Chapter 20 of Star of India is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Star of India is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh! How slack I feel. Dances are the devil!" Maud Matthews yawned and stretched amid a nest of cushions in a long chair. "I'm sure I must look about sixty.
Chapter 20 of Star of India is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading “Maud Matthews yawned and stretched amid a nest of cushions in a long chair.”
plural of “cushion” — a mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses
From this reading “Maud Matthews yawned and stretched amid a nest of cushions in a long chair.”
plural of “dance” — an artistic form of nonverbal communication
From this reading “Dances are the devil!"”
plural of “matthew” — (New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally considered to be the author of the first Gospel
From this reading “Maud Matthews yawned and stretched amid a nest of cushions in a long chair.”
a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
From this reading “Maud Matthews yawned and stretched amid a nest of cushions in a long chair.”
being ten more than fifty
From this reading “"I'm sure I must look about sixty.”
not tense or taut
From this reading “How slack I feel.”
past form of “yawn” — utter a yawn, as from lack of oxygen or when one is tired
From this reading “Maud Matthews yawned and stretched amid a nest of cushions in a long chair.”
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'm sure I must look about sixty.”
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 Maud Matthews yawned and stretched amid a nest of cushions in a long chair.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "I'm sure I must look about sixty.
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading Maud Matthews yawned and stretched amid a nest of cushions in a long chair.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Maud Matthews yawned and stretched amid a nest of cushions in a long chair.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Dances are the devil!"
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Maud Matthews yawned and stretched amid a nest of cushions in a long chair.
plural of “cushion” — a mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses
From this reading Maud Matthews yawned and stretched amid a nest of cushions in a long chair.
plural of “dance” — an artistic form of nonverbal communication
From this reading Dances are the devil!"
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading Dances are the devil!"
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading How slack I feel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How slack I feel.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading How slack I feel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm sure I must look about sixty.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Maud Matthews yawned and stretched amid a nest of cushions in a long chair.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Maud Matthews yawned and stretched amid a nest of cushions in a long chair.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "I'm sure I must look about sixty.
plural of “matthew” — (New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally considered to be the author of the first Gospel
From this reading Maud Matthews yawned and stretched amid a nest of cushions in a long chair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Maud Matthews yawned and stretched amid a nest of cushions in a long chair.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "I'm sure I must look about sixty.
a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
From this reading Maud Matthews yawned and stretched amid a nest of cushions in a long chair.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Maud Matthews yawned and stretched amid a nest of cushions in a long chair.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh!
being ten more than fifty
From this reading "I'm sure I must look about sixty.
not tense or taut
From this reading How slack I feel.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading Maud Matthews yawned and stretched amid a nest of cushions in a long chair.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "I'm sure I must look about sixty.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Dances are the devil!"
past form of “yawn” — utter a yawn, as from lack of oxygen or when one is tired
From this reading Maud Matthews yawned and stretched amid a nest of cushions in a long chair.
Chapter 20 of Star of India by Alice Perrin holds 154 sentences, grouped into 31 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 154 sentences of Star of India, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Star of India by Alice Perrin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 154 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 Star of India by Alice Perrin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4278 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53372 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53372, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 356 minutes of reading across 856 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Star of India section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Star of India 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 Star of India, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
