Chapter 20 of King Coal is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of King Coal is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“But don’t you see, Mary--” He made an effort to laugh. “I got used to obeying Jessie! I knew her a long time before I knew you.” “Ah, Joe! Ye’ve a kind heart, and a pleasant way of speakin’.
Chapter 20 of King Coal is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading ““But don’t you see, Mary--” He made an effort to laugh.”
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading “Ye’ve a kind heart, and a pleasant way of speakin’.”
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I knew her a long time before I knew you.””
the sound of laughing
From this reading ““But don’t you see, Mary--” He made an effort to laugh.”
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading ““But don’t you see, Mary--” He made an effort to laugh.”
-ing form of “obey” — be obedient to
From this reading ““I got used to obeying Jessie!”
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading “Ye’ve a kind heart, and a pleasant way of speakin’.”
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading ““I got used to obeying Jessie!”
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 I knew her a long time before I knew you.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah, Joe!
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “But don’t you see, Mary--” He made an effort to laugh.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Ye’ve a kind heart, and a pleasant way of speakin’.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I knew her a long time before I knew you.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But don’t you see, Mary--” He made an effort to laugh.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But don’t you see, Mary--” He made an effort to laugh.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “But don’t you see, Mary--” He made an effort to laugh.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “I got used to obeying Jessie!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “But don’t you see, Mary--” He made an effort to laugh.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Ye’ve a kind heart, and a pleasant way of speakin’.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I knew her a long time before I knew you.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I got used to obeying Jessie!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I got used to obeying Jessie!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah, Joe!
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading Ye’ve a kind heart, and a pleasant way of speakin’.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I knew her a long time before I knew you.”
the sound of laughing
From this reading “But don’t you see, Mary--” He made an effort to laugh.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading I knew her a long time before I knew you.”
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading “But don’t you see, Mary--” He made an effort to laugh.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading “But don’t you see, Mary--” He made an effort to laugh.
-ing form of “obey” — be obedient to
From this reading “I got used to obeying Jessie!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Ye’ve a kind heart, and a pleasant way of speakin’.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading Ye’ve a kind heart, and a pleasant way of speakin’.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “But don’t you see, Mary--” He made an effort to laugh.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ye’ve a kind heart, and a pleasant way of speakin’.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I knew her a long time before I knew you.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “But don’t you see, Mary--” He made an effort to laugh.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading “I got used to obeying Jessie!
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Ye’ve a kind heart, and a pleasant way of speakin’.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ye’ve a kind heart, and a pleasant way of speakin’.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “But don’t you see, Mary--” He made an effort to laugh.
Chapter 20 of King Coal by Upton Sinclair holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 411 sentences of King Coal, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of King Coal by Upton Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 King Coal by Upton Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8149 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7522 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7522, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1630 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through King Coal section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of King Coal 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 King Coal, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
