Chapter 20 of The Deerslayer is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Deerslayer is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Now all is done that man can do, And all is done in vain! My love! my native land, adieu For I must cross the main, My dear, For I must cross the main.” Robert Burns, “It was a' for our Rightfu' King,” II. 7-12. The last chapter we left the combatants breathing in their narrow lists.
Chapter 20 of The Deerslayer is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
a farewell remark
From this reading “My love! my native land, adieu For I must cross the main, My dear, For I must cross the main.””
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading “The last chapter we left the combatants breathing in their narrow lists.”
United States comedian and film actor (1896-1996)
From this reading “Robert Burns, “It was a' for our Rightfu' King,” II.”
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading “The last chapter we left the combatants breathing in their narrow lists.”
plural of “combatant” — someone who fights (or is fighting)
From this reading “The last chapter we left the combatants breathing in their narrow lists.”
plural of “list” — a database containing an ordered array of items (names or topics)
From this reading “The last chapter we left the combatants breathing in their narrow lists.”
most important element
From this reading “My love! my native land, adieu For I must cross the main, My dear, For I must cross the main.””
characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin
From this reading “My love! my native land, adieu For I must cross the main, My dear, For I must cross the main.””
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 7-12.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 7-12.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Robert Burns, “It was a' for our Rightfu' King,” II.
a farewell remark
From this reading My love! my native land, adieu For I must cross the main, My dear, For I must cross the main.”
(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 “Now all is done that man can do, And all is done in vain!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Now all is done that man can do, And all is done in vain!
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading The last chapter we left the combatants breathing in their narrow lists.
United States comedian and film actor (1896-1996)
From this reading Robert Burns, “It was a' for our Rightfu' King,” II.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “Now all is done that man can do, And all is done in vain!
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading The last chapter we left the combatants breathing in their narrow lists.
plural of “combatant” — someone who fights (or is fighting)
From this reading The last chapter we left the combatants breathing in their narrow lists.
travel across or pass over
From this reading My love! my native land, adieu For I must cross the main, My dear, For I must cross the main.”
dearly loved
From this reading My love! my native land, adieu For I must cross the main, My dear, For I must cross the main.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Now all is done that man can do, And all is done in vain!
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading “Now all is done that man can do, And all is done in vain!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading My love! my native land, adieu For I must cross the main, My dear, For I must cross the main.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading My love! my native land, adieu For I must cross the main, My dear, For I must cross the main.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Robert Burns, “It was a' for our Rightfu' King,” II.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Now all is done that man can do, And all is done in vain!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Now all is done that man can do, And all is done in vain!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Robert Burns, “It was a' for our Rightfu' King,” II.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading Robert Burns, “It was a' for our Rightfu' King,” II.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading My love! my native land, adieu For I must cross the main, My dear, For I must cross the main.”
immediately past
From this reading The last chapter we left the combatants breathing in their narrow lists.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading The last chapter we left the combatants breathing in their narrow lists.
plural of “list” — a database containing an ordered array of items (names or topics)
From this reading The last chapter we left the combatants breathing in their narrow lists.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading My love! my native land, adieu For I must cross the main, My dear, For I must cross the main.”
most important element
From this reading My love! my native land, adieu For I must cross the main, My dear, For I must cross the main.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Now all is done that man can do, And all is done in vain!
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading My love! my native land, adieu For I must cross the main, My dear, For I must cross the main.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My love! my native land, adieu For I must cross the main, My dear, For I must cross the main.”
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading The last chapter we left the combatants breathing in their narrow lists.
characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin
From this reading My love! my native land, adieu For I must cross the main, My dear, For I must cross the main.”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Now all is done that man can do, And all is done in vain!
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Robert Burns, “It was a' for our Rightfu' King,” II.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Robert Burns, “It was a' for our Rightfu' King,” II.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading Robert Burns, “It was a' for our Rightfu' King,” II.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Now all is done that man can do, And all is done in vain!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My love! my native land, adieu For I must cross the main, My dear, For I must cross the main.”
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The last chapter we left the combatants breathing in their narrow lists.
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading “Now all is done that man can do, And all is done in vain!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Robert Burns, “It was a' for our Rightfu' King,” II.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The last chapter we left the combatants breathing in their narrow lists.
Chapter 20 of The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper holds 233 sentences, grouped into 47 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 233 sentences of The Deerslayer, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 233 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8082 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3285 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3285, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1617 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Deerslayer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Deerslayer 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 Deerslayer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
