Chapter 20 of Free Air is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Free Air is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE FREE WOMAN Before breakfast, Claire darted down to the hotel yard. She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms. They both looked extremely sheepish and young. It was Pinky Parrott who was the social lubricant. Pinky was always on speaking terms with everybody.
Chapter 20 of Free Air is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
past form of “beam” — smile radiantly; express joy through one's facial expression
From this reading “She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.”
a substance capable of reducing friction by making surfaces smooth or slippery
From this reading “It was Pinky Parrott who was the social lubricant.”
fish sperm or sperm-filled reproductive gland; having a creamy texture
From this reading “She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.”
a small contrasting part of something
From this reading “She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.”
the finger farthest from the thumb
From this reading “It was Pinky Parrott who was the social lubricant.”
untanned hide especially of cattle; cut in strips it is used for whips and ropes
From this reading “She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.”
like or suggestive of a sheep in docility or stupidity or meekness or timidity
From this reading “They both looked extremely sheepish and young.”
lose interest or become bored with something or somebody
From this reading “She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.”
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.
In this reading “She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.”
In this reading “THE FREE WOMAN Before breakfast, Claire darted down to the hotel yard.”
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 She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Pinky was always on speaking terms with everybody.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They both looked extremely sheepish and young.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.
past form of “beam” — smile radiantly; express joy through one's facial expression
From this reading She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading THE FREE WOMAN Before breakfast, Claire darted down to the hotel yard.
the two together, not just one
From this reading They both looked extremely sheepish and young.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading THE FREE WOMAN Before breakfast, Claire darted down to the hotel yard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE FREE WOMAN Before breakfast, Claire darted down to the hotel yard.
past form of “dart” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading THE FREE WOMAN Before breakfast, Claire darted down to the hotel yard.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading THE FREE WOMAN Before breakfast, Claire darted down to the hotel yard.
every person
From this reading Pinky was always on speaking terms with everybody.
to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect
From this reading They both looked extremely sheepish and young.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading THE FREE WOMAN Before breakfast, Claire darted down to the hotel yard.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading THE FREE WOMAN Before breakfast, Claire darted down to the hotel yard.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was Pinky Parrott who was the social lubricant.
a small amount of liquor added to a food or beverage
From this reading She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading They both looked extremely sheepish and young.
a substance capable of reducing friction by making surfaces smooth or slippery
From this reading It was Pinky Parrott who was the social lubricant.
fish sperm or sperm-filled reproductive gland; having a creamy texture
From this reading She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was Pinky Parrott who was the social lubricant.
a small contrasting part of something
From this reading She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.
the finger farthest from the thumb
From this reading It was Pinky Parrott who was the social lubricant.
untanned hide especially of cattle; cut in strips it is used for whips and ropes
From this reading She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.
past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.
like or suggestive of a sheep in docility or stupidity or meekness or timidity
From this reading They both looked extremely sheepish and young.
relating to human society and its members
From this reading It was Pinky Parrott who was the social lubricant.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.
status with respect to the relations between people or groups
From this reading She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FREE WOMAN Before breakfast, Claire darted down to the hotel yard.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.
lose interest or become bored with something or somebody
From this reading She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE FREE WOMAN Before breakfast, Claire darted down to the hotel yard.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.
which person or people
From this reading She beamed at Milt, who was lacing a rawhide patch on a tire, before she remembered that they were not on speaking terms.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Pinky was always on speaking terms with everybody.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading THE FREE WOMAN Before breakfast, Claire darted down to the hotel yard.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading THE FREE WOMAN Before breakfast, Claire darted down to the hotel yard.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading They both looked extremely sheepish and young.
Chapter 20 of Free Air by Sinclair Lewis holds 217 sentences, grouped into 44 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 217 sentences of Free Air, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Free Air by Sinclair Lewis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 217 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Free Air by Sinclair Lewis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6146 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26732 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26732, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 512 minutes of reading across 1230 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Free Air section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Free Air 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 Free Air, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
