Chapter 20 of A Sister to Evangeline is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of A Sister to Evangeline is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
But Mad Nor-nor-west The steps came close to me, moved away, and were still. A sick man’s curiosity soon works, and here, surely, were incalculable matters for me to find out. I turned over suddenly. It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door. Withered herbs were in the high, peaked cap.
Chapter 20 of A Sister to Evangeline is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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 short personal letter
From this reading “It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door.”
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading “Withered herbs were in the high, peaked cap.”
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading “It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door.”
ludicrously odd
From this reading “It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door.”
plural of “herb” — a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests
From this reading “Withered herbs were in the high, peaked cap.”
not able to be computed or enumerated
From this reading “A sick man’s curiosity soon works, and here, surely, were incalculable matters for me to find out.”
somewhat ill or prone to illness
From this reading “Withered herbs were in the high, peaked cap.”
lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness
From this reading “Withered herbs were in the high, peaked cap.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
a cap with a flat circular top and a visor
In this reading “Withered herbs were in the high, peaked cap.”
In this reading “It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door.”
establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study
In this reading “A sick man’s curiosity soon works, and here, surely, were incalculable matters for me to find out.”
nearly do something
In this reading “But Mad Nor-nor-west The steps came close to me, moved away, and were still.”
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 A sick man’s curiosity soon works, and here, surely, were incalculable matters for me to find out.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But Mad Nor-nor-west The steps came close to me, moved away, and were still.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading But Mad Nor-nor-west The steps came close to me, moved away, and were still.
a short personal letter
From this reading It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Mad Nor-nor-west The steps came close to me, moved away, and were still.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading But Mad Nor-nor-west The steps came close to me, moved away, and were still.
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading Withered herbs were in the high, peaked cap.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading But Mad Nor-nor-west The steps came close to me, moved away, and were still.
a state in which you want to learn more about something
From this reading A sick man’s curiosity soon works, and here, surely, were incalculable matters for me to find out.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door.
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door.
ludicrously odd
From this reading It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading A sick man’s curiosity soon works, and here, surely, were incalculable matters for me to find out.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A sick man’s curiosity soon works, and here, surely, were incalculable matters for me to find out.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door.
plural of “herb” — a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests
From this reading Withered herbs were in the high, peaked cap.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading A sick man’s curiosity soon works, and here, surely, were incalculable matters for me to find out.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Withered herbs were in the high, peaked cap.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I turned over suddenly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Withered herbs were in the high, peaked cap.
not able to be computed or enumerated
From this reading A sick man’s curiosity soon works, and here, surely, were incalculable matters for me to find out.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door.
roused to anger
From this reading But Mad Nor-nor-west The steps came close to me, moved away, and were still.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A sick man’s curiosity soon works, and here, surely, were incalculable matters for me to find out.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading A sick man’s curiosity soon works, and here, surely, were incalculable matters for me to find out.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But Mad Nor-nor-west The steps came close to me, moved away, and were still.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading But Mad Nor-nor-west The steps came close to me, moved away, and were still.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Mad Nor-nor-west The steps came close to me, moved away, and were still.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading A sick man’s curiosity soon works, and here, surely, were incalculable matters for me to find out.
above and across; more than
From this reading I turned over suddenly.
somewhat ill or prone to illness
From this reading Withered herbs were in the high, peaked cap.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading A sick man’s curiosity soon works, and here, surely, were incalculable matters for me to find out.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door.
in the near future
From this reading A sick man’s curiosity soon works, and here, surely, were incalculable matters for me to find out.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading But Mad Nor-nor-west The steps came close to me, moved away, and were still.
not in physical motion
From this reading But Mad Nor-nor-west The steps came close to me, moved away, and were still.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading I turned over suddenly.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading A sick man’s curiosity soon works, and here, surely, were incalculable matters for me to find out.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But Mad Nor-nor-west The steps came close to me, moved away, and were still.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But Mad Nor-nor-west The steps came close to me, moved away, and were still.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading I turned over suddenly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But Mad Nor-nor-west The steps came close to me, moved away, and were still.
lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness
From this reading Withered herbs were in the high, peaked cap.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading It was a fantastic figure that faced me, sitting on a billet of wood not far from the door.
buildings for carrying on industrial labor
From this reading A sick man’s curiosity soon works, and here, surely, were incalculable matters for me to find out.
Chapter 20 of A Sister to Evangeline by Charles G. D., Sir Roberts holds 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 104 sentences of A Sister to Evangeline, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of A Sister to Evangeline by Charles G. D., Sir Roberts exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Sister to Evangeline by Charles G. D., Sir Roberts on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3815 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53610 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53610, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 317 minutes of reading across 763 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Sister to Evangeline section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of A Sister to Evangeline 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 Sister to Evangeline, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
