Chapter 20 of Rossmoyne is here in full — 280 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Rossmoyne is here in full — 280 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it. "Then it is decided," says Olga. "'The School for Scandal' first, and tableaux to follow. Now for _them_. I suppose four altogether will be quite sufficient.
Chapter 20 of Rossmoyne is here in full — 280 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/56 · 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.
third-person singular of “assert” — state categorically
From this reading “How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.”
act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises
From this reading “How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.”
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading “How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.”
plural of “cause” — events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading “How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.”
third-person singular of “heal” — heal or recover
From this reading “How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.”
be equal to in quality or ability
From this reading “How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.”
disgraceful gossip about the private lives of other people
From this reading “"'The School for Scandal' first, and tableaux to follow.”
plural of “tableau” — a group of people attractively arranged (as if in a painting)
From this reading “"'The School for Scandal' first, and tableaux to follow.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “I suppose four altogether will be quite sufficient.”
In this reading “How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.”
In this reading “How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.”
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 How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading I suppose four altogether will be quite sufficient.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
third-person singular of “assert” — state categorically
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I suppose four altogether will be quite sufficient.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
plural of “cause” — events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
recognizable; marked
From this reading "Then it is decided," says Olga.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "'The School for Scandal' first, and tableaux to follow.
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading "'The School for Scandal' first, and tableaux to follow.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "'The School for Scandal' first, and tableaux to follow.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading I suppose four altogether will be quite sufficient.
third-person singular of “heal” — heal or recover
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I suppose four altogether will be quite sufficient.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Then it is decided," says Olga.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now for _them_.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then it is decided," says Olga.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading I suppose four altogether will be quite sufficient.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
be equal to in quality or ability
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
plural of “rose” — any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "Then it is decided," says Olga.
disgraceful gossip about the private lives of other people
From this reading "'The School for Scandal' first, and tableaux to follow.
an educational institution
From this reading "'The School for Scandal' first, and tableaux to follow.
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement but without being abundant
From this reading I suppose four altogether will be quite sufficient.
express a supposition
From this reading I suppose four altogether will be quite sufficient.
plural of “tableau” — a group of people attractively arranged (as if in a painting)
From this reading "'The School for Scandal' first, and tableaux to follow.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading How Desmond asserts himself, and shows himself a better man than his rival--And how a bunch of red roses causes a breach, and how a ring heals it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "'The School for Scandal' first, and tableaux to follow.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Now for _them_.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then it is decided," says Olga.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "'The School for Scandal' first, and tableaux to follow.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I suppose four altogether will be quite sufficient.
Chapter 20 of Rossmoyne by Duchess holds 280 sentences, grouped into 56 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 280 sentences of Rossmoyne, unabridged, divided into 56 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Rossmoyne by Duchess exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 280 sentences, grouped into 56 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 56 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 56 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 Rossmoyne by Duchess on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7484 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31492 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31492, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1497 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Rossmoyne section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of Rossmoyne 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 Rossmoyne, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
