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The Curlytops in the Woods
The Curlytops in the Woods

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of The Curlytops in the Woods is here in full — 270 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Howard Roger Garis • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Curlytops in the Woods
Context Illustration Reading 1/54 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.
But after the first fright Ted laughed and said:
“We’ll go on a voyage; we have something to eat.”
“How far’ll we go?” asked Janet, still a bit alarmed.
“Oh, across to the other shore,” and Ted pointed to the other side of the lake.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Curlytops in the Woods

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of The Curlytops in the Woods is here in full — 270 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/54 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.
Line 2
But after the first fright Ted laughed and said:
/bʌt ˈæftər ðə fɜːrst fraɪt ted læft ənd sed/
Line 3
“We’ll go on a voyage; we have something to eat.”
Line 4
“How far’ll we go?” asked Janet, still a bit alarmed.
Line 5
“Oh, across to the other shore,” and Ted pointed to the other side of the lake.
/oʊ əˈkrɔːs tuː ðə ˈʌðər ʃɔːr ənd ted ˈpɔɪntɪd tuː ðə ˈʌðər saɪd ʌv ðə leɪk/

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.

adrift adjective US /əˈdrɪft/

aimlessly drifting

From this reading “THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
alarmed adjective US /əˈlɑːrmd/

experiencing a sudden sense of danger

From this reading ““How far’ll we go?” asked Janet, still a bit alarmed.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
crow's noun US /kroʊz/

possessive form of “crow” — black birds having a raucous call

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fright noun US /fraɪt/

an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)

From this reading “But after the first fright Ted laughed and said:”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nest noun US /nest/

a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young

From this reading “THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
oars noun US /ɔːrz/

plural of “oar” — an implement used to propel or steer a boat

From this reading “THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
poles noun US /poʊlz/

plural of “pole” — a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic

From this reading “THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Ted noun US /ted/

a tough youth of 1950's and 1960's wearing Edwardian style clothes

From this reading “But after the first fright Ted laughed and said:”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

other side adjective + noun

In this reading ““Oh, across to the other shore,” and Ted pointed to the other side of the lake.”

46,534 times in 426,211 chapters
go on verb + particle

continue a certain state, condition, or activity

In this reading ““We’ll go on a voyage; we have something to eat.””

241,940 times in 426,211 chapters
on a voyage preposition + article + noun counted as “on … voyage”

In this reading ““We’ll go on a voyage; we have something to eat.””

1,757 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 57

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 “We’ll go on a voyage; we have something to eat.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading “Oh, across to the other shore,” and Ted pointed to the other side of the lake.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
adriftadjectiveUS /əˈdrɪft/

aimlessly drifting

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading But after the first fright Ted laughed and said:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
alarmedadjectiveUS /əˈlɑːrmd/

experiencing a sudden sense of danger

From this reading “How far’ll we go?” asked Janet, still a bit alarmed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading But after the first fright Ted laughed and said:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading “How far’ll we go?” asked Janet, still a bit alarmed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bitnounUS /bɪt/

a small piece or quantity of something

From this reading “How far’ll we go?” asked Janet, still a bit alarmed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
boatnounUS /boʊt/

a small vessel for travel on water

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But after the first fright Ted laughed and said:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
CROW'SnounUS /kroʊz/

possessive form of “crow” — black birds having a raucous call

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Curlytops

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

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

Pending verification
eatverbUS /iːt/

take in solid food

From this reading “We’ll go on a voyage; we have something to eat.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
far'll

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

From this reading “How far’ll we go?” asked Janet, still a bit alarmed.

Pending verification
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
frightnounUS /fraɪt/

an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)

From this reading But after the first fright Ted laughed and said:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
frightenedadjectiveUS /ˈfraɪtənd/

made afraid

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading “We’ll go on a voyage; we have something to eat.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
guidenounUS /ɡaɪd/

someone employed to conduct others

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “We’ll go on a voyage; we have something to eat.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
How

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

From this reading “How far’ll we go?” asked Janet, still a bit alarmed.

Pending verification
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Janet

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

From this reading “How far’ll we go?” asked Janet, still a bit alarmed.

Pending verification
lakenounUS /leɪk/

a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land

From this reading “Oh, across to the other shore,” and Ted pointed to the other side of the lake.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
laughedverbUS /læft/

past form of “laugh” — produce laughter

From this reading But after the first fright Ted laughed and said:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
neitherdeterminerUS /ˈniːðər/

not one and not the other of two

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
NESTnounUS /nest/

a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
oarsnounUS /ɔːrz/

plural of “oar” — an implement used to propel or steer a boat

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “Oh, across to the other shore,” and Ted pointed to the other side of the lake.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading “Oh, across to the other shore,” and Ted pointed to the other side of the lake.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading “We’ll go on a voyage; we have something to eat.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading “Oh, across to the other shore,” and Ted pointed to the other side of the lake.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pointedadjectiveUS /ˈpɔɪntɪd/

having a point

From this reading “Oh, across to the other shore,” and Ted pointed to the other side of the lake.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
polesnounUS /poʊlz/

plural of “pole” — a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading But after the first fright Ted laughed and said:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shorenounUS /ʃɔːr/

the land along the edge of a body of water

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sidenounUS /saɪd/

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading “Oh, across to the other shore,” and Ted pointed to the other side of the lake.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “We’ll go on a voyage; we have something to eat.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading “How far’ll we go?” asked Janet, still a bit alarmed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TednounUS /ted/

a tough youth of 1950's and 1960's wearing Edwardian style clothes

From this reading But after the first fright Ted laughed and said:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
voyagenounUS /ˈvɔɪədʒ/

an act of traveling by water

From this reading “We’ll go on a voyage; we have something to eat.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading “We’ll go on a voyage; we have something to eat.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
We'll

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

From this reading “We’ll go on a voyage; we have something to eat.”

Pending verification
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading THE CROW’S NEST The Curlytops were frightened at first when they found that they were adrift in the old boat with neither oars nor poles with which to guide themselves back to shore.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 20 of The Curlytops in the Woods by Howard Roger Garis holds 270 sentences, grouped into 54 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.

What does chapter 20 of The Curlytops in the Woods contain?

Chapter 20 holds 270 sentences of The Curlytops in the Woods, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of The Curlytops in the Woods by Howard Roger Garis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 270 sentences, grouped into 54 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 Curlytops in the Woods?

Work through the 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 54 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 Curlytops in the Woods

Common questions about reading The Curlytops in the Woods by Howard Roger Garis on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Curlytops in the Woods?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Curlytops in the Woods is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Curlytops in the Woods take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Curlytops in the Woods

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Curlytops in the Woods, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of The Curlytops in the Woods, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
One of the 0 chapters of The Curlytops in the Woods, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of The Curlytops in the Woods, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.