A House of Gentlefolk section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of A House of Gentlefolk 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 A House of Gentlefolk, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
