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The Blithedale Romance
The Blithedale Romance

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of The Blithedale Romance is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/28 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"You forced this on me," replied Hollingsworth, looking her sternly in the face.
"Did I call you hither from among the masqueraders yonder?
Do I assume to be your judge?
No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.
True, I have already judged you, but not on the world's part,--neither do I pretend to pass a sentence!"
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Blithedale Romance

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of The Blithedale Romance is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"You forced this on me," replied Hollingsworth, looking her sternly in the face.
Line 2
"Did I call you hither from among the masqueraders yonder?
Line 3
Do I assume to be your judge?
/duː aɪ əˈsuːm tuː biː jɔːr dʒʌdʒ/
Line 4
No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.
/noʊ ɪkˈsept soʊ fɑːr æz aɪ hæv æn ənˈkwestʃənəbəl raɪt ʌv ˈdʒʌdʒmənt ɪn ˈɔːrdər tuː ˈsetəl maɪ oʊn laɪn ʌv bɪˈheɪvjər təˈwɔːrdz ðoʊz wɪð huːm ðə ɪˈvents ʌv laɪf brɪŋ miː ɪn ˈkɑːntækt/
Line 5
True, I have already judged you, but not on the world's part,--neither do I pretend to pass a sentence!"

Learner Dictionary

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.

assume verb US /əˈsuːm/

take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof

From this reading “Do I assume to be your judge?”

behavior noun US /bɪˈheɪvjər/

manner of acting or controlling yourself

From this reading “No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.”

contact noun US /ˈkɑːntækt/

close interaction

From this reading “No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.”

judged verb US /dʒʌdʒd/

past form of “judge” — determine the result of (a competition)

From this reading “True, I have already judged you, but not on the world's part,--neither do I pretend to pass a sentence!"”

pretend verb US /priˈtend/

make believe with the intent to deceive

From this reading “True, I have already judged you, but not on the world's part,--neither do I pretend to pass a sentence!"”

sternly adverb US /ˈstɜːrnli/

with sternness; in a severe manner

From this reading “"You forced this on me," replied Hollingsworth, looking her sternly in the face.”

unquestionable adjective US /ənˈkwestʃənəbəl/

incapable of being questioned

From this reading “No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.”

world's noun US /wɜːrldz/

possessive form of “world” — everything that exists anywhere

From this reading “True, I have already judged you, but not on the world's part,--neither do I pretend to pass a sentence!"”

All words in this reading · 64

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading True, I have already judged you, but not on the world's part,--neither do I pretend to pass a sentence!"

alreadyadverbUS /ɔːlˈredi/

prior to a specified or implied time

From this reading True, I have already judged you, but not on the world's part,--neither do I pretend to pass a sentence!"

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading "Did I call you hither from among the masqueraders yonder?

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

assumeverbUS /əˈsuːm/

take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof

From this reading Do I assume to be your judge?

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Do I assume to be your judge?

behaviornounUS /bɪˈheɪvjər/

manner of acting or controlling yourself

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

bringverbUS /brɪŋ/

take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading True, I have already judged you, but not on the world's part,--neither do I pretend to pass a sentence!"

callverbUS /kɔːl/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading "Did I call you hither from among the masqueraders yonder?

contactnounUS /ˈkɑːntækt/

close interaction

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

Didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading "Did I call you hither from among the masqueraders yonder?

Doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Do I assume to be your judge?

eventsnounUS /ɪˈvents/

plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

exceptprepositionUS /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading "You forced this on me," replied Hollingsworth, looking her sternly in the face.

faradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

forcedadjectiveUS /fɔːrst/

produced by or subjected to forcing

From this reading "You forced this on me," replied Hollingsworth, looking her sternly in the face.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading "Did I call you hither from among the masqueraders yonder?

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading "You forced this on me," replied Hollingsworth, looking her sternly in the face.

hitheradverbUS /ˈhɪðər/

an old word meaning “to this place”

From this reading "Did I call you hither from among the masqueraders yonder?

Hollingsworth

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "You forced this on me," replied Hollingsworth, looking her sternly in the face.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "Did I call you hither from among the masqueraders yonder?

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "You forced this on me," replied Hollingsworth, looking her sternly in the face.

judgeverbUS /dʒʌdʒ/

determine the result of (a competition)

From this reading Do I assume to be your judge?

judgedverbUS /dʒʌdʒd/

past form of “judge” — determine the result of (a competition)

From this reading True, I have already judged you, but not on the world's part,--neither do I pretend to pass a sentence!"

judgmentnounUS /ˈdʒʌdʒmənt/

an opinion formed by judging something

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

linenounUS /laɪn/

a formation of people or things one beside another

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading "You forced this on me," replied Hollingsworth, looking her sternly in the face.

masqueraders

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Did I call you hither from among the masqueraders yonder?

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "You forced this on me," replied Hollingsworth, looking her sternly in the face.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

neitherdeterminerUS /ˈniːðər/

not one and not the other of two

From this reading True, I have already judged you, but not on the world's part,--neither do I pretend to pass a sentence!"

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading True, I have already judged you, but not on the world's part,--neither do I pretend to pass a sentence!"

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading "You forced this on me," replied Hollingsworth, looking her sternly in the face.

ordernounUS /ˈɔːrdər/

(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

partnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading True, I have already judged you, but not on the world's part,--neither do I pretend to pass a sentence!"

passverbUS /pæs/

go across or through

From this reading True, I have already judged you, but not on the world's part,--neither do I pretend to pass a sentence!"

pretendverbUS /priˈtend/

make believe with the intent to deceive

From this reading True, I have already judged you, but not on the world's part,--neither do I pretend to pass a sentence!"

repliedverbUS /rɪˈplaɪd/

inflected form of “reply” — react verbally

From this reading "You forced this on me," replied Hollingsworth, looking her sternly in the face.

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

sentencenounUS /ˈsentəns/

a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language

From this reading True, I have already judged you, but not on the world's part,--neither do I pretend to pass a sentence!"

settleverbUS /ˈsetəl/

settle into a position, usually on a surface or ground

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

sternlyadverbUS /ˈstɜːrnli/

with sternness; in a severe manner

From this reading "You forced this on me," replied Hollingsworth, looking her sternly in the face.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "You forced this on me," replied Hollingsworth, looking her sternly in the face.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading "You forced this on me," replied Hollingsworth, looking her sternly in the face.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Do I assume to be your judge?

towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

TrueadjectiveUS /truː/

consistent with fact or reality; not false

From this reading True, I have already judged you, but not on the world's part,--neither do I pretend to pass a sentence!"

unquestionableadjectiveUS /ənˈkwestʃənəbəl/

incapable of being questioned

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading No; except so far as I have an unquestionable right of judgment, in order to settle my own line of behavior towards those with whom the events of life bring me in contact.

world'snounUS /wɜːrldz/

possessive form of “world” — everything that exists anywhere

From this reading True, I have already judged you, but not on the world's part,--neither do I pretend to pass a sentence!"

yonderadjectiveUS /ˈjɑːndər/

distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)

From this reading "Did I call you hither from among the masqueraders yonder?

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "You forced this on me," replied Hollingsworth, looking her sternly in the face.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Do I assume to be your judge?

Chapter 20 of The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne holds 144 sentences, grouped into 29 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.

What does chapter 20 of The Blithedale Romance contain?

Chapter 20 holds 144 sentences of The Blithedale Romance, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 144 sentences, grouped into 29 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.

How do I study chapter 20 of The Blithedale Romance?

Work through the 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 29 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.

Can chapter 20 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Blithedale Romance

Common questions about reading The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Blithedale Romance?

Yes. All 3406 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2081 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Blithedale Romance is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2081, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Blithedale Romance take to read?

About 283 minutes of reading across 682 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Blithedale Romance section by section

How to work through The Blithedale Romance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Blithedale Romance to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Blithedale Romance

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Blithedale Romance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Evening
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Blithedale Romance; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Departure
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Blithedale Romance; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Blithedale
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Blithedale Romance; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Returning
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Blithedale Romance; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.