Chapter 20 of Sir Tom is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Sir Tom is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE TWO STRANGERS. The Contessa did not turn her head or change her position when Bice entered. She said, "You have not been out?" in a tone which was half question and half reproof. "It rained, and there is nothing to breathe but the damp and fog." "What does it matter? it is very good for the complexion, this damp; it softens the skin, it clears your colour.
Chapter 20 of Sir Tom is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs
From this reading “"It rained, and there is nothing to breathe but the damp and fog."”
plural of “clear” — the state of being free of suspicion
From this reading “"What does it matter? it is very good for the complexion, this damp; it softens the skin, it clears your colour.”
the coloring of a person's face
From this reading “"What does it matter? it is very good for the complexion, this damp; it softens the skin, it clears your colour.”
slightly wet
From this reading “"It rained, and there is nothing to breathe but the damp and fog."”
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading “"It rained, and there is nothing to breathe but the damp and fog."”
past form of “rain” — precipitate as rain
From this reading “"It rained, and there is nothing to breathe but the damp and fog."”
third-person singular of “soften” — make (images or sounds) soft or softer
From this reading “"What does it matter? it is very good for the complexion, this damp; it softens the skin, it clears your colour.”
plural of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading “THE TWO STRANGERS.”
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 “She said, "You have not been out?" in a tone which was half question and half reproof.”
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 said, "You have not been out?" in a tone which was half question and half reproof.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She said, "You have not been out?" in a tone which was half question and half reproof.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She said, "You have not been out?" in a tone which was half question and half reproof.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Contessa did not turn her head or change her position when Bice entered.
draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs
From this reading "It rained, and there is nothing to breathe but the damp and fog."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "It rained, and there is nothing to breathe but the damp and fog."
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading The Contessa did not turn her head or change her position when Bice entered.
plural of “clear” — the state of being free of suspicion
From this reading "What does it matter? it is very good for the complexion, this damp; it softens the skin, it clears your colour.
having or capable of producing colors
From this reading "What does it matter? it is very good for the complexion, this damp; it softens the skin, it clears your colour.
the coloring of a person's face
From this reading "What does it matter? it is very good for the complexion, this damp; it softens the skin, it clears your colour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Contessa did not turn her head or change her position when Bice entered.
slightly wet
From this reading "It rained, and there is nothing to breathe but the damp and fog."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The Contessa did not turn her head or change her position when Bice entered.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What does it matter? it is very good for the complexion, this damp; it softens the skin, it clears your colour.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading The Contessa did not turn her head or change her position when Bice entered.
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading "It rained, and there is nothing to breathe but the damp and fog."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "What does it matter? it is very good for the complexion, this damp; it softens the skin, it clears your colour.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "What does it matter? it is very good for the complexion, this damp; it softens the skin, it clears your colour.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading She said, "You have not been out?" in a tone which was half question and half reproof.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading She said, "You have not been out?" in a tone which was half question and half reproof.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The Contessa did not turn her head or change her position when Bice entered.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The Contessa did not turn her head or change her position when Bice entered.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She said, "You have not been out?" in a tone which was half question and half reproof.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It rained, and there is nothing to breathe but the damp and fog."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It rained, and there is nothing to breathe but the damp and fog."
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "What does it matter? it is very good for the complexion, this damp; it softens the skin, it clears your colour.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The Contessa did not turn her head or change her position when Bice entered.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "It rained, and there is nothing to breathe but the damp and fog."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The Contessa did not turn her head or change her position when Bice entered.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading She said, "You have not been out?" in a tone which was half question and half reproof.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading The Contessa did not turn her head or change her position when Bice entered.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading She said, "You have not been out?" in a tone which was half question and half reproof.
past form of “rain” — precipitate as rain
From this reading "It rained, and there is nothing to breathe but the damp and fog."
an act or expression of criticism and censure
From this reading She said, "You have not been out?" in a tone which was half question and half reproof.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading She said, "You have not been out?" in a tone which was half question and half reproof.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She said, "You have not been out?" in a tone which was half question and half reproof.
a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch
From this reading "What does it matter? it is very good for the complexion, this damp; it softens the skin, it clears your colour.
third-person singular of “soften” — make (images or sounds) soft or softer
From this reading "What does it matter? it is very good for the complexion, this damp; it softens the skin, it clears your colour.
plural of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading THE TWO STRANGERS.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TWO STRANGERS.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "It rained, and there is nothing to breathe but the damp and fog."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "What does it matter? it is very good for the complexion, this damp; it softens the skin, it clears your colour.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It rained, and there is nothing to breathe but the damp and fog."
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading She said, "You have not been out?" in a tone which was half question and half reproof.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading The Contessa did not turn her head or change her position when Bice entered.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading THE TWO STRANGERS.
precisely as stated
From this reading "What does it matter? it is very good for the complexion, this damp; it softens the skin, it clears your colour.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She said, "You have not been out?" in a tone which was half question and half reproof.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What does it matter? it is very good for the complexion, this damp; it softens the skin, it clears your colour.
at the time that
From this reading The Contessa did not turn her head or change her position when Bice entered.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She said, "You have not been out?" in a tone which was half question and half reproof.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading She said, "You have not been out?" in a tone which was half question and half reproof.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What does it matter? it is very good for the complexion, this damp; it softens the skin, it clears your colour.
Chapter 20 of Sir Tom by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant holds 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 190 sentences of Sir Tom, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Sir Tom by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Sir Tom by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9204 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30692 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30692, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1841 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sir Tom section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Sir Tom 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 Sir Tom, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
