Chapter 20 of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. HART DECIDES TO WAIT A LITTLE LONGER. Margaret had a tender, yielding nature, but she was firm withal. It is surprising how determined these soft weaker vessels can be! And they generally get their way.
Chapter 20 of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
third-person singular of “decide” — reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading “HART DECIDES TO WAIT A LITTLE LONGER.”
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading “Margaret had a tender, yielding nature, but she was firm withal.”
United States playwright who collaborated with George S. Kaufman (1904-1961)
From this reading “HART DECIDES TO WAIT A LITTLE LONGER.”
causing surprise or wonder or amazement
From this reading “It is surprising how determined these soft weaker vessels can be!”
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading “Margaret had a tender, yielding nature, but she was firm withal.”
plural of “vessel” — a tube in which a body fluid circulates
From this reading “It is surprising how determined these soft weaker vessels can be!”
comparative of “weak” — wanting in physical strength
From this reading “It is surprising how determined these soft weaker vessels can be!”
inclined to yield to argument or influence or control
From this reading “Margaret had a tender, yielding nature, but she was firm withal.”
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.
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 HART DECIDES TO WAIT A LITTLE LONGER.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And they generally get their way.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It is surprising how determined these soft weaker vessels can be!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Margaret had a tender, yielding nature, but she was firm withal.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading It is surprising how determined these soft weaker vessels can be!
third-person singular of “decide” — reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading HART DECIDES TO WAIT A LITTLE LONGER.
characterized by great determination
From this reading It is surprising how determined these soft weaker vessels can be!
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading Margaret had a tender, yielding nature, but she was firm withal.
usually; as a rule
From this reading And they generally get their way.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading And they generally get their way.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Margaret had a tender, yielding nature, but she was firm withal.
United States playwright who collaborated with George S. Kaufman (1904-1961)
From this reading HART DECIDES TO WAIT A LITTLE LONGER.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is surprising how determined these soft weaker vessels can be!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is surprising how determined these soft weaker vessels can be!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is surprising how determined these soft weaker vessels can be!
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading HART DECIDES TO WAIT A LITTLE LONGER.
for more time
From this reading HART DECIDES TO WAIT A LITTLE LONGER.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Margaret had a tender, yielding nature, but she was firm withal.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading Margaret had a tender, yielding nature, but she was firm withal.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Margaret had a tender, yielding nature, but she was firm withal.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading It is surprising how determined these soft weaker vessels can be!
causing surprise or wonder or amazement
From this reading It is surprising how determined these soft weaker vessels can be!
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading Margaret had a tender, yielding nature, but she was firm withal.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading And they generally get their way.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading It is surprising how determined these soft weaker vessels can be!
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And they generally get their way.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading HART DECIDES TO WAIT A LITTLE LONGER.
plural of “vessel” — a tube in which a body fluid circulates
From this reading It is surprising how determined these soft weaker vessels can be!
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading HART DECIDES TO WAIT A LITTLE LONGER.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Margaret had a tender, yielding nature, but she was firm withal.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading And they generally get their way.
comparative of “weak” — wanting in physical strength
From this reading It is surprising how determined these soft weaker vessels can be!
despite anything to the contrary (usually preceding a concession)
From this reading Margaret had a tender, yielding nature, but she was firm withal.
inclined to yield to argument or influence or control
From this reading Margaret had a tender, yielding nature, but she was firm withal.
Chapter 20 of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon holds 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 190 sentences of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 At the Sign of the Silver Flagon by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5583 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53062 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53062, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 465 minutes of reading across 1117 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through At the Sign of the Silver Flagon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of At the Sign of the Silver Flagon 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 At the Sign of the Silver Flagon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
