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Ashes to ashes
Ashes to ashes

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of Ashes to ashes is here in full — 264 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Ashes to ashes
Context Illustration Reading 1/52 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Marked!
They finished packing the trunk, made and devoured the rarebit, and still George lingered.
His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.
The bag had been discovered, but did the porter remember checking it?
Did he remember the face of the man who had given it into his charge?
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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.

Ashes to ashes

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of Ashes to ashes is here in full — 264 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/52 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Marked!
/mɑːrkt/
Line 2
They finished packing the trunk, made and devoured the rarebit, and still George lingered.
Line 3
His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.
/hɪz maɪnd hæd bɪn dʒɑːrd frʌm ɪts ˈplæsəd ruːˈtiːn baɪ ðə ˈtrædʒɪk deθ ʌv ðer ˈfɔːrmər ˈklæsmeɪt ənd hiː dwelt əˈpɑːn ðə ˌreməˈnɪsənsɪz wɪtʃ wɜːr æn ˈædəd ˈtɔːrtʃər tuː stɔːrmz pərˈtɜːrbd ˈmentəl steɪt/
Line 4
The bag had been discovered, but did the porter remember checking it?
/ðə bæɡ hæd bɪn dɪˈskʌvərd bʌt dɪd ðə ˈpɔːrtər rɪˈmɛm.bər ˈtʃekɪŋ ɪt/
Line 5
Did he remember the face of the man who had given it into his charge?
/dɪd hiː rɪˈmɛm.bər ðə feɪs ʌv ðə mæn huː hæd ˈɡɪvən ɪt ˈɪntuː hɪz tʃɑːrdʒ/

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.

checking verb US /ˈtʃekɪŋ/

-ing form of “check” — examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition

From this reading “The bag had been discovered, but did the porter remember checking it?”

classmate noun US /ˈklæsmeɪt/

an acquaintance that you go to school with

From this reading “His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.”

devoured verb US /dɪˈvaʊərd/

past form of “devour” — destroy completely

From this reading “They finished packing the trunk, made and devoured the rarebit, and still George lingered.”

jarred verb US /dʒɑːrd/

inflected form of “jar” — be incompatible; be or come into conflict

From this reading “His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.”

perturbed adjective US /pərˈtɜːrbd/

thrown into a state of agitated confusion; (“rattled” is an informal term)

From this reading “His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.”

reminiscences noun US /ˌreməˈnɪsənsɪz/

plural of “reminiscence” — a mental impression retained and recalled from the past

From this reading “His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.”

routine noun US /ruːˈtiːn/

an unvarying or habitual method or procedure

From this reading “His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.”

Storm's noun US /stɔːrmz/

possessive form of “storm” — a violent weather condition with winds 64-72 knots (11 on the Beaufort scale) and precipitation and thunder and lightning

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

dwelt upon verb + particle counted as “dwell upon”

In this reading “His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.”

tragic death adjective + noun

In this reading “His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.”

mental state adjective + noun

(psychology) a mental condition in which the qualities of a state are relatively constant even though the state itself may be dynamic

In this reading “His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.”

All words in this reading · 57

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.

addedverbUS /ˈædəd/

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 His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading They finished packing the trunk, made and devoured the rarebit, and still George lingered.

bagnounUS /bæɡ/

a flexible container with a single opening

From this reading The bag had been discovered, but did the porter remember checking it?

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The bag had been discovered, but did the porter remember checking it?

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

chargeverbUS /tʃɑːrdʒ/

to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle

From this reading Did he remember the face of the man who had given it into his charge?

checkingverbUS /ˈtʃekɪŋ/

-ing form of “check” — examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition

From this reading The bag had been discovered, but did the porter remember checking it?

classmatenounUS /ˈklæsmeɪt/

an acquaintance that you go to school with

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

devouredverbUS /dɪˈvaʊərd/

past form of “devour” — destroy completely

From this reading They finished packing the trunk, made and devoured the rarebit, and still George lingered.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading The bag had been discovered, but did the porter remember checking it?

discoveredadjectiveUS /dɪˈskʌvərd/

discovered or determined by scientific observation

From this reading The bag had been discovered, but did the porter remember checking it?

dweltverbUS /dwelt/

inflected form of “dwell” — think moodily or anxiously about something

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading Did he remember the face of the man who had given it into his charge?

finishedadjectiveUS /ˈfɪnɪʃt/

(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state

From this reading They finished packing the trunk, made and devoured the rarebit, and still George lingered.

formeradjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrmər/

referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

GeorgenounUS /dʒɔːrdʒ/

Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)

From this reading They finished packing the trunk, made and devoured the rarebit, and still George lingered.

givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/

acknowledged as a supposition

From this reading Did he remember the face of the man who had given it into his charge?

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Did he remember the face of the man who had given it into his charge?

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The bag had been discovered, but did the porter remember checking it?

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

jarredverbUS /dʒɑːrd/

inflected form of “jar” — be incompatible; be or come into conflict

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

lingeredverbUS /ˈlɪŋɡərd/

past form of “linger” — remain present although waning or gradually dying

From this reading They finished packing the trunk, made and devoured the rarebit, and still George lingered.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading They finished packing the trunk, made and devoured the rarebit, and still George lingered.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Did he remember the face of the man who had given it into his charge?

MarkedadjectiveUS /mɑːrkt/

strongly marked; easily noticeable

From this reading Marked!

mentaladjectiveUS /ˈmentəl/

involving the mind or an intellectual process

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

packingnounUS /ˈpækɪŋ/

any material used especially to protect something

From this reading They finished packing the trunk, made and devoured the rarebit, and still George lingered.

perturbedadjectiveUS /pərˈtɜːrbd/

thrown into a state of agitated confusion; (“rattled” is an informal term)

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

placidadjectiveUS /ˈplæsəd/

(of a body of water) free from disturbance by heavy waves

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

porternounUS /ˈpɔːrtər/

a person employed to carry luggage and supplies

From this reading The bag had been discovered, but did the porter remember checking it?

rarebitnoun

cheese melted with ale or beer served over toast

From this reading They finished packing the trunk, made and devoured the rarebit, and still George lingered.

rememberverbUS /rɪˈmɛm.bər/

To recall to mind.

From this reading The bag had been discovered, but did the porter remember checking it?

reminiscencesnounUS /ˌreməˈnɪsənsɪz/

plural of “reminiscence” — a mental impression retained and recalled from the past

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

routinenounUS /ruːˈtiːn/

an unvarying or habitual method or procedure

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

statenounUS /steɪt/

the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading They finished packing the trunk, made and devoured the rarebit, and still George lingered.

Storm'snounUS /stɔːrmz/

possessive form of “storm” — a violent weather condition with winds 64-72 knots (11 on the Beaufort scale) and precipitation and thunder and lightning

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading They finished packing the trunk, made and devoured the rarebit, and still George lingered.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They finished packing the trunk, made and devoured the rarebit, and still George lingered.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

tortureverbUS /ˈtɔːrtʃər/

torment emotionally or mentally

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

tragicadjectiveUS /ˈtrædʒɪk/

very sad; especially involving grief or death or destruction

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

trunknounUS /trʌŋk/

the main stem of a tree; usually covered with bark; the bole is usually the part that is commercially useful for lumber

From this reading They finished packing the trunk, made and devoured the rarebit, and still George lingered.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading His mind had been jarred from its placid routine by the tragic death of their former classmate, and he dwelt upon the reminiscences which were an added torture to Storm’s perturbed mental state.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Did he remember the face of the man who had given it into his charge?

Chapter 20 of Ashes to ashes by Isabel Ostrander holds 264 sentences, grouped into 53 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 Ashes to ashes contain?

Chapter 20 holds 264 sentences of Ashes to ashes, unabridged, divided into 53 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of Ashes to ashes by Isabel Ostrander exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 264 sentences, grouped into 53 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 Ashes to ashes?

Work through the 53 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 53 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 Ashes to ashes

Common questions about reading Ashes to ashes by Isabel Ostrander on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Ashes to ashes?

Yes. All 6269 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73155 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Ashes to ashes is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #73155, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Ashes to ashes take to read?

About 522 minutes of reading across 1254 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Ashes to ashes section by section

How to work through Ashes to ashes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 28 chapters of Ashes to ashes 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 Ashes to ashes

Words and structures a reader meets early in Ashes to ashes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Situation
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Ashes to ashes; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Wendle
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Ashes to ashes; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Foulkes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Ashes to ashes; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Narrowed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Ashes to ashes; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.