Chapter 20 of Lightnin' is here in full — 294 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Lightnin' is here in full — 294 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The dapper Peters was left alone at his desk, but not for long. In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in. He ambled up to the desk. "Who might you be?" he asked, casually, his half-shut eyes making an inventory of Peters. "I'm the manager!"
Chapter 20 of Lightnin' is here in full — 294 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/58 · 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 “amble” — walk leisurely
From this reading “He ambled up to the desk.”
not methodically or according to plan
From this reading “"Who might you be?" he asked, casually, his half-shut eyes making an inventory of Peters.”
marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
From this reading “The dapper Peters was left alone at his desk, but not for long.”
grow vigorously
From this reading “In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.”
a detailed list of all the items in stock
From this reading “"Who might you be?" he asked, casually, his half-shut eyes making an inventory of Peters.”
United States labor leader (born in Ireland) who helped to found the Industrial Workers of the World (1830-1930)
From this reading “In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.”
someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading “"I'm the manager!"”
plural of “peter” — disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading “The dapper Peters was left alone at his desk, but not for long.”
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 “In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.”
In this reading “In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.”
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 In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
Having no one else present.
From this reading The dapper Peters was left alone at his desk, but not for long.
past form of “amble” — walk leisurely
From this reading He ambled up to the desk.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Who might you be?" he asked, casually, his half-shut eyes making an inventory of Peters.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Who might you be?" he asked, casually, his half-shut eyes making an inventory of Peters.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The dapper Peters was left alone at his desk, but not for long.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Who might you be?" he asked, casually, his half-shut eyes making an inventory of Peters.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The dapper Peters was left alone at his desk, but not for long.
not methodically or according to plan
From this reading "Who might you be?" he asked, casually, his half-shut eyes making an inventory of Peters.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
From this reading The dapper Peters was left alone at his desk, but not for long.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading The dapper Peters was left alone at his desk, but not for long.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
divisible by two
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
opinion or judgment
From this reading "Who might you be?" he asked, casually, his half-shut eyes making an inventory of Peters.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
grow vigorously
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The dapper Peters was left alone at his desk, but not for long.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who might you be?" he asked, casually, his half-shut eyes making an inventory of Peters.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He ambled up to the desk.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The dapper Peters was left alone at his desk, but not for long.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm the manager!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
a detailed list of all the items in stock
From this reading "Who might you be?" he asked, casually, his half-shut eyes making an inventory of Peters.
United States labor leader (born in Ireland) who helped to found the Industrial Workers of the World (1830-1930)
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading The dapper Peters was left alone at his desk, but not for long.
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 The dapper Peters was left alone at his desk, but not for long.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading "Who might you be?" he asked, casually, his half-shut eyes making an inventory of Peters.
someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading "I'm the manager!"
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The dapper Peters was left alone at his desk, but not for long.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Who might you be?" he asked, casually, his half-shut eyes making an inventory of Peters.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
plural of “peter” — disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading The dapper Peters was left alone at his desk, but not for long.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
express in words
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The dapper Peters was left alone at his desk, but not for long.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He ambled up to the desk.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He ambled up to the desk.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The dapper Peters was left alone at his desk, but not for long.
which person or people
From this reading "Who might you be?" he asked, casually, his half-shut eyes making an inventory of Peters.
in the company of; together with
From this reading In a few minutes the street door opened and Bill Jones, with a certain air about him--one might even say with a certain flourish in his manner--sauntered in.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Who might you be?" he asked, casually, his half-shut eyes making an inventory of Peters.
Chapter 20 of Lightnin' by Frank Bacon holds 294 sentences, grouped into 59 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 294 sentences of Lightnin', unabridged, divided into 59 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Lightnin' by Frank Bacon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 294 sentences, grouped into 59 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 59 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 59 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 Lightnin' by Frank Bacon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3684 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34280 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34280, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 307 minutes of reading across 737 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Lightnin' section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Lightnin' 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 Lightnin', each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
