Chapter 20 of The Chase of the Ruby is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Chase of the Ruby is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HOW THE CHASE WAS ENDED Mr Samuel Collyer was seated in his office. Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying. The study seemed to have afforded him amusement. Leaning back in his chair, he smiled. He referred to his watch.
Chapter 20 of The Chase of the Ruby is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
past form of “afford” — be able to spare or give up
From this reading “The study seemed to have afforded him amusement.”
a feeling of delight at being entertained
From this reading “The study seemed to have afforded him amusement.”
possessive form of “burton” — English explorer who with John Speke was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika (1821-1890)
From this reading “Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.”
go after with the intent to catch
From this reading “HOW THE CHASE WAS ENDED Mr Samuel Collyer was seated in his office.”
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading “Leaning back in his chair, he smiled.”
inflected form of “refer” — make reference to
From this reading “He referred to his watch.”
(Old Testament) Hebrew prophet and judge who anointed Saul as king
From this reading “HOW THE CHASE WAS ENDED Mr Samuel Collyer was seated in his office.”
reading carefully with intent to remember
From this reading “Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.”
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.
at or in the front
In this reading “Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.”
able to be negotiated or arranged by compromise
In this reading “Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.”
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.
past form of “afford” — be able to spare or give up
From this reading The study seemed to have afforded him amusement.
a feeling of delight at being entertained
From this reading The study seemed to have afforded him amusement.
from appearances alone
From this reading Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Leaning back in his chair, he smiled.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.
possessive form of “burton” — English explorer who with John Speke was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika (1821-1890)
From this reading Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Leaning back in his chair, he smiled.
go after with the intent to catch
From this reading HOW THE CHASE WAS ENDED Mr Samuel Collyer was seated in his office.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW THE CHASE WAS ENDED Mr Samuel Collyer was seated in his office.
having come or been brought to a conclusion
From this reading HOW THE CHASE WAS ENDED Mr Samuel Collyer was seated in his office.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The study seemed to have afforded him amusement.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading HOW THE CHASE WAS ENDED Mr Samuel Collyer was seated in his office.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW THE CHASE WAS ENDED Mr Samuel Collyer was seated in his office.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading HOW THE CHASE WAS ENDED Mr Samuel Collyer was seated in his office.
and nothing more
From this reading Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading Leaning back in his chair, he smiled.
a form of address for a man
From this reading HOW THE CHASE WAS ENDED Mr Samuel Collyer was seated in his office.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading HOW THE CHASE WAS ENDED Mr Samuel Collyer was seated in his office.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.
inflected form of “refer” — make reference to
From this reading He referred to his watch.
(Old Testament) Hebrew prophet and judge who anointed Saul as king
From this reading HOW THE CHASE WAS ENDED Mr Samuel Collyer was seated in his office.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading HOW THE CHASE WAS ENDED Mr Samuel Collyer was seated in his office.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The study seemed to have afforded him amusement.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Leaning back in his chair, he smiled.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading The study seemed to have afforded him amusement.
reading carefully with intent to remember
From this reading Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading HOW THE CHASE WAS ENDED Mr Samuel Collyer was seated in his office.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The study seemed to have afforded him amusement.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading HOW THE CHASE WAS ENDED Mr Samuel Collyer was seated in his office.
look attentively
From this reading He referred to his watch.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Spread open on the table in front of him was Mr George Burton's will, which apparently he had just been studying.
Chapter 20 of The Chase of the Ruby by Richard Marsh holds 124 sentences, grouped into 25 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 124 sentences of The Chase of the Ruby, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Chase of the Ruby by Richard Marsh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 124 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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.
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Yes. All 3734 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40349 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40349, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 311 minutes of reading across 747 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Chase of the Ruby section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Chase of the Ruby 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 The Chase of the Ruby, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
