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A Roman Singer
A Roman Singer

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of A Roman Singer is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for A Roman Singer
Context Illustration Reading 1/38 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.
"The hour is advancing, and it is damp here, my love.
You will be cold," said Nino, protesting against delay as best he could.
"No; and I must talk to you."
She sat down, but Nino pulled off his cloak and threw it round her.
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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 Roman Singer

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of A Roman Singer is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.
Line 2
"The hour is advancing, and it is damp here, my love.
/ðə ˈaʊər ɪz ədˈvænsɪŋ ənd ɪt ɪz dæmp hiːr maɪ lʌv/
Line 3
You will be cold," said Nino, protesting against delay as best he could.
Line 4
"No; and I must talk to you."
/noʊ ənd aɪ mʌst tɔːk tuː juː/
Line 5
She sat down, but Nino pulled off his cloak and threw it round her.

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.

advancing adjective US /ədˈvænsɪŋ/

moving forward

From this reading “"The hour is advancing, and it is damp here, my love.”

cloak noun US /kloʊk/

anything that covers or conceals

From this reading “She sat down, but Nino pulled off his cloak and threw it round her.”

damp adjective US /dæmp/

slightly wet

From this reading “"The hour is advancing, and it is damp here, my love.”

delay verb US /dɪˈleɪ/

cause to be slowed down or delayed

From this reading “You will be cold," said Nino, protesting against delay as best he could.”

disengaging verb US /dɪsɪnˈɡeɪdʒɪŋ/

-ing form of “disengage” — release from something that holds fast, connects, or entangles

From this reading “"Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.”

gently adverb US /ˈdʒentli/

in a gradual manner

From this reading “"Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.”

protesting verb US /prəˈtestɪŋ/

-ing form of “protest” — utter words of protest

From this reading “You will be cold," said Nino, protesting against delay as best he could.”

pulled verb US /pʊld/

past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling

From this reading “She sat down, but Nino pulled off his cloak and threw it round her.”

All words in this reading · 50

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.

advancingadjectiveUS /ədˈvænsɪŋ/

moving forward

From this reading "The hour is advancing, and it is damp here, my love.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading You will be cold," said Nino, protesting against delay as best he could.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.

armsnounUS /ɑːrmz/

weapons considered collectively

From this reading "Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading You will be cold," said Nino, protesting against delay as best he could.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading You will be cold," said Nino, protesting against delay as best he could.

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading You will be cold," said Nino, protesting against delay as best he could.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading She sat down, but Nino pulled off his cloak and threw it round her.

cloaknounUS /kloʊk/

anything that covers or conceals

From this reading She sat down, but Nino pulled off his cloak and threw it round her.

coldadjectiveUS /koʊld/

having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration

From this reading You will be cold," said Nino, protesting against delay as best he could.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading You will be cold," said Nino, protesting against delay as best he could.

dampadjectiveUS /dæmp/

slightly wet

From this reading "The hour is advancing, and it is damp here, my love.

delayverbUS /dɪˈleɪ/

cause to be slowed down or delayed

From this reading You will be cold," said Nino, protesting against delay as best he could.

disengagingverbUS /dɪsɪnˈɡeɪdʒɪŋ/

-ing form of “disengage” — release from something that holds fast, connects, or entangles

From this reading "Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading She sat down, but Nino pulled off his cloak and threw it round her.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading "Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.

gentlyadverbUS /ˈdʒentli/

in a gradual manner

From this reading "Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading You will be cold," said Nino, protesting against delay as best he could.

Hedwig

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

From this reading "Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading She sat down, but Nino pulled off his cloak and threw it round her.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

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

From this reading "The hour is advancing, and it is damp here, my love.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading "Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading "Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.

hournounUS /ˈaʊər/

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading "The hour is advancing, and it is damp here, my love.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "No; and I must talk to you."

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading "The hour is advancing, and it is damp here, my love.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "The hour is advancing, and it is damp here, my love.

Letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading "Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading "The hour is advancing, and it is damp here, my love.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading "No; and I must talk to you."

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "The hour is advancing, and it is damp here, my love.

Nino

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

From this reading You will be cold," said Nino, protesting against delay as best he could.

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "No; and I must talk to you."

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading She sat down, but Nino pulled off his cloak and threw it round her.

protestingverbUS /prəˈtestɪŋ/

-ing form of “protest” — utter words of protest

From this reading You will be cold," said Nino, protesting against delay as best he could.

pulledverbUS /pʊld/

past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling

From this reading She sat down, but Nino pulled off his cloak and threw it round her.

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading She sat down, but Nino pulled off his cloak and threw it round her.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading She sat down, but Nino pulled off his cloak and threw it round her.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She sat down, but Nino pulled off his cloak and threw it round her.

sitverbUS /sɪt/

be seated

From this reading "Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.

stepnounUS /step/

any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal

From this reading "Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.

talkverbUS /tɔːk/

exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading "Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.

threwverbUS /θruː/

inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air

From this reading She sat down, but Nino pulled off his cloak and threw it round her.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading "No; and I must talk to you."

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading "Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "Let us sit upon the step and talk," said Hedwig, gently disengaging herself from his arms.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading You will be cold," said Nino, protesting against delay as best he could.

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading You will be cold," said Nino, protesting against delay as best he could.

Chapter 20 of A Roman Singer by F. Marion (Francis Marion) Crawford holds 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 Roman Singer contain?

Chapter 20 holds 194 sentences of A Roman Singer, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of A Roman Singer by F. Marion (Francis Marion) Crawford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 Roman Singer?

Work through the 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 39 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 Roman Singer

Common questions about reading A Roman Singer by F. Marion (Francis Marion) Crawford on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Roman Singer?

Yes. All 5261 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12346 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Roman Singer is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #12346, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Roman Singer take to read?

About 438 minutes of reading across 1053 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Roman Singer section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 23 chapters of A Roman Singer 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 Roman Singer

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

Really
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Roman Singer; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ago--only
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Roman Singer; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sirocco
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Roman Singer; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Blowing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Roman Singer; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.