Coppertop

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of Coppertop is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Harold Gaze • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

Finding Tibbs sitting alone upon a pebble, he murmured his deep regrets.

But Tibbs was in no mood to forgive him easily.

“It’s pretty easy for you to say you’re sorry, and all that, after you’ve blown my sister and brother and Miss Smiler----” “Don’t mention that Camel’s name!” interrupted the East Wind, “or I shall get annoyed again!”

“Anyhow, you’ve blown them to--to smithereens.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XX Reading 1/21

Coppertop Harold Gaze

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of Coppertop is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise. Finding Tibbs sitting alone upon a pebble, he murmured his deep regrets. But Tibbs was in no mood to forgive him easily. “It’s pretty easy for you to say you’re sorry, and all that, after you’ve blown my sister and brother and Miss Smiler----” “Don’t mention that Camel’s name!” interrupted the East Wind, “or I shall get annoyed again!” “Anyhow, you’ve blown them to--to smithereens.

Coppertop

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of Coppertop is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

/ɪn ðə den ʌv ðə ˈspɪnstər ˈspaɪdər ðə iːst waɪnd suːn rɪˈpentɪd ʌv hɪz reɪdʒ ənd ˈfiːlɪŋ nɑːt ə ˈlɪtəl əˈʃeɪmd ʌv ðə hɑːrʃ weɪ hiː hæd ˈtriːtɪd ðə ˈtʃɪldrən hiː keɪm bæk tuː əˈpɑːlədʒaɪz/

Line 2

Finding Tibbs sitting alone upon a pebble, he murmured his deep regrets.

Line 3

But Tibbs was in no mood to forgive him easily.

Line 4

Line 5

“Anyhow, you’ve blown them to--to smithereens.

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.

apologise verb US /əˈpɑːlədʒaɪz/

defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning

From this reading “IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.”

Camel's noun US /ˈkæməlz/

possessive form of “camel” — cud-chewing mammal used as a draft or saddle animal in desert regions

pebble noun US /ˈpebəl/

a small smooth rounded rock

From this reading “Finding Tibbs sitting alone upon a pebble, he murmured his deep regrets.”

regrets noun US /rɪˈɡrets/

a polite refusal of an invitation

From this reading “Finding Tibbs sitting alone upon a pebble, he murmured his deep regrets.”

repented verb US /rɪˈpentɪd/

past form of “repent” — turn away from sin or do penitence

smithereens noun US /ˌsmɪðərˈiːnz/

a collection of small fragments considered as a whole

From this reading ““Anyhow, you’ve blown them to--to smithereens.”

spider noun US /ˈspaɪdər/

predatory arachnid with eight legs, two poison fangs, two feelers, and usually two silk-spinning organs at the back end of the body; they spin silk to make cocoons for eggs or traps for prey

spinster noun US /ˈspɪnstər/

an elderly unmarried woman

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.

East Wind noun + noun

a wind from the east

In this reading “IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.”

came back verb + particle counted as “come back”

be restored

repented of verb + particle counted as “repent of”

All words in this reading · 76

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “It’s pretty easy for you to say you’re sorry, and all that, after you’ve blown my sister and brother and Miss Smiler----” “Don’t mention that Camel’s name!” interrupted the East Wind, “or I shall get annoyed again!”

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading Finding Tibbs sitting alone upon a pebble, he murmured his deep regrets.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

annoyedadjectiveUS /əˈnɔɪd/

aroused to impatience or anger

AnyhowadverbUS /ˈenihaʊ/

used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement

From this reading “Anyhow, you’ve blown them to--to smithereens.

apologiseverbUS /əˈpɑːlədʒaɪz/

defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

ashamedadjectiveUS /əˈʃeɪmd/

feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

blownadjectiveUS /bloʊn/

being moved or acted upon by moving air or vapor

brothernounUS /ˈbrʌðər/

a male with the same parents as someone else

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But Tibbs was in no mood to forgive him easily.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

Camel'snounUS /ˈkæməlz/

possessive form of “camel” — cud-chewing mammal used as a draft or saddle animal in desert regions

childrennounUS /ˈtʃɪldrən/

plural of “child” — a young person of either sex

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

deepadjectiveUS /diːp/

relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply

From this reading Finding Tibbs sitting alone upon a pebble, he murmured his deep regrets.

DENnounUS /den/

the habitation of wild animals

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

Don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

easilyadverbUS /ˈiːzəli/

with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)

From this reading But Tibbs was in no mood to forgive him easily.

EastnounUS /iːst/

the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

easyadjectiveUS /ˈiːzi/

posing no difficulty; requiring little effort

feelingnounUS /ˈfiːlɪŋ/

the experiencing of affective and emotional states

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

FindingnounUS /ˈfaɪndɪŋ/

the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation

From this reading Finding Tibbs sitting alone upon a pebble, he murmured his deep regrets.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

forgiveverbUS /fərˈɡɪv/

stop blaming or grant forgiveness

From this reading But Tibbs was in no mood to forgive him easily.

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

harshadjectiveUS /hɑːrʃ/

unpleasantly stern

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading But Tibbs was in no mood to forgive him easily.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

interruptedadjectiveUS /ˌɪntərˈʌptɪd/

discontinued temporarily

It's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

mentionverbUS /ˈmenʃən/

make reference to

MissverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

moodnounUS /muːd/

a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling

From this reading But Tibbs was in no mood to forgive him easily.

murmuredverbUS /ˈmɜːrmərd/

past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly

From this reading Finding Tibbs sitting alone upon a pebble, he murmured his deep regrets.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading But Tibbs was in no mood to forgive him easily.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

pebblenounUS /ˈpebəl/

a small smooth rounded rock

From this reading Finding Tibbs sitting alone upon a pebble, he murmured his deep regrets.

prettyadjectiveUS /ˈprɪti/

pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing

ragenounUS /reɪdʒ/

a feeling of intense anger

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

regretsnounUS /rɪˈɡrets/

a polite refusal of an invitation

From this reading Finding Tibbs sitting alone upon a pebble, he murmured his deep regrets.

repentedverbUS /rɪˈpentɪd/

past form of “repent” — turn away from sin or do penitence

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

sisternounUS /ˈsɪstər/

a female person who has the same parents as another person

sittingnounUS /ˈsɪtɪŋ/

(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)

From this reading Finding Tibbs sitting alone upon a pebble, he murmured his deep regrets.

Smilernoun

a person who smiles

smithereensnounUS /ˌsmɪðərˈiːnz/

a collection of small fragments considered as a whole

From this reading “Anyhow, you’ve blown them to--to smithereens.

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

sorryadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːri/

feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone

SPIDERnounUS /ˈspaɪdər/

predatory arachnid with eight legs, two poison fangs, two feelers, and usually two silk-spinning organs at the back end of the body; they spin silk to make cocoons for eggs or traps for prey

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

SPINSTERnounUS /ˈspɪnstər/

an elderly unmarried woman

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading “Anyhow, you’ve blown them to--to smithereens.

Tibbs

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Finding Tibbs sitting alone upon a pebble, he murmured his deep regrets.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

treatedadjectiveUS /ˈtriːtɪd/

subjected to a physical (or chemical) treatment or action or agent

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Finding Tibbs sitting alone upon a pebble, he murmured his deep regrets.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading But Tibbs was in no mood to forgive him easily.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

WindnounUS /waɪnd/

air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

From this reading IN THE DEN OF THE SPINSTER SPIDER The East Wind soon repented of his rage, and, feeling not a little ashamed of the harsh way he had treated the children, he came back to apologise.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

you're

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

you've

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

Chapter 20 of Coppertop by Harold Gaze holds 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 Coppertop contain?

Chapter 20 holds 109 sentences of Coppertop, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of Coppertop by Harold Gaze exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 Coppertop?

Work through the 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 22 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 Coppertop

Common questions about reading Coppertop by Harold Gaze on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Coppertop?

Yes. All 2013 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56516 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Coppertop is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #56516, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Coppertop take to read?

About 167 minutes of reading across 403 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Coppertop

Words and structures a reader meets early in Coppertop, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Four-poster: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Coppertop; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Listened: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Coppertop; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Round: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Coppertop; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
House: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Coppertop; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XX

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