Chapter 20 of Sixes and Sevens is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Sixes and Sevens is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“All a-right,” said Tony. “But better wait ’bout-a ten minute more. Give-a Corrigan plenty time get good-a sleep.” They waited, sitting upon the stone. The rest of the men were at work out of sight around a bend in the road.
Chapter 20 of Sixes and Sevens is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 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.
form a curve
From this reading “The rest of the men were at work out of sight around a bend in the road.”
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading ““But better wait ’bout-a ten minute more.”
a full supply
From this reading “Give-a Corrigan plenty time get good-a sleep.””
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading “They waited, sitting upon the stone.”
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading “Give-a Corrigan plenty time get good-a sleep.””
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading “They waited, sitting upon the stone.”
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading ““But better wait ’bout-a ten minute more.”
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “They waited, sitting upon the stone.”
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 The rest of the men were at work out of sight around a bend in the road.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “All a-right,” said Tony.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “All a-right,” said Tony.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading The rest of the men were at work out of sight around a bend in the road.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The rest of the men were at work out of sight around a bend in the road.
form a curve
From this reading The rest of the men were at work out of sight around a bend in the road.
(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 “But better wait ’bout-a ten minute more.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But better wait ’bout-a ten minute more.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But better wait ’bout-a ten minute more.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Give-a Corrigan plenty time get good-a sleep.”
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Give-a Corrigan plenty time get good-a sleep.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Give-a Corrigan plenty time get good-a sleep.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Give-a Corrigan plenty time get good-a sleep.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The rest of the men were at work out of sight around a bend in the road.
the force of workers available
From this reading The rest of the men were at work out of sight around a bend in the road.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading “But better wait ’bout-a ten minute more.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “But better wait ’bout-a ten minute more.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The rest of the men were at work out of sight around a bend in the road.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The rest of the men were at work out of sight around a bend in the road.
a full supply
From this reading Give-a Corrigan plenty time get good-a sleep.”
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading The rest of the men were at work out of sight around a bend in the road.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading The rest of the men were at work out of sight around a bend in the road.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “All a-right,” said Tony.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading The rest of the men were at work out of sight around a bend in the road.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading They waited, sitting upon the stone.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Give-a Corrigan plenty time get good-a sleep.”
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading They waited, sitting upon the stone.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading “But better wait ’bout-a ten minute more.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They waited, sitting upon the stone.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They waited, sitting upon the stone.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Give-a Corrigan plenty time get good-a sleep.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “All a-right,” said Tony.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading They waited, sitting upon the stone.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “But better wait ’bout-a ten minute more.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading They waited, sitting upon the stone.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The rest of the men were at work out of sight around a bend in the road.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading The rest of the men were at work out of sight around a bend in the road.
Chapter 20 of Sixes and Sevens by O. Henry holds 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 193 sentences of Sixes and Sevens, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Sixes and Sevens by O. Henry exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Sixes and Sevens by O. Henry on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4115 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2851 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2851, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 342 minutes of reading across 823 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sixes and Sevens section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Sixes and Sevens 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 Sixes and Sevens, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
