Chapter 20 of Brandon of the Engineers is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Brandon of the Engineers is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DON SEBASTIAN When they returned to the veranda Payne sat down on the steps. Jake picked up his chair and looked at him thoughtfully. "Now," he said, "I want to know why you have been prowling about the shack at night. You had better begin at the beginning." "Very well.
Chapter 20 of Brandon of the Engineers is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “You had better begin at the beginning."”
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading “You had better begin at the beginning."”
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
From this reading “DON SEBASTIAN When they returned to the veranda Payne sat down on the steps.”
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading “Jake picked up his chair and looked at him thoughtfully.”
-ing form of “prowl” — move about in or as if in a predatory manner
From this reading “"Now," he said, "I want to know why you have been prowling about the shack at night.”
small crude shelter used as a dwelling
From this reading “"Now," he said, "I want to know why you have been prowling about the shack at night.”
in a thoughtful manner
From this reading “Jake picked up his chair and looked at him thoughtfully.”
a porch along the outside of a building (sometimes partly enclosed)
From this reading “DON SEBASTIAN When they returned to the veranda Payne sat down on the steps.”
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 "Now," he said, "I want to know why you have been prowling about the shack at night.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Jake picked up his chair and looked at him thoughtfully.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Jake picked up his chair and looked at him thoughtfully.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Now," he said, "I want to know why you have been prowling about the shack at night.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading You had better begin at the beginning."
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading You had better begin at the beginning."
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading You had better begin at the beginning."
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Jake picked up his chair and looked at him thoughtfully.
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
From this reading DON SEBASTIAN When they returned to the veranda Payne sat down on the steps.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading DON SEBASTIAN When they returned to the veranda Payne sat down on the steps.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading You had better begin at the beginning."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Now," he said, "I want to know why you have been prowling about the shack at night.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Now," he said, "I want to know why you have been prowling about the shack at night.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Jake picked up his chair and looked at him thoughtfully.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Jake picked up his chair and looked at him thoughtfully.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Now," he said, "I want to know why you have been prowling about the shack at night.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jake picked up his chair and looked at him thoughtfully.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Now," he said, "I want to know why you have been prowling about the shack at night.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Jake picked up his chair and looked at him thoughtfully.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "Now," he said, "I want to know why you have been prowling about the shack at night.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now," he said, "I want to know why you have been prowling about the shack at night.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading DON SEBASTIAN When they returned to the veranda Payne sat down on the steps.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DON SEBASTIAN When they returned to the veranda Payne sat down on the steps.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading Jake picked up his chair and looked at him thoughtfully.
-ing form of “prowl” — move about in or as if in a predatory manner
From this reading "Now," he said, "I want to know why you have been prowling about the shack at night.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading DON SEBASTIAN When they returned to the veranda Payne sat down on the steps.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Now," he said, "I want to know why you have been prowling about the shack at night.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading DON SEBASTIAN When they returned to the veranda Payne sat down on the steps.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DON SEBASTIAN When they returned to the veranda Payne sat down on the steps.
small crude shelter used as a dwelling
From this reading "Now," he said, "I want to know why you have been prowling about the shack at night.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading DON SEBASTIAN When they returned to the veranda Payne sat down on the steps.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DON SEBASTIAN When they returned to the veranda Payne sat down on the steps.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading DON SEBASTIAN When they returned to the veranda Payne sat down on the steps.
in a thoughtful manner
From this reading Jake picked up his chair and looked at him thoughtfully.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading DON SEBASTIAN When they returned to the veranda Payne sat down on the steps.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Jake picked up his chair and looked at him thoughtfully.
a porch along the outside of a building (sometimes partly enclosed)
From this reading DON SEBASTIAN When they returned to the veranda Payne sat down on the steps.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Very well.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Now," he said, "I want to know why you have been prowling about the shack at night.
(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 "Very well.
at the time that
From this reading DON SEBASTIAN When they returned to the veranda Payne sat down on the steps.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Now," he said, "I want to know why you have been prowling about the shack at night.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Now," he said, "I want to know why you have been prowling about the shack at night.
Chapter 20 of Brandon of the Engineers by Harold Bindloss holds 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 183 sentences of Brandon of the Engineers, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Brandon of the Engineers by Harold Bindloss exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 Brandon of the Engineers by Harold Bindloss on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5914 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25923 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25923, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 492 minutes of reading across 1183 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Brandon of the Engineers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of Brandon of the Engineers 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 Brandon of the Engineers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
