Chapter 20 of Queechy is here in full — 337 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Queechy is here in full — 337 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I become not a cart as well as another man, a plague on my bringing up. Shakspeare. Every day could not be as bright as the last, even by the help of pitch pine knots. They blazed indeed, many a time, but the blaze shone upon faces that it could not sometimes light up. Matters drew gradually within a smaller and smaller compass.
Chapter 20 of Queechy is here in full — 337 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/67 · 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.
a strong flame that burns brightly
From this reading “They blazed indeed, many a time, but the blaze shone upon faces that it could not sometimes light up.”
past form of “blaze” — shine brightly and intensively
From this reading “They blazed indeed, many a time, but the blaze shone upon faces that it could not sometimes light up.”
a heavy open wagon usually having two wheels and drawn by an animal
From this reading “I become not a cart as well as another man, a plague on my bringing up.”
navigational instrument for finding directions
From this reading “Matters drew gradually within a smaller and smaller compass.”
plural of “knot” — a tight cluster of people or things
From this reading “Every day could not be as bright as the last, even by the help of pitch pine knots.”
a coniferous tree
From this reading “Every day could not be as bright as the last, even by the help of pitch pine knots.”
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading “Every day could not be as bright as the last, even by the help of pitch pine knots.”
cause to suffer a blight
From this reading “I become not a cart as well as another man, a plague on my bringing up.”
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 I become not a cart as well as another man, a plague on my bringing up.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Matters drew gradually within a smaller and smaller compass.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading I become not a cart as well as another man, a plague on my bringing up.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I become not a cart as well as another man, a plague on my bringing up.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Every day could not be as bright as the last, even by the help of pitch pine knots.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading I become not a cart as well as another man, a plague on my bringing up.
a strong flame that burns brightly
From this reading They blazed indeed, many a time, but the blaze shone upon faces that it could not sometimes light up.
past form of “blaze” — shine brightly and intensively
From this reading They blazed indeed, many a time, but the blaze shone upon faces that it could not sometimes light up.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading Every day could not be as bright as the last, even by the help of pitch pine knots.
the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)
From this reading I become not a cart as well as another man, a plague on my bringing up.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading They blazed indeed, many a time, but the blaze shone upon faces that it could not sometimes light up.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Every day could not be as bright as the last, even by the help of pitch pine knots.
a heavy open wagon usually having two wheels and drawn by an animal
From this reading I become not a cart as well as another man, a plague on my bringing up.
navigational instrument for finding directions
From this reading Matters drew gradually within a smaller and smaller compass.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Every day could not be as bright as the last, even by the help of pitch pine knots.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Every day could not be as bright as the last, even by the help of pitch pine knots.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Matters drew gradually within a smaller and smaller compass.
divisible by two
From this reading Every day could not be as bright as the last, even by the help of pitch pine knots.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Every day could not be as bright as the last, even by the help of pitch pine knots.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading They blazed indeed, many a time, but the blaze shone upon faces that it could not sometimes light up.
in a gradual manner
From this reading Matters drew gradually within a smaller and smaller compass.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading Every day could not be as bright as the last, even by the help of pitch pine knots.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I become not a cart as well as another man, a plague on my bringing up.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading They blazed indeed, many a time, but the blaze shone upon faces that it could not sometimes light up.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They blazed indeed, many a time, but the blaze shone upon faces that it could not sometimes light up.
plural of “knot” — a tight cluster of people or things
From this reading Every day could not be as bright as the last, even by the help of pitch pine knots.
immediately past
From this reading Every day could not be as bright as the last, even by the help of pitch pine knots.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading They blazed indeed, many a time, but the blaze shone upon faces that it could not sometimes light up.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I become not a cart as well as another man, a plague on my bringing up.
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 They blazed indeed, many a time, but the blaze shone upon faces that it could not sometimes light up.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Matters drew gradually within a smaller and smaller compass.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I become not a cart as well as another man, a plague on my bringing up.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I become not a cart as well as another man, a plague on my bringing up.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Every day could not be as bright as the last, even by the help of pitch pine knots.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I become not a cart as well as another man, a plague on my bringing up.
a coniferous tree
From this reading Every day could not be as bright as the last, even by the help of pitch pine knots.
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading Every day could not be as bright as the last, even by the help of pitch pine knots.
cause to suffer a blight
From this reading I become not a cart as well as another man, a plague on my bringing up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Shakspeare.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading They blazed indeed, many a time, but the blaze shone upon faces that it could not sometimes light up.
small or little relative to something else
From this reading Matters drew gradually within a smaller and smaller compass.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading They blazed indeed, many a time, but the blaze shone upon faces that it could not sometimes light up.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They blazed indeed, many a time, but the blaze shone upon faces that it could not sometimes light up.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Every day could not be as bright as the last, even by the help of pitch pine knots.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They blazed indeed, many a time, but the blaze shone upon faces that it could not sometimes light up.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading They blazed indeed, many a time, but the blaze shone upon faces that it could not sometimes light up.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I become not a cart as well as another man, a plague on my bringing up.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading They blazed indeed, many a time, but the blaze shone upon faces that it could not sometimes light up.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading I become not a cart as well as another man, a plague on my bringing up.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Matters drew gradually within a smaller and smaller compass.
Chapter 20 of Queechy by Susan Warner holds 337 sentences, grouped into 68 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 337 sentences of Queechy, unabridged, divided into 68 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Queechy by Susan Warner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 337 sentences, grouped into 68 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 68 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 68 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 Queechy by Susan Warner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 14399 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8874 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8874, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2880 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Queechy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Queechy 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 Queechy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
