Chapter 20 of A Royal Prisoner is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of A Royal Prisoner is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FREDERICK-CHRISTIAN "Another drink, Monsieur Louis?" "I think I've had about enough." "No, no ... this is my turn to treat." "Well, since you put it that way, Monsieur Wulf, I can't refuse." "Besides," added the barkeeper, "this is some very special vermouth, only served to old clients."
Chapter 20 of A Royal Prisoner is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
plural of “client” — a person who seeks the advice of a lawyer
From this reading “"Besides," added the barkeeper, "this is some very special vermouth, only served to old clients."”
United States prizefighter who was world heavyweight champion for 12 years (1914-1981)
From this reading “FREDERICK-CHRISTIAN "Another drink, Monsieur Louis?"”
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “FREDERICK-CHRISTIAN "Another drink, Monsieur Louis?"”
show unwillingness towards
From this reading “"Well, since you put it that way, Monsieur Wulf, I can't refuse."”
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading “"Besides," added the barkeeper, "this is some very special vermouth, only served to old clients."”
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading “"Besides," added the barkeeper, "this is some very special vermouth, only served to old clients."”
interact in a certain way
From this reading “"No, no ... this is my turn to treat."”
any of several white wines flavored with aromatic herbs; used as aperitifs or in mixed drinks
From this reading “"Besides," added the barkeeper, "this is some very special vermouth, only served to old clients."”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "I think I've had about enough."
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading "Besides," added the barkeeper, "this is some very special vermouth, only served to old clients."
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading FREDERICK-CHRISTIAN "Another drink, Monsieur Louis?"
an employee who mixes and serves alcoholic drinks at a bar
From this reading "Besides," added the barkeeper, "this is some very special vermouth, only served to old clients."
in addition to; as well as
From this reading "Besides," added the barkeeper, "this is some very special vermouth, only served to old clients."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, since you put it that way, Monsieur Wulf, I can't refuse."
plural of “client” — a person who seeks the advice of a lawyer
From this reading "Besides," added the barkeeper, "this is some very special vermouth, only served to old clients."
take in liquids
From this reading FREDERICK-CHRISTIAN "Another drink, Monsieur Louis?"
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading "I think I've had about enough."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FREDERICK-CHRISTIAN "Another drink, Monsieur Louis?"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I think I've had about enough."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I think I've had about enough."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I think I've had about enough."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "No, no ... this is my turn to treat."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Well, since you put it that way, Monsieur Wulf, I can't refuse."
United States prizefighter who was world heavyweight champion for 12 years (1914-1981)
From this reading FREDERICK-CHRISTIAN "Another drink, Monsieur Louis?"
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading FREDERICK-CHRISTIAN "Another drink, Monsieur Louis?"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "No, no ... this is my turn to treat."
not any; not one
From this reading "No, no ... this is my turn to treat."
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Besides," added the barkeeper, "this is some very special vermouth, only served to old clients."
and nothing more
From this reading "Besides," added the barkeeper, "this is some very special vermouth, only served to old clients."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "Well, since you put it that way, Monsieur Wulf, I can't refuse."
show unwillingness towards
From this reading "Well, since you put it that way, Monsieur Wulf, I can't refuse."
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading "Besides," added the barkeeper, "this is some very special vermouth, only served to old clients."
from a time in the past until now
From this reading "Well, since you put it that way, Monsieur Wulf, I can't refuse."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Besides," added the barkeeper, "this is some very special vermouth, only served to old clients."
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading "Besides," added the barkeeper, "this is some very special vermouth, only served to old clients."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Well, since you put it that way, Monsieur Wulf, I can't refuse."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Besides," added the barkeeper, "this is some very special vermouth, only served to old clients."
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I think I've had about enough."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "No, no ... this is my turn to treat."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "No, no ... this is my turn to treat."
interact in a certain way
From this reading "No, no ... this is my turn to treat."
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading "No, no ... this is my turn to treat."
any of several white wines flavored with aromatic herbs; used as aperitifs or in mixed drinks
From this reading "Besides," added the barkeeper, "this is some very special vermouth, only served to old clients."
precisely as stated
From this reading "Besides," added the barkeeper, "this is some very special vermouth, only served to old clients."
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Well, since you put it that way, Monsieur Wulf, I can't refuse."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, since you put it that way, Monsieur Wulf, I can't refuse."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, since you put it that way, Monsieur Wulf, I can't refuse."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, since you put it that way, Monsieur Wulf, I can't refuse."
Chapter 20 of A Royal Prisoner by Pierre Souvestre holds 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 20 holds 133 sentences of A Royal Prisoner, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of A Royal Prisoner by Pierre Souvestre exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 Royal Prisoner by Pierre Souvestre on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3849 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27789 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27789, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 320 minutes of reading across 770 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Royal Prisoner section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of A Royal Prisoner 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 Royal Prisoner, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
