Chapter 20 of A Modern Chronicle — Complete is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of A Modern Chronicle — Complete is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Howard," said Honora that evening, "I've been going through houses to-day." "Houses!" he exclaimed, looking up from his newspaper. "And I've been most fortunate," she continued. "I found one that Mrs. Farnham built--she is now Mrs. Rindge. It is just finished, and so attractive.
Chapter 20 of A Modern Chronicle — Complete is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm
From this reading “It is just finished, and so attractive.”
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading “"I found one that Mrs. Farnham built--she is now Mrs. Rindge.”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “"Houses!" he exclaimed, looking up from his newspaper.”
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading “It is just finished, and so attractive.”
having unexpected good fortune
From this reading “"And I've been most fortunate," she continued.”
plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “"Howard," said Honora that evening, "I've been going through houses to-day."”
English actor of stage and screen (1893-1943)
From this reading “"Howard," said Honora that evening, "I've been going through houses to-day."”
a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading “"Houses!" he exclaimed, looking up from his newspaper.”
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 "And I've been most fortunate," she continued.
pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm
From this reading It is just finished, and so attractive.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Howard," said Honora that evening, "I've been going through houses to-day."
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading "I found one that Mrs. Farnham built--she is now Mrs. Rindge.
without stop or interruption
From this reading "And I've been most fortunate," she continued.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading "Howard," said Honora that evening, "I've been going through houses to-day."
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Houses!" he exclaimed, looking up from his newspaper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I found one that Mrs. Farnham built--she is now Mrs. Rindge.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading It is just finished, and so attractive.
having unexpected good fortune
From this reading "And I've been most fortunate," she continued.
set up or found
From this reading "I found one that Mrs. Farnham built--she is now Mrs. Rindge.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Houses!" he exclaimed, looking up from his newspaper.
the act of departing
From this reading "Howard," said Honora that evening, "I've been going through houses to-day."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Houses!" he exclaimed, looking up from his newspaper.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Houses!" he exclaimed, looking up from his newspaper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Howard," said Honora that evening, "I've been going through houses to-day."
plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "Howard," said Honora that evening, "I've been going through houses to-day."
English actor of stage and screen (1893-1943)
From this reading "Howard," said Honora that evening, "I've been going through houses to-day."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I found one that Mrs. Farnham built--she is now Mrs. Rindge.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Howard," said Honora that evening, "I've been going through houses to-day."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I found one that Mrs. Farnham built--she is now Mrs. Rindge.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is just finished, and so attractive.
and nothing more
From this reading It is just finished, and so attractive.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "Houses!" he exclaimed, looking up from his newspaper.
used to form the superlative
From this reading "And I've been most fortunate," she continued.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "I found one that Mrs. Farnham built--she is now Mrs. Rindge.
a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading "Houses!" he exclaimed, looking up from his newspaper.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "I found one that Mrs. Farnham built--she is now Mrs. Rindge.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "I found one that Mrs. Farnham built--she is now Mrs. Rindge.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I found one that Mrs. Farnham built--she is now Mrs. Rindge.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Howard," said Honora that evening, "I've been going through houses to-day."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "And I've been most fortunate," she continued.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It is just finished, and so attractive.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Howard," said Honora that evening, "I've been going through houses to-day."
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "Howard," said Honora that evening, "I've been going through houses to-day."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Howard," said Honora that evening, "I've been going through houses to-day."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Houses!" he exclaimed, looking up from his newspaper.
Chapter 20 of A Modern Chronicle — Complete by Winston Churchill holds 266 sentences, grouped into 54 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 266 sentences of A Modern Chronicle — Complete, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of A Modern Chronicle — Complete by Winston Churchill exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 266 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 Modern Chronicle — Complete by Winston Churchill on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10653 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5382 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5382, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2131 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Modern Chronicle — Complete section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of A Modern Chronicle — Complete 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 Modern Chronicle — Complete, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
