Chapter 20 of The Crime and the Criminal is here in full — 307 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Crime and the Criminal is here in full — 307 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TAKING LEAVE. It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned. The walls were wainscoted. Here and there was a piece of tapestry. Curtains suggested, rather than screened, an occasional recess.
Chapter 20 of The Crime and the Criminal is here in full — 307 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/61 · 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 “curtain” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading “Curtains suggested, rather than screened, an occasional recess.”
of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
From this reading “It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.”
occurring from time to time
From this reading “Curtains suggested, rather than screened, an occasional recess.”
put into a recess
From this reading “Curtains suggested, rather than screened, an occasional recess.”
past form of “screen” — test or examine for the presence of disease or infection
From this reading “Curtains suggested, rather than screened, an occasional recess.”
something that resembles a tapestry in its intricacy
From this reading “Here and there was a piece of tapestry.”
United States social reformer who proposed an old-age pension sponsored by the federal government; his plan was a precursor to Social Security (1867-1960)
From this reading “It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.”
Risen from sleep; conscious.
From this reading “It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.”
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 “It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.”
a reception held in your own home
In this reading “It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.”
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 It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Curtains suggested, rather than screened, an occasional recess.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Here and there was a piece of tapestry.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
plural of “curtain” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading Curtains suggested, rather than screened, an occasional recess.
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here and there was a piece of tapestry.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
large or big relative to something else
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
go away from a place
From this reading TAKING LEAVE.
of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
a form of address for a man
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
occurring from time to time
From this reading Curtains suggested, rather than screened, an occasional recess.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading Here and there was a piece of tapestry.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
on the contrary
From this reading Curtains suggested, rather than screened, an occasional recess.
put into a recess
From this reading Curtains suggested, rather than screened, an occasional recess.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
past form of “screen” — test or examine for the presence of disease or infection
From this reading Curtains suggested, rather than screened, an occasional recess.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading Curtains suggested, rather than screened, an occasional recess.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading TAKING LEAVE.
something that resembles a tapestry in its intricacy
From this reading Here and there was a piece of tapestry.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Curtains suggested, rather than screened, an occasional recess.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Here and there was a piece of tapestry.
United States social reformer who proposed an old-age pension sponsored by the federal government; his plan was a precursor to Social Security (1867-1960)
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
fitted or decorated with panels or wainscoting
From this reading The walls were wainscoted.
Risen from sleep; conscious.
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading The walls were wainscoted.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
of pleasing proportions
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The walls were wainscoted.
at the time that
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was a handsome room, that in which Mr. Townsend, when at home, passed the larger portion of his waking hours--large, lofty, well-proportioned.
Chapter 20 of The Crime and the Criminal by Richard Marsh holds 307 sentences, grouped into 62 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 307 sentences of The Crime and the Criminal, unabridged, divided into 62 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Crime and the Criminal by Richard Marsh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 307 sentences, grouped into 62 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 62 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 62 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 Crime and the Criminal by Richard Marsh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9530 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40348 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40348, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1906 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Crime and the Criminal section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Crime and the Criminal 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 Crime and the Criminal, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
