Chapter 20 of The Crevice is here in full — 352 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Crevice is here in full — 352 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE UNSEEN LISTENER "There's a man outside who wishes to speak to you, sir. Says his name is Hicks, but won't tell his business." Blaine looked up from the paper. "Never heard of him. What sort of a man, Marsh?"
Chapter 20 of The Crevice is here in full — 352 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/70 · 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 “hick” — a person who is not very intelligent or interested in culture
From this reading “Says his name is Hicks, but won't tell his business."”
someone who listens attentively
From this reading “THE UNSEEN LISTENER "There's a man outside who wishes to speak to you, sir.”
low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation; usually is a transition zone between land and water
From this reading “What sort of a man, Marsh?"”
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading “THE UNSEEN LISTENER "There's a man outside who wishes to speak to you, sir.”
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading “Blaine looked up from the paper.”
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading “What sort of a man, Marsh?"”
not seen or perceived
From this reading “THE UNSEEN LISTENER "There's a man outside who wishes to speak to you, sir.”
plural of “wish” — a specific feeling of desire
From this reading “THE UNSEEN LISTENER "There's a man outside who wishes to speak to you, sir.”
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 UNSEEN LISTENER "There's a man outside who wishes to speak to you, sir.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Blaine looked up from the paper.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading Says his name is Hicks, but won't tell his business."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Says his name is Hicks, but won't tell his business."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Blaine looked up from the paper.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "Never heard of him.
plural of “hick” — a person who is not very intelligent or interested in culture
From this reading Says his name is Hicks, but won't tell his business."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Never heard of him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Says his name is Hicks, but won't tell his business."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Says his name is Hicks, but won't tell his business."
someone who listens attentively
From this reading THE UNSEEN LISTENER "There's a man outside who wishes to speak to you, sir.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Blaine looked up from the paper.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading THE UNSEEN LISTENER "There's a man outside who wishes to speak to you, sir.
low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation; usually is a transition zone between land and water
From this reading What sort of a man, Marsh?"
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Says his name is Hicks, but won't tell his business."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "Never heard of him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Never heard of him.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading THE UNSEEN LISTENER "There's a man outside who wishes to speak to you, sir.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading Blaine looked up from the paper.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading Says his name is Hicks, but won't tell his business."
term of address for a man
From this reading THE UNSEEN LISTENER "There's a man outside who wishes to speak to you, sir.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading What sort of a man, Marsh?"
express in speech
From this reading THE UNSEEN LISTENER "There's a man outside who wishes to speak to you, sir.
express in words
From this reading Says his name is Hicks, but won't tell his business."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE UNSEEN LISTENER "There's a man outside who wishes to speak to you, sir.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE UNSEEN LISTENER "There's a man outside who wishes to speak to you, sir.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE UNSEEN LISTENER "There's a man outside who wishes to speak to you, sir.
not seen or perceived
From this reading THE UNSEEN LISTENER "There's a man outside who wishes to speak to you, sir.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Blaine looked up from the paper.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What sort of a man, Marsh?"
which person or people
From this reading THE UNSEEN LISTENER "There's a man outside who wishes to speak to you, sir.
plural of “wish” — a specific feeling of desire
From this reading THE UNSEEN LISTENER "There's a man outside who wishes to speak to you, sir.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Says his name is Hicks, but won't tell his business."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading THE UNSEEN LISTENER "There's a man outside who wishes to speak to you, sir.
Chapter 20 of The Crevice by William J. Burns holds 352 sentences, grouped into 71 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 352 sentences of The Crevice, unabridged, divided into 71 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Crevice by William J. Burns exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 352 sentences, grouped into 71 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 71 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 71 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 Crevice by William J. Burns on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5441 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29331 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29331, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 453 minutes of reading across 1089 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Crevice section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Crevice 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 Crevice, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
