Chapter 20 of Montlivet is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Montlivet is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE PIVOT Pierre came at five o'clock. He was keen for the approaching supper hour and came jovially. I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word. And so I frustrated my own ends. The great, slow creature cowered and grew dumb under my story.
Chapter 20 of Montlivet is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
From this reading “The great, slow creature cowered and grew dumb under my story.”
plural of “end” — either extremity of something that has length
From this reading “And so I frustrated my own ends.”
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading “And so I frustrated my own ends.”
capital of the state of South Dakota; located in central South Dakota on the Missouri river
From this reading “THE PIVOT Pierre came at five o'clock.”
turn on a pivot
From this reading “THE PIVOT Pierre came at five o'clock.”
past form of “plump” — drop sharply
From this reading “I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.”
the process of becoming softer
From this reading “I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.”
doomed to extinction
From this reading “I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.”
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 was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was keen for the approaching supper hour and came jovially.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading He was keen for the approaching supper hour and came jovially.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE PIVOT Pierre came at five o'clock.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading THE PIVOT Pierre came at five o'clock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The great, slow creature cowered and grew dumb under my story.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading The great, slow creature cowered and grew dumb under my story.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
From this reading The great, slow creature cowered and grew dumb under my story.
plural of “end” — either extremity of something that has length
From this reading And so I frustrated my own ends.
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading THE PIVOT Pierre came at five o'clock.
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was keen for the approaching supper hour and came jovially.
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading And so I frustrated my own ends.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The great, slow creature cowered and grew dumb under my story.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading The great, slow creature cowered and grew dumb under my story.
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)
From this reading I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
From this reading I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was keen for the approaching supper hour and came jovially.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading He was keen for the approaching supper hour and came jovially.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
in a jovial manner
From this reading He was keen for the approaching supper hour and came jovially.
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading He was keen for the approaching supper hour and came jovially.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
according to the clock
From this reading THE PIVOT Pierre came at five o'clock.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
capital of the state of South Dakota; located in central South Dakota on the Missouri river
From this reading THE PIVOT Pierre came at five o'clock.
turn on a pivot
From this reading THE PIVOT Pierre came at five o'clock.
past form of “plump” — drop sharply
From this reading I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading The great, slow creature cowered and grew dumb under my story.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
the process of becoming softer
From this reading I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading The great, slow creature cowered and grew dumb under my story.
doomed to extinction
From this reading I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading He was keen for the approaching supper hour and came jovially.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PIVOT Pierre came at five o'clock.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The great, slow creature cowered and grew dumb under my story.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was keen for the approaching supper hour and came jovially.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading I was sick with haste, and deep sunk in my own grief, so I was cruel and a fool; I plumped the facts at him without a softening word.
Chapter 20 of Montlivet by Alice Prescott Smith holds 234 sentences, grouped into 47 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 234 sentences of Montlivet, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Montlivet by Alice Prescott Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 234 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 Montlivet by Alice Prescott Smith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8637 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16733 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16733, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1728 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Montlivet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of Montlivet 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 Montlivet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
