Chapter 20 of My Lady Nicotine: A Study in Smoke is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of My Lady Nicotine: A Study in Smoke is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PRIMUS TO HIS UNCLE. Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings. Here is a series of them from my desk. Primus was now a year and a half older and his spelling had improved. I.
Chapter 20 of My Lady Nicotine: A Study in Smoke is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
for a short time
From this reading “Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “Here is a series of them from my desk.”
made more desirable or valuable or profitable; especially made ready for use or marketing
From this reading “Primus was now a year and a half older and his spelling had improved.”
plural of “meeting” — a formally arranged gathering
From this reading “Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.”
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading “Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.”
the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church of Scotland
From this reading “PRIMUS TO HIS UNCLE.”
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading “Here is a series of them from my desk.”
forming words with letters according to the principles underlying accepted usage
From this reading “Primus was now a year and a half older and his spelling had improved.”
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 Here is a series of them from my desk.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
using the voice; not silently
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
for a short time
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading Here is a series of them from my desk.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Here is a series of them from my desk.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Primus was now a year and a half older and his spelling had improved.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Primus was now a year and a half older and his spelling had improved.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here is a series of them from my desk.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading PRIMUS TO HIS UNCLE.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
made more desirable or valuable or profitable; especially made ready for use or marketing
From this reading Primus was now a year and a half older and his spelling had improved.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Here is a series of them from my desk.
the literary culture
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
plural of “meeting” — a formally arranged gathering
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Here is a series of them from my desk.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Primus was now a year and a half older and his spelling had improved.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading Primus was now a year and a half older and his spelling had improved.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church of Scotland
From this reading PRIMUS TO HIS UNCLE.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading Here is a series of them from my desk.
forming words with letters according to the principles underlying accepted usage
From this reading Primus was now a year and a half older and his spelling had improved.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Here is a series of them from my desk.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading PRIMUS TO HIS UNCLE.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading PRIMUS TO HIS UNCLE.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Primus was now a year and a half older and his spelling had improved.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
at the time that
From this reading Though we all pretended to be glad when Primus went, we spoke of him briefly at times, and I read his letters aloud at our evening meetings.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading Primus was now a year and a half older and his spelling had improved.
Chapter 20 of My Lady Nicotine: A Study in Smoke by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie holds 92 sentences, grouped into 19 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 92 sentences of My Lady Nicotine: A Study in Smoke, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of My Lady Nicotine: A Study in Smoke by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 92 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 My Lady Nicotine: A Study in Smoke by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2672 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18934 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18934, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 222 minutes of reading across 535 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through My Lady Nicotine: A Study in Smoke section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of My Lady Nicotine: A Study in Smoke 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 My Lady Nicotine: A Study in Smoke, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
