Chapter 20 of Brothers is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Brothers is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You want to tell me about a play?" she said, with a low laugh. "How did you d-d-divine that?" "The expression of a man who has written a play is unmistakable. Well, I am in a charming humour this afternoon. What is the play about?
Chapter 20 of Brothers is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading “Well, I am in a charming humour this afternoon.”
pleasing or delighting
From this reading “Well, I am in a charming humour this afternoon.”
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading “"The expression of a man who has written a play is unmistakable.”
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading “Well, I am in a charming humour this afternoon.”
the sound of laughing
From this reading “"You want to tell me about a play?" she said, with a low laugh.”
participate in games or sport
From this reading “"You want to tell me about a play?" she said, with a low laugh.”
clearly evident to the mind
From this reading “"The expression of a man who has written a play is unmistakable.”
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading “"The expression of a man who has written a play is unmistakable.”
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 "You want to tell me about a play?" she said, with a low laugh.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "You want to tell me about a play?" she said, with a low laugh.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading Well, I am in a charming humour this afternoon.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Well, I am in a charming humour this afternoon.
pleasing or delighting
From this reading Well, I am in a charming humour this afternoon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How did you d-d-divine that?"
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "How did you d-d-divine that?"
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading "The expression of a man who has written a play is unmistakable.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The expression of a man who has written a play is unmistakable.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How did you d-d-divine that?"
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading Well, I am in a charming humour this afternoon.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Well, I am in a charming humour this afternoon.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Well, I am in a charming humour this afternoon.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The expression of a man who has written a play is unmistakable.
the sound of laughing
From this reading "You want to tell me about a play?" she said, with a low laugh.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading "You want to tell me about a play?" she said, with a low laugh.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "The expression of a man who has written a play is unmistakable.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You want to tell me about a play?" she said, with a low laugh.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "The expression of a man who has written a play is unmistakable.
participate in games or sport
From this reading "You want to tell me about a play?" she said, with a low laugh.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You want to tell me about a play?" she said, with a low laugh.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You want to tell me about a play?" she said, with a low laugh.
express in words
From this reading "You want to tell me about a play?" she said, with a low laugh.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "How did you d-d-divine that?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The expression of a man who has written a play is unmistakable.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Well, I am in a charming humour this afternoon.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You want to tell me about a play?" she said, with a low laugh.
clearly evident to the mind
From this reading "The expression of a man who has written a play is unmistakable.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "You want to tell me about a play?" she said, with a low laugh.
(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 Well, I am in a charming humour this afternoon.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What is the play about?
which person or people
From this reading "The expression of a man who has written a play is unmistakable.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "You want to tell me about a play?" she said, with a low laugh.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading "The expression of a man who has written a play is unmistakable.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You want to tell me about a play?" she said, with a low laugh.
Chapter 20 of Brothers by Horace Annesley Vachell holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of Brothers, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Brothers by Horace Annesley Vachell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Brothers by Horace Annesley Vachell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9135 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47047 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #47047, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1827 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Brothers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Brothers 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 Brothers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
