Hypatia — or New Foes with an Old Face

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of Hypatia — or New Foes with an Old Face is here in full — 460 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Charles Kingsley • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Hypatia — or New Foes with an Old Face

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

‘But, fairest Hypatia, conceive yourself struck in the face by a great stone, several hundred howling wretches leaping up at you like wild beasts--two minutes more, and you are torn limb from limb.

What would even you do in such a case?’

‘Let them tear me limb from limb, and die as I have lived.’

‘Ah, but--When it came to fact, and death was staring you in the face?’

‘And why should man fear death?’

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XX Reading 1/92

Hypatia — or New Foes with an Old Face

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of Hypatia — or New Foes with an Old Face is here in full — 460 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/92 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

‘But, fairest Hypatia, conceive yourself struck in the face by a great stone, several hundred howling wretches leaping up at you like wild beasts--two minutes more, and you are torn limb from limb.

Line 2

What would even you do in such a case?’

/wʌt wʊd ˈiːvɪn juː duː ɪn sʌtʃ ə keɪs/

Line 3

‘Let them tear me limb from limb, and die as I have lived.’

/let ðem ter miː lɪm frʌm lɪm ənd daɪ æz aɪ hæv lɪvd/

Line 4

‘Ah, but--When it came to fact, and death was staring you in the face?’

Line 5

‘And why should man fear death?’

/ənd waɪ ʃʊd mæn fɪr deθ/

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.

beasts noun US /biːsts/

plural of “beast” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading “‘But, fairest Hypatia, conceive yourself struck in the face by a great stone, several hundred howling wretches leaping up at you like wild beasts--two minutes more, and you are torn limb from limb.”

conceive verb US /kənˈsiːv/

have the idea for

fairest adjective US /ˈferɪst/

superlative of “fair” — free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules

howling noun US /ˈhaʊlɪŋ/

a long loud emotional utterance

leaping noun US /ˈliːpɪŋ/

a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards

limb noun US /lɪm/

one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper

tear verb US /ter/

separate or cause to separate abruptly

From this reading “‘Let them tear me limb from limb, and die as I have lived.’”

torn adjective US /tɔːrn/

having edges that are jagged from injury

All words in this reading · 60

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 ‘But, fairest Hypatia, conceive yourself struck in the face by a great stone, several hundred howling wretches leaping up at you like wild beasts--two minutes more, and you are torn limb from limb.

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

From this reading ‘Ah, but--When it came to fact, and death was staring you in the face?’

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading ‘Let them tear me limb from limb, and die as I have lived.’

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

beastsnounUS /biːsts/

plural of “beast” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

cameverbUS /keɪm/

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

From this reading ‘Ah, but--When it came to fact, and death was staring you in the face?’

casenounUS /keɪs/

an occurrence of something

From this reading What would even you do in such a case?’

conceiveverbUS /kənˈsiːv/

have the idea for

deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading ‘Ah, but--When it came to fact, and death was staring you in the face?’

dieverbUS /daɪ/

pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading ‘Let them tear me limb from limb, and die as I have lived.’

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading What would even you do in such a case?’

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading What would even you do in such a case?’

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

factnounUS /fækt/

a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred

From this reading ‘Ah, but--When it came to fact, and death was staring you in the face?’

fairestadjectiveUS /ˈferɪst/

superlative of “fair” — free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules

fearverbUS /fɪr/

be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event

From this reading ‘And why should man fear death?’

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading ‘Let them tear me limb from limb, and die as I have lived.’

howlingnounUS /ˈhaʊlɪŋ/

a long loud emotional utterance

hundrednounUS /ˈhʌndrəd/

ten 10s

Hypatianoun

Greek philosopher and astronomer; she invented the astrolabe (370-415)

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading ‘Let them tear me limb from limb, and die as I have lived.’

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading ‘Ah, but--When it came to fact, and death was staring you in the face?’

leapingnounUS /ˈliːpɪŋ/

a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards

Letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading ‘Let them tear me limb from limb, and die as I have lived.’

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

limbnounUS /lɪm/

one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper

livedverbUS /lɪvd/

past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in

From this reading ‘Let them tear me limb from limb, and die as I have lived.’

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading ‘And why should man fear death?’

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading ‘Let them tear me limb from limb, and die as I have lived.’

minutesnounUS /ˈmɪnəts/

a written account of what transpired at a meeting

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

severaladjectiveUS /ˈsevrəl/

(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading ‘And why should man fear death?’

staringadjectiveUS /ˈsterɪŋ/

(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder

From this reading ‘Ah, but--When it came to fact, and death was staring you in the face?’

stonenounUS /stoʊn/

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

struckadjectiveUS /strʌk/

(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading What would even you do in such a case?’

tearverbUS /ter/

separate or cause to separate abruptly

From this reading ‘Let them tear me limb from limb, and die as I have lived.’

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading ‘Let them tear me limb from limb, and die as I have lived.’

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading ‘Ah, but--When it came to fact, and death was staring you in the face?’

tornadjectiveUS /tɔːrn/

having edges that are jagged from injury

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading ‘Ah, but--When it came to fact, and death was staring you in the face?’

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What would even you do in such a case?’

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading ‘Ah, but--When it came to fact, and death was staring you in the face?’

whynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading ‘And why should man fear death?’

wildadjectiveUS /waɪld/

marked by extreme lack of restraint or control

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading What would even you do in such a case?’

wretches

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

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

yourselfpronounUS /jərˈself/

used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action

Chapter 20 of Hypatia — or New Foes with an Old Face by Charles Kingsley holds 460 sentences, grouped into 92 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 Hypatia — or New Foes with an Old Face contain?

Chapter 20 holds 460 sentences of Hypatia — or New Foes with an Old Face, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of Hypatia — or New Foes with an Old Face by Charles Kingsley exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 460 sentences, grouped into 92 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 Hypatia — or New Foes with an Old Face?

Work through the 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 92 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.

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Common questions about reading Hypatia — or New Foes with an Old Face by Charles Kingsley on this page, its source edition and its audio.

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Yes. All 9147 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6308 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #6308, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 600 minutes of reading across 1830 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Hypatia — or New Foes with an Old Face

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Chapter XX · Chapter 20

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