Chapter 20 of Old Saint Paul's is here in full — 407 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 Old Saint Paul's is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You must not see the young lady to-night, Sir Paul," said the old woman. "Why not?" demanded the knight, hastily. "Why not?" "Because--but you frighten me so that I dare not speak," was the answer. "I will frighten you still more if you keep me in this state of suspense," rejoined Parravicin, furiously.
Chapter 20 of Old Saint Paul's is here in full — 407 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.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “"Why not?" demanded the knight, hastily.”
cause fear in
From this reading “"Because--but you frighten me so that I dare not speak," was the answer.”
(of the elements) in a wild and stormy manner
From this reading “"I will frighten you still more if you keep me in this state of suspense," rejoined Parravicin, furiously.”
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading “"Why not?" demanded the knight, hastily.”
originally a person of noble birth trained to arms and chivalry; today in Great Britain a person honored by the sovereign for personal merit
From this reading “"Why not?" demanded the knight, hastily.”
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading “"You must not see the young lady to-night, Sir Paul," said the old woman.”
past form of “rejoin” — join again
From this reading “"I will frighten you still more if you keep me in this state of suspense," rejoined Parravicin, furiously.”
apprehension about what is going to happen
From this reading “"I will frighten you still more if you keep me in this state of suspense," rejoined Parravicin, furiously.”
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.
react verbally
From this reading "Because--but you frighten me so that I dare not speak," was the answer.
for the reason that
From this reading "Because--but you frighten me so that I dare not speak," was the answer.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Because--but you frighten me so that I dare not speak," was the answer.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading "Because--but you frighten me so that I dare not speak," was the answer.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "Why not?" demanded the knight, hastily.
cause fear in
From this reading "Because--but you frighten me so that I dare not speak," was the answer.
(of the elements) in a wild and stormy manner
From this reading "I will frighten you still more if you keep me in this state of suspense," rejoined Parravicin, furiously.
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading "Why not?" demanded the knight, hastily.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Because--but you frighten me so that I dare not speak," was the answer.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "I will frighten you still more if you keep me in this state of suspense," rejoined Parravicin, furiously.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I will frighten you still more if you keep me in this state of suspense," rejoined Parravicin, furiously.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "I will frighten you still more if you keep me in this state of suspense," rejoined Parravicin, furiously.
originally a person of noble birth trained to arms and chivalry; today in Great Britain a person honored by the sovereign for personal merit
From this reading "Why not?" demanded the knight, hastily.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading "You must not see the young lady to-night, Sir Paul," said the old woman.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Because--but you frighten me so that I dare not speak," was the answer.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "I will frighten you still more if you keep me in this state of suspense," rejoined Parravicin, furiously.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "You must not see the young lady to-night, Sir Paul," said the old woman.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "You must not see the young lady to-night, Sir Paul," said the old woman.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I will frighten you still more if you keep me in this state of suspense," rejoined Parravicin, furiously.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "You must not see the young lady to-night, Sir Paul," said the old woman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I will frighten you still more if you keep me in this state of suspense," rejoined Parravicin, furiously.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading "You must not see the young lady to-night, Sir Paul," said the old woman.
past form of “rejoin” — join again
From this reading "I will frighten you still more if you keep me in this state of suspense," rejoined Parravicin, furiously.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You must not see the young lady to-night, Sir Paul," said the old woman.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "You must not see the young lady to-night, Sir Paul," said the old woman.
term of address for a man
From this reading "You must not see the young lady to-night, Sir Paul," said the old woman.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Because--but you frighten me so that I dare not speak," was the answer.
express in speech
From this reading "Because--but you frighten me so that I dare not speak," was the answer.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading "I will frighten you still more if you keep me in this state of suspense," rejoined Parravicin, furiously.
not in physical motion
From this reading "I will frighten you still more if you keep me in this state of suspense," rejoined Parravicin, furiously.
apprehension about what is going to happen
From this reading "I will frighten you still more if you keep me in this state of suspense," rejoined Parravicin, furiously.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Because--but you frighten me so that I dare not speak," was the answer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You must not see the young lady to-night, Sir Paul," said the old woman.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "I will frighten you still more if you keep me in this state of suspense," rejoined Parravicin, furiously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You must not see the young lady to-night, Sir Paul," said the old woman.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Because--but you frighten me so that I dare not speak," was the answer.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why not?" demanded the knight, hastily.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "I will frighten you still more if you keep me in this state of suspense," rejoined Parravicin, furiously.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "You must not see the young lady to-night, Sir Paul," said the old woman.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You must not see the young lady to-night, Sir Paul," said the old woman.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "You must not see the young lady to-night, Sir Paul," said the old woman.
Chapter 20 of Old Saint Paul's by William Harrison Ainsworth holds 407 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 407 sentences of Old Saint Paul's, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Old Saint Paul's by William Harrison Ainsworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 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 Old Saint Paul's by William Harrison Ainsworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10477 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11082 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11082, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2096 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Old Saint Paul's section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Old Saint Paul's 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 Old Saint Paul's, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
