Chapter 20 of Leaves of Grass is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Leaves of Grass is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A Boston Ballad [1854] To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show. Clear the way there Jonathan! Way for the President’s marshal--way for the government cannon! Way for the Federal foot and dragoons, (and the apparitions copiously tumbling.)
Chapter 20 of Leaves of Grass is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
plural of “apparition” — a ghostly appearing figure
From this reading “Way for the Federal foot and dragoons, (and the apparitions copiously tumbling.)”
a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
From this reading “A Boston Ballad [1854]”
in an abundant manner
From this reading “Way for the Federal foot and dragoons, (and the apparitions copiously tumbling.)”
national; especially in reference to the government of the United States as distinct from that of its member units
From this reading “Way for the Federal foot and dragoons, (and the apparitions copiously tumbling.)”
red late-ripening apple; primarily eaten raw
From this reading “Clear the way there Jonathan!”
place in proper rank
From this reading “Way for the President’s marshal--way for the government cannon!”
possessive form of “president” — an executive officer of a firm or corporation
the gymnastic moves of an acrobat
From this reading “Way for the Federal foot and dragoons, (and the apparitions copiously tumbling.)”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A Boston Ballad [1854]
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A Boston Ballad [1854]
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
plural of “apparition” — a ghostly appearing figure
From this reading Way for the Federal foot and dragoons, (and the apparitions copiously tumbling.)
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
From this reading A Boston Ballad [1854]
in good time
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading A Boston Ballad [1854]
a large artillery gun that is usually on wheels
From this reading Way for the President’s marshal--way for the government cannon!
rid of obstructions
From this reading Clear the way there Jonathan!
in an abundant manner
From this reading Way for the Federal foot and dragoons, (and the apparitions copiously tumbling.)
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Way for the Federal foot and dragoons, (and the apparitions copiously tumbling.)
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
national; especially in reference to the government of the United States as distinct from that of its member units
From this reading Way for the Federal foot and dragoons, (and the apparitions copiously tumbling.)
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Way for the Federal foot and dragoons, (and the apparitions copiously tumbling.)
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Way for the President’s marshal--way for the government cannon!
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit
From this reading Way for the President’s marshal--way for the government cannon!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
red late-ripening apple; primarily eaten raw
From this reading Clear the way there Jonathan!
place in proper rank
From this reading Way for the President’s marshal--way for the government cannon!
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
possessive form of “president” — an executive officer of a firm or corporation
From this reading Way for the President’s marshal--way for the government cannon!
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
be standing; be upright
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Clear the way there Jonathan!
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading To get betimes in Boston town I rose this morning early, Here’s a good place at the corner, I must stand and see the show.
the gymnastic moves of an acrobat
From this reading Way for the Federal foot and dragoons, (and the apparitions copiously tumbling.)
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Clear the way there Jonathan!
Chapter 20 of Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman holds 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 133 sentences of Leaves of Grass, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4156 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1322 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1322, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 346 minutes of reading across 832 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Leaves of Grass section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Leaves of Grass 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 Leaves of Grass, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
