Chapter 20 of Phantom Wires: A Novel is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Phantom Wires: A Novel is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE PIT OF DESPAIR Frances Durkin looked at the jeering man before her, studiously, belligerently. "What do you mean by saying he'll punish himself?" she demanded. She seemed like a woman who had just awakened. Her earlier comatose expression had altogether passed away. There was life, now, in every line of her body.
Chapter 20 of Phantom Wires: A Novel is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
aroused or activated
From this reading “She seemed like a woman who had just awakened.”
relating to or associated with a coma
From this reading “Her earlier comatose expression had altogether passed away.”
earlier in time; previously
From this reading “Her earlier comatose expression had altogether passed away.”
plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading “THE PIT OF DESPAIR Frances Durkin looked at the jeering man before her, studiously, belligerently.”
showing your contempt by derision
From this reading “THE PIT OF DESPAIR Frances Durkin looked at the jeering man before her, studiously, belligerently.”
A large hole in the ground, or an abyss of darkness and peril.
From this reading “THE PIT OF DESPAIR Frances Durkin looked at the jeering man before her, studiously, belligerently.”
impose a penalty on; inflict punishment on
From this reading “"What do you mean by saying he'll punish himself?" she demanded.”
in a studious manner
From this reading “THE PIT OF DESPAIR Frances Durkin looked at the jeering man before her, studiously, belligerently.”
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 She seemed like a woman who had just awakened.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading Her earlier comatose expression had altogether passed away.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE PIT OF DESPAIR Frances Durkin looked at the jeering man before her, studiously, belligerently.
aroused or activated
From this reading She seemed like a woman who had just awakened.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Her earlier comatose expression had altogether passed away.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading THE PIT OF DESPAIR Frances Durkin looked at the jeering man before her, studiously, belligerently.
with hostility; in a belligerent hostile manner
From this reading THE PIT OF DESPAIR Frances Durkin looked at the jeering man before her, studiously, belligerently.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading There was life, now, in every line of her body.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "What do you mean by saying he'll punish himself?" she demanded.
relating to or associated with a coma
From this reading Her earlier comatose expression had altogether passed away.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "What do you mean by saying he'll punish himself?" she demanded.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading THE PIT OF DESPAIR Frances Durkin looked at the jeering man before her, studiously, belligerently.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What do you mean by saying he'll punish himself?" she demanded.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE PIT OF DESPAIR Frances Durkin looked at the jeering man before her, studiously, belligerently.
earlier in time; previously
From this reading Her earlier comatose expression had altogether passed away.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading There was life, now, in every line of her body.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading Her earlier comatose expression had altogether passed away.
plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading THE PIT OF DESPAIR Frances Durkin looked at the jeering man before her, studiously, belligerently.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She seemed like a woman who had just awakened.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What do you mean by saying he'll punish himself?" she demanded.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading THE PIT OF DESPAIR Frances Durkin looked at the jeering man before her, studiously, belligerently.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "What do you mean by saying he'll punish himself?" she demanded.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was life, now, in every line of her body.
showing your contempt by derision
From this reading THE PIT OF DESPAIR Frances Durkin looked at the jeering man before her, studiously, belligerently.
and nothing more
From this reading She seemed like a woman who had just awakened.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading There was life, now, in every line of her body.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading She seemed like a woman who had just awakened.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading There was life, now, in every line of her body.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading THE PIT OF DESPAIR Frances Durkin looked at the jeering man before her, studiously, belligerently.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading THE PIT OF DESPAIR Frances Durkin looked at the jeering man before her, studiously, belligerently.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "What do you mean by saying he'll punish himself?" she demanded.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading There was life, now, in every line of her body.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE PIT OF DESPAIR Frances Durkin looked at the jeering man before her, studiously, belligerently.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Her earlier comatose expression had altogether passed away.
A large hole in the ground, or an abyss of darkness and peril.
From this reading THE PIT OF DESPAIR Frances Durkin looked at the jeering man before her, studiously, belligerently.
impose a penalty on; inflict punishment on
From this reading "What do you mean by saying he'll punish himself?" she demanded.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading "What do you mean by saying he'll punish himself?" she demanded.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading She seemed like a woman who had just awakened.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What do you mean by saying he'll punish himself?" she demanded.
in a studious manner
From this reading THE PIT OF DESPAIR Frances Durkin looked at the jeering man before her, studiously, belligerently.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PIT OF DESPAIR Frances Durkin looked at the jeering man before her, studiously, belligerently.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was life, now, in every line of her body.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was life, now, in every line of her body.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What do you mean by saying he'll punish himself?" she demanded.
which person or people
From this reading She seemed like a woman who had just awakened.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading She seemed like a woman who had just awakened.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What do you mean by saying he'll punish himself?" she demanded.
Chapter 20 of Phantom Wires: A Novel by Arthur Stringer holds 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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 117 sentences of Phantom Wires: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Phantom Wires: A Novel by Arthur Stringer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 Phantom Wires: A Novel by Arthur Stringer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3443 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19735 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19735, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 286 minutes of reading across 689 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Phantom Wires: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Phantom Wires: A Novel 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 Phantom Wires: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
