Chapter 20 of Looking Forward is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Looking Forward is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Cremation Becomes a Law. No more grave robberies in the twentieth century. The old style of burial becomes a back number. Popular errors about Cremation removed. Undertakers at a discount.
Chapter 20 of Looking Forward is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
third-person singular of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading “Cremation Becomes a Law.”
the ritual placing of a corpse in a grave
From this reading “The old style of burial becomes a back number.”
the incineration of a dead body
From this reading “Cremation Becomes a Law.”
the act of reducing the selling price of merchandise
From this reading “Undertakers at a discount.”
plural of “error” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading “Popular errors about Cremation removed.”
regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public
From this reading “Popular errors about Cremation removed.”
plural of “robbery” — larceny by threat of violence
From this reading “No more grave robberies in the twentieth century.”
position 20 in a countable series of things
From this reading “No more grave robberies in the twentieth century.”
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.
the century from 1901 to 2000
In this reading “No more grave robberies in the twentieth century.”
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 Cremation Becomes a Law.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Popular errors about Cremation removed.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Undertakers at a discount.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The old style of burial becomes a back number.
third-person singular of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Cremation Becomes a Law.
the ritual placing of a corpse in a grave
From this reading The old style of burial becomes a back number.
a period of 100 years
From this reading No more grave robberies in the twentieth century.
the incineration of a dead body
From this reading Cremation Becomes a Law.
the act of reducing the selling price of merchandise
From this reading Undertakers at a discount.
plural of “error” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading Popular errors about Cremation removed.
death of a person
From this reading No more grave robberies in the twentieth century.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading No more grave robberies in the twentieth century.
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading Cremation Becomes a Law.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading No more grave robberies in the twentieth century.
not any; not one
From this reading No more grave robberies in the twentieth century.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading The old style of burial becomes a back number.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The old style of burial becomes a back number.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old style of burial becomes a back number.
regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public
From this reading Popular errors about Cremation removed.
separated in relationship by a given degree of descent
From this reading Popular errors about Cremation removed.
plural of “robbery” — larceny by threat of violence
From this reading No more grave robberies in the twentieth century.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The old style of burial becomes a back number.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading No more grave robberies in the twentieth century.
position 20 in a countable series of things
From this reading No more grave robberies in the twentieth century.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Undertakers at a discount.
Chapter 20 of Looking Forward by Arthur Bird holds 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 160 sentences of Looking Forward, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Looking Forward by Arthur Bird exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Looking Forward by Arthur Bird on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2288 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50148 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50148, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 190 minutes of reading across 458 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Looking Forward section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Looking Forward 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 Looking Forward, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
