Chapter XX of The Coil of Carne, “The Boys in the Mud,” is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter XX of The Coil of Carne, “The Boys in the Mud,” is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle. He was in Chatham soon after midday and made his way at once to Jack's quarters. He found him hard at work at a table strewn with books and drawings. "Hello, Jim boy? Why, what's up?
Chapter XX of The Coil of Carne, “The Boys in the Mud,” is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/72 · 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.
plural of “drawing” — an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading “He found him hard at work at a table strewn with books and drawings.”
an expression of greeting
From this reading “"Hello, Jim boy?”
possessive form of “jack” — a small worthless amount
From this reading “He was in Chatham soon after midday and made his way at once to Jack's quarters.”
the middle of the day
From this reading “He was in Chatham soon after midday and made his way at once to Jack's quarters.”
housing available for people to live in
From this reading “He was in Chatham soon after midday and made his way at once to Jack's quarters.”
inflected form of “strew” — spread by scattering ("straw" is archaic)
From this reading “He found him hard at work at a table strewn with books and drawings.”
a twisted and tangled mass that is highly interwoven
From this reading “Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.”
-ing form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading “Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.”
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.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “He was in Chatham soon after midday and made his way at once to Jack's quarters.”
In this reading “He found him hard at work at a table strewn with books and drawings.”
In this reading “He found him hard at work at a table strewn with books and drawings.”
to exert effort in order to do, make, or perform something
In this reading “He found him hard at work at a table strewn with books and drawings.”
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 Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.
later than; following
From this reading He was in Chatham soon after midday and made his way at once to Jack's quarters.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He was in Chatham soon after midday and made his way at once to Jack's quarters.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading He found him hard at work at a table strewn with books and drawings.
a youthful male person
From this reading "Hello, Jim boy?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was in Chatham soon after midday and made his way at once to Jack's quarters.
plural of “drawing” — an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading He found him hard at work at a table strewn with books and drawings.
set up or found
From this reading He found him hard at work at a table strewn with books and drawings.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading He found him hard at work at a table strewn with books and drawings.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was in Chatham soon after midday and made his way at once to Jack's quarters.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.
an expression of greeting
From this reading "Hello, Jim boy?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He found him hard at work at a table strewn with books and drawings.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was in Chatham soon after midday and made his way at once to Jack's quarters.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.
possessive form of “jack” — a small worthless amount
From this reading He was in Chatham soon after midday and made his way at once to Jack's quarters.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading He was in Chatham soon after midday and made his way at once to Jack's quarters.
engage in
From this reading Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.
the middle of the day
From this reading He was in Chatham soon after midday and made his way at once to Jack's quarters.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.
on one occasion
From this reading He was in Chatham soon after midday and made his way at once to Jack's quarters.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.
housing available for people to live in
From this reading He was in Chatham soon after midday and made his way at once to Jack's quarters.
in the near future
From this reading He was in Chatham soon after midday and made his way at once to Jack's quarters.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.
inflected form of “strew” — spread by scattering ("straw" is archaic)
From this reading He found him hard at work at a table strewn with books and drawings.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading He found him hard at work at a table strewn with books and drawings.
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.
a twisted and tangled mass that is highly interwoven
From this reading Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.
-ing form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.
characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need
From this reading Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.
hard to endure
From this reading Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Why, what's up?
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading Jim spent a troubled night, tossing to and fro and trying in vain to make head or tail of the tangle.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was in Chatham soon after midday and made his way at once to Jack's quarters.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He was in Chatham soon after midday and made his way at once to Jack's quarters.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why, what's up?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, what's up?
in the company of; together with
From this reading He found him hard at work at a table strewn with books and drawings.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading He found him hard at work at a table strewn with books and drawings.
Chapter 20 of The Coil of Carne by John Oxenham holds 362 sentences, grouped into 73 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 362 sentences of The Coil of Carne, unabridged, divided into 73 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Coil of Carne by John Oxenham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 362 sentences, grouped into 73 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 73 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 73 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 The Coil of Carne by John Oxenham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8368 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53819 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53819, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1674 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Coil of Carne section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Coil of Carne 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 Coil of Carne, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
