Chapter 20 of A Simpleton is here in full — 84 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of A Simpleton is here in full — 84 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Heaven forbid!” said Phoebe. “No, my dear, no more diamonds for us. We never had but one, and it brought us trouble.” “Nonsense, Phoebe,” replied Falcon; “it was not the diamond's fault. You know I have often wanted to go there, but you objected.
Chapter 20 of A Simpleton is here in full — 84 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
possessive form of “diamond” — a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading ““Nonsense, Phoebe,” replied Falcon; “it was not the diamond's fault.”
plural of “diamond” — a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading ““No, my dear, no more diamonds for us.”
diurnal birds of prey having long pointed powerful wings adapted for swift flight
From this reading ““Nonsense, Phoebe,” replied Falcon; “it was not the diamond's fault.”
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading ““Nonsense, Phoebe,” replied Falcon; “it was not the diamond's fault.”
command against
From this reading ““Heaven forbid!” said Phoebe.”
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading ““Nonsense, Phoebe,” replied Falcon; “it was not the diamond's fault.”
past form of “object” — express or raise an objection or protest or criticism or express dissent
From this reading “You know I have often wanted to go there, but you objected.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading ““Heaven forbid!” said Phoebe.”
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 We never had but one, and it brought us trouble.”
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading We never had but one, and it brought us trouble.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading We never had but one, and it brought us trouble.”
dearly loved
From this reading “No, my dear, no more diamonds for us.
possessive form of “diamond” — a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading “Nonsense, Phoebe,” replied Falcon; “it was not the diamond's fault.
plural of “diamond” — a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading “No, my dear, no more diamonds for us.
diurnal birds of prey having long pointed powerful wings adapted for swift flight
From this reading “Nonsense, Phoebe,” replied Falcon; “it was not the diamond's fault.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading “Nonsense, Phoebe,” replied Falcon; “it was not the diamond's fault.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “No, my dear, no more diamonds for us.
command against
From this reading “Heaven forbid!” said Phoebe.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading You know I have often wanted to go there, but you objected.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We never had but one, and it brought us trouble.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You know I have often wanted to go there, but you objected.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading “Heaven forbid!” said Phoebe.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading You know I have often wanted to go there, but you objected.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading We never had but one, and it brought us trouble.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading You know I have often wanted to go there, but you objected.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “No, my dear, no more diamonds for us.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “No, my dear, no more diamonds for us.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading We never had but one, and it brought us trouble.”
not any; not one
From this reading “No, my dear, no more diamonds for us.
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading “Nonsense, Phoebe,” replied Falcon; “it was not the diamond's fault.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Nonsense, Phoebe,” replied Falcon; “it was not the diamond's fault.
past form of “object” — express or raise an objection or protest or criticism or express dissent
From this reading You know I have often wanted to go there, but you objected.
many times at short intervals
From this reading You know I have often wanted to go there, but you objected.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading We never had but one, and it brought us trouble.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading “Heaven forbid!” said Phoebe.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “Nonsense, Phoebe,” replied Falcon; “it was not the diamond's fault.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Heaven forbid!” said Phoebe.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Nonsense, Phoebe,” replied Falcon; “it was not the diamond's fault.
in or at that place or location
From this reading You know I have often wanted to go there, but you objected.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You know I have often wanted to go there, but you objected.
a source of difficulty
From this reading We never had but one, and it brought us trouble.”
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “No, my dear, no more diamonds for us.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading You know I have often wanted to go there, but you objected.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Nonsense, Phoebe,” replied Falcon; “it was not the diamond's fault.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We never had but one, and it brought us trouble.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You know I have often wanted to go there, but you objected.
Chapter 20 of A Simpleton by Charles Reade holds 84 sentences, grouped into 17 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 84 sentences of A Simpleton, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of A Simpleton by Charles Reade exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 84 sentences, grouped into 17 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 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 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 Simpleton by Charles Reade on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8547 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2301 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2301, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1710 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Simpleton section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of A Simpleton 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 Simpleton, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
