Chapter 20 of On Our Selection is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of On Our Selection is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Parson and the Scone. It was dinner-time. And were n't we hungry!--particularly Joe! He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal. Eating was one of them.
Chapter 20 of On Our Selection is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
the act of consuming food
From this reading “Eating was one of them.”
be identical or equivalent to
From this reading “He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.”
cutlery used for serving and eating food
From this reading “He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.”
feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food
From this reading “And were n't we hungry!--particularly Joe!”
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.”
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading “The Parson and the Scone.”
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading “And were n't we hungry!--particularly Joe!”
small biscuit (rich with cream and eggs) cut into diamonds or sticks and baked in an oven or (especially originally) on a griddle
From this reading “The Parson and the Scone.”
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 He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Parson and the Scone.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was dinner-time.
the act of consuming food
From this reading Eating was one of them.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
be identical or equivalent to
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
cutlery used for serving and eating food
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food
From this reading And were n't we hungry!--particularly Joe!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was dinner-time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And were n't we hungry!--particularly Joe!
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
the force of workers available
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And were n't we hungry!--particularly Joe!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Eating was one of them.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Eating was one of them.
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading The Parson and the Scone.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading And were n't we hungry!--particularly Joe!
an educational institution
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
small biscuit (rich with cream and eggs) cut into diamonds or sticks and baked in an oven or (especially originally) on a griddle
From this reading The Parson and the Scone.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Parson and the Scone.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Eating was one of them.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He was kept from school that day to fork up hay-work hard enough for a man--too hard for some men--but in many things Joe was more than a man's equal.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was dinner-time.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading And were n't we hungry!--particularly Joe!
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading And were n't we hungry!--particularly Joe!
Chapter 20 of On Our Selection by Steele Rudd holds 104 sentences, grouped into 21 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 104 sentences of On Our Selection, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of On Our Selection by Steele Rudd exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 On Our Selection by Steele Rudd on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3170 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3677 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3677, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 264 minutes of reading across 634 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through On Our Selection section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of On Our Selection 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 On Our Selection, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
