Chapter 20 of Desert Dust is here in full — 315 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Desert Dust is here in full — 315 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant. "Keep out of sight," she panted. And--"Oh, why did you do it? Why did you? I think you killed him--they'll never forgive.
Chapter 20 of Desert Dust is here in full — 315 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/63 · 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.
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading “THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.”
boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
From this reading “THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.”
deeply agitated especially from emotion
From this reading “THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.”
pull, as against a resistance
From this reading “THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.”
stop blaming or grant forgiveness
From this reading “I think you killed him--they'll never forgive.”
past form of “pant” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “"Keep out of sight," she panted.”
in a stupid manner
From this reading “THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.”
plural of “win” — a victory (as in a race or other competition)
From this reading “THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And--"Oh, why did you do it?
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
next to; at the side of
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading And--"Oh, why did you do it?
deeply agitated especially from emotion
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading And--"Oh, why did you do it?
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
pull, as against a resistance
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
stop blaming or grant forgiveness
From this reading I think you killed him--they'll never forgive.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I think you killed him--they'll never forgive.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And--"Oh, why did you do it?
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "Keep out of sight," she panted.
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading I think you killed him--they'll never forgive.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I think you killed him--they'll never forgive.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Keep out of sight," she panted.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading And--"Oh, why did you do it?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Keep out of sight," she panted.
past form of “pant” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading "Keep out of sight," she panted.
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading "Keep out of sight," she panted.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
in a stupid manner
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I think you killed him--they'll never forgive.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I think you killed him--they'll never forgive.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
in or at the place that
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading And--"Oh, why did you do it?
plural of “win” — a victory (as in a race or other competition)
From this reading THE QUEEN WINS She arrived breathless, distraught, instantly to drag me down beside her, from where I stood stupidly defiant.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And--"Oh, why did you do it?
Chapter 20 of Desert Dust by Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand) Sabin holds 315 sentences, grouped into 63 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 315 sentences of Desert Dust, unabridged, divided into 63 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Desert Dust by Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand) Sabin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 315 sentences, grouped into 63 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 63 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 63 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 Desert Dust by Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand) Sabin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6309 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27437 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27437, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 525 minutes of reading across 1262 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Desert Dust section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Desert Dust 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 Desert Dust, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
