Chapter 20 of Joe Wilson and His Mates is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Joe Wilson and His Mates is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way. ‘Oh, Walter!’ she said, clutching the Boss’s arm; ‘whatever have I been talking about? What must Mr Ellis think of me? Oh! why did you let me talk like that?’ He put his arm round her.
Chapter 20 of Joe Wilson and His Mates is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
possessive form of “boss” — a person who exercises control over workers
-ing form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading “‘Oh, Walter!’ she said, clutching the Boss’s arm; ‘whatever have I been talking about?”
plural of “elli” — (Norse mythology) goddess of old age who defeated Thor in a wrestling match
From this reading “What must Mr Ellis think of me?”
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading “She had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way.”
made afraid
From this reading “She had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way.”
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading “‘Oh, Walter!’ she said, clutching the Boss’s arm; ‘whatever have I been talking about?”
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading “‘Oh, Walter!’ she said, clutching the Boss’s arm; ‘whatever have I been talking about?”
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading “‘Oh, Walter!’ she said, clutching the Boss’s arm; ‘whatever have I been talking about?”
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 had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading ‘Oh, Walter!’ she said, clutching the Boss’s arm; ‘whatever have I been talking about?
anew
From this reading She had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading ‘Oh, Walter!’ she said, clutching the Boss’s arm; ‘whatever have I been talking about?
the past participle of “be”
From this reading ‘Oh, Walter!’ she said, clutching the Boss’s arm; ‘whatever have I been talking about?
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading She had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way.
possessive form of “boss” — a person who exercises control over workers
From this reading ‘Oh, Walter!’ she said, clutching the Boss’s arm; ‘whatever have I been talking about?
-ing form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading ‘Oh, Walter!’ she said, clutching the Boss’s arm; ‘whatever have I been talking about?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Oh! why did you let me talk like that?’
plural of “elli” — (Norse mythology) goddess of old age who defeated Thor in a wrestling match
From this reading What must Mr Ellis think of me?
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading She had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading ‘Oh, Walter!’ she said, clutching the Boss’s arm; ‘whatever have I been talking about?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He put his arm round her.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading She had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He put his arm round her.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ‘Oh, Walter!’ she said, clutching the Boss’s arm; ‘whatever have I been talking about?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Oh! why did you let me talk like that?’
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Oh! why did you let me talk like that?’
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading What must Mr Ellis think of me?
a form of address for a man
From this reading What must Mr Ellis think of me?
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading What must Mr Ellis think of me?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What must Mr Ellis think of me?
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading ‘Oh, Walter!’ she said, clutching the Boss’s arm; ‘whatever have I been talking about?
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He put his arm round her.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading He put his arm round her.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘Oh, Walter!’ she said, clutching the Boss’s arm; ‘whatever have I been talking about?
made afraid
From this reading She had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Oh! why did you let me talk like that?’
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading ‘Oh, Walter!’ she said, clutching the Boss’s arm; ‘whatever have I been talking about?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Oh! why did you let me talk like that?’
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ‘Oh, Walter!’ she said, clutching the Boss’s arm; ‘whatever have I been talking about?
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading What must Mr Ellis think of me?
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way.
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading ‘Oh, Walter!’ she said, clutching the Boss’s arm; ‘whatever have I been talking about?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading She had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What must Mr Ellis think of me?
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading ‘Oh, Walter!’ she said, clutching the Boss’s arm; ‘whatever have I been talking about?
at the time that
From this reading She had her head between her fingers again, and when she looked up it was in a scared way.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Oh! why did you let me talk like that?’
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Oh! why did you let me talk like that?’
Chapter 20 of Joe Wilson and His Mates by Henry Lawson holds 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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.
Chapter 20 holds 198 sentences of Joe Wilson and His Mates, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Joe Wilson and His Mates by Henry Lawson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Joe Wilson and His Mates by Henry Lawson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4796 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1036 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1036, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 399 minutes of reading across 960 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Joe Wilson and His Mates section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Joe Wilson and His Mates 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 Joe Wilson and His Mates, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
