Chapter 20 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921 is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921 is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I found out when I went to them, on the night it came out in the paper. They were woefully frightened. They are frightened still. Mr. Downey has worked for Mr. Wilbram since he was a boy. They think of Mr. Wilbram almost as a god.
Chapter 20 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921 is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “They think of Mr. Wilbram almost as a god.”
a youthful male person
From this reading “Mr. Downey has worked for Mr. Wilbram since he was a boy.”
made afraid
From this reading “They were woefully frightened.”
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading “They think of Mr. Wilbram almost as a god.”
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading “"I found out when I went to them, on the night it came out in the paper.”
from a time in the past until now
From this reading “Mr. Downey has worked for Mr. Wilbram since he was a boy.”
in an unfortunate or deplorable manner
From this reading “They were woefully frightened.”
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading “Mr. Downey has worked for Mr. Wilbram since he was a boy.”
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 Mr. Downey has worked for Mr. Wilbram since he was a boy.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading They think of Mr. Wilbram almost as a god.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They are frightened still.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They think of Mr. Wilbram almost as a god.
a youthful male person
From this reading Mr. Downey has worked for Mr. Wilbram since he was a boy.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "I found out when I went to them, on the night it came out in the paper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Downey has worked for Mr. Wilbram since he was a boy.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Mr. Downey has worked for Mr. Wilbram since he was a boy.
set up or found
From this reading "I found out when I went to them, on the night it came out in the paper.
made afraid
From this reading They were woefully frightened.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading They think of Mr. Wilbram almost as a god.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Downey has worked for Mr. Wilbram since he was a boy.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mr. Downey has worked for Mr. Wilbram since he was a boy.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I found out when I went to them, on the night it came out in the paper.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I found out when I went to them, on the night it came out in the paper.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I found out when I went to them, on the night it came out in the paper.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Downey has worked for Mr. Wilbram since he was a boy.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "I found out when I went to them, on the night it came out in the paper.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They think of Mr. Wilbram almost as a god.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "I found out when I went to them, on the night it came out in the paper.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "I found out when I went to them, on the night it came out in the paper.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading "I found out when I went to them, on the night it came out in the paper.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Mr. Downey has worked for Mr. Wilbram since he was a boy.
not in physical motion
From this reading They are frightened still.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I found out when I went to them, on the night it came out in the paper.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "I found out when I went to them, on the night it came out in the paper.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were woefully frightened.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading They think of Mr. Wilbram almost as a god.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I found out when I went to them, on the night it came out in the paper.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Downey has worked for Mr. Wilbram since he was a boy.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "I found out when I went to them, on the night it came out in the paper.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were woefully frightened.
at the time that
From this reading "I found out when I went to them, on the night it came out in the paper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Downey has worked for Mr. Wilbram since he was a boy.
in an unfortunate or deplorable manner
From this reading They were woefully frightened.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Mr. Downey has worked for Mr. Wilbram since he was a boy.
Chapter 20 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921 by Society of Arts and Sciences (U.S.) [Editor] holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 408 sentences of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921 by Society of Arts and Sciences (U.S.) [Editor] exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921 by Society of Arts and Sciences (U.S.) [Editor] on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8977 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11512 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11512, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1796 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921 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 O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
