The Deemster

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of The Deemster is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Hall, Sir Caine • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

ALONE, ALONE--ALL, ALL ALONE!

When Dan got down to the creek the little shed was full of the fisher-fellows.

There were Quilleash, Teare, Crennell, and the lad Davy.

The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

The fire of gorse was crackling on the hearth, and Davy sat beside it, looking pale and ill.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XX Reading 1/37

The Deemster

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of The Deemster is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

ALONE, ALONE--ALL, ALL ALONE!

Line 2

When Dan got down to the creek the little shed was full of the fisher-fellows.

Line 3

There were Quilleash, Teare, Crennell, and the lad Davy.

Line 4

The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

Line 5

The fire of gorse was crackling on the hearth, and Davy sat beside it, looking pale and ill.

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.

baskets noun US /ˈbæskəts/

plural of “basket” — a container that is usually woven and has handles

From this reading “The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.”

cod noun US /kɑːd/

the vessel that contains the seeds of a plant (not the seeds themselves)

From this reading “The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.”

crackling noun US /ˈkræklɪŋ/

the residue that remains after animal fat has been rendered

From this reading “The fire of gorse was crackling on the hearth, and Davy sat beside it, looking pale and ill.”

creek noun US /kriːk/

a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)

From this reading “When Dan got down to the creek the little shed was full of the fisher-fellows.”

Davy noun US /ˈdeɪvi/

English chemist who was a pioneer in electrochemistry and who used it to isolate elements sodium and potassium and barium and boron and calcium and magnesium and chlorine (1778-1829)

From this reading “There were Quilleash, Teare, Crennell, and the lad Davy.”

hearth noun US /hɑːrθ/

an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built

From this reading “The fire of gorse was crackling on the hearth, and Davy sat beside it, looking pale and ill.”

ray noun US /reɪ/

a column of light (as from a beacon)

From this reading “The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.”

shed verb US /ʃed/

get rid of

From this reading “When Dan got down to the creek the little shed was full of the fisher-fellows.”

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.

on the floor preposition + article + noun counted as “on … floor”

In this reading “The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.”

on the beach preposition + article + noun counted as “on … beach”

In this reading “The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.”

on the hearth preposition + article + noun counted as “on … hearth”

In this reading “The fire of gorse was crackling on the hearth, and Davy sat beside it, looking pale and ill.”

got down verb + adjective counted as “get down”

lower (one's body) as by kneeling

In this reading “When Dan got down to the creek the little shed was full of the fisher-fellows.”

All words in this reading · 54

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.

ALLadjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading ALONE, ALONE--ALL, ALL ALONE!

ALONEadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading ALONE, ALONE--ALL, ALL ALONE!

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading There were Quilleash, Teare, Crennell, and the lad Davy.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

basketsnounUS /ˈbæskəts/

plural of “basket” — a container that is usually woven and has handles

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

beachnounUS /biːtʃ/

an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

besideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

From this reading The fire of gorse was crackling on the hearth, and Davy sat beside it, looking pale and ill.

codnounUS /kɑːd/

the vessel that contains the seeds of a plant (not the seeds themselves)

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

cracklingnounUS /ˈkræklɪŋ/

the residue that remains after animal fat has been rendered

From this reading The fire of gorse was crackling on the hearth, and Davy sat beside it, looking pale and ill.

creeknounUS /kriːk/

a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)

From this reading When Dan got down to the creek the little shed was full of the fisher-fellows.

Crennell

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

From this reading There were Quilleash, Teare, Crennell, and the lad Davy.

Dan

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

From this reading When Dan got down to the creek the little shed was full of the fisher-fellows.

DavynounUS /ˈdeɪvi/

English chemist who was a pioneer in electrochemistry and who used it to isolate elements sodium and potassium and barium and boron and calcium and magnesium and chlorine (1778-1829)

From this reading There were Quilleash, Teare, Crennell, and the lad Davy.

dingey

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

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading When Dan got down to the creek the little shed was full of the fisher-fellows.

fireverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

From this reading The fire of gorse was crackling on the hearth, and Davy sat beside it, looking pale and ill.

fisher-fellows

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

From this reading When Dan got down to the creek the little shed was full of the fisher-fellows.

floornounUS /flɔːr/

the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading When Dan got down to the creek the little shed was full of the fisher-fellows.

gorsenoun

very spiny and dense evergreen shrub with fragrant golden-yellow flowers; common throughout western Europe

From this reading The fire of gorse was crackling on the hearth, and Davy sat beside it, looking pale and ill.

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading When Dan got down to the creek the little shed was full of the fisher-fellows.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

hearthnounUS /hɑːrθ/

an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built

From this reading The fire of gorse was crackling on the hearth, and Davy sat beside it, looking pale and ill.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

illadjectiveUS /ɪl/

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading The fire of gorse was crackling on the hearth, and Davy sat beside it, looking pale and ill.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The fire of gorse was crackling on the hearth, and Davy sat beside it, looking pale and ill.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

ladnounUS /læd/

a boy or man

From this reading There were Quilleash, Teare, Crennell, and the lad Davy.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading When Dan got down to the creek the little shed was full of the fisher-fellows.

lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading The fire of gorse was crackling on the hearth, and Davy sat beside it, looking pale and ill.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading When Dan got down to the creek the little shed was full of the fisher-fellows.

oilskins

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

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

paleadjectiveUS /peɪl/

very light colored; highly diluted with white

From this reading The fire of gorse was crackling on the hearth, and Davy sat beside it, looking pale and ill.

Quilleash

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

From this reading There were Quilleash, Teare, Crennell, and the lad Davy.

raynounUS /reɪ/

a column of light (as from a beacon)

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading The fire of gorse was crackling on the hearth, and Davy sat beside it, looking pale and ill.

setverbUS /set/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

shedverbUS /ʃed/

get rid of

From this reading When Dan got down to the creek the little shed was full of the fisher-fellows.

steppedverbUS /stept/

inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

Teare

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

From this reading There were Quilleash, Teare, Crennell, and the lad Davy.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading When Dan got down to the creek the little shed was full of the fisher-fellows.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There were Quilleash, Teare, Crennell, and the lad Davy.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading When Dan got down to the creek the little shed was full of the fisher-fellows.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading When Dan got down to the creek the little shed was full of the fisher-fellows.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading There were Quilleash, Teare, Crennell, and the lad Davy.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When Dan got down to the creek the little shed was full of the fisher-fellows.

woreverbUS /wɔːr/

inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in

From this reading The men wore their oilskins, as if they had just stepped out of the dingey on the beach, and on the floor were three baskets of cod and ray, as if they had just set them down.

Chapter 20 of The Deemster by Hall, Sir Caine holds 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 Deemster contain?

Chapter 20 holds 186 sentences of The Deemster, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of The Deemster by Hall, Sir Caine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 Deemster?

Work through the 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 38 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.

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Is this the complete text of The Deemster?

Yes. All 7651 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35781 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Deemster is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #35781, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Deemster take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1531 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Deemster

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

Caine's: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Deemster; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Chapter XX

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