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The Duke's Children
The Duke's Children

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of The Duke's Children is here in full — 467 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Duke's Children
Context Illustration Reading 1/93 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"And Then!"
On the next morning Miss Boncassen did not appear at breakfast.
Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.
"I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.
"There's nothing really the matter.
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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 Duke's Children

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of The Duke's Children is here in full — 467 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/93 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"And Then!"
/ənd ðen/
Line 2
On the next morning Miss Boncassen did not appear at breakfast.
Line 3
Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.
Line 4
"I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.
Line 5
"There's nothing really the matter.

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.

able adjective US /ˈeɪbəl/

(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something

From this reading “Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.”

appear verb US /əˈpɪr/

give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading “On the next morning Miss Boncassen did not appear at breakfast.”

breakfast verb US /ˈbrekfəst/

eat an early morning meal

From this reading “On the next morning Miss Boncassen did not appear at breakfast.”

fatigued adjective US /fəˈtiːɡd/

drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted

From this reading “Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.”

interested adjective US /ˈɪntrəstɪd/

having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern

From this reading “"I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.”

Jones noun US /dʒoʊnz/

United States labor leader (born in Ireland) who helped to found the Industrial Workers of the World (1830-1930)

From this reading “"I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.”

particularly adverb US /ˌpɑːrˈtɪkjələrli/

to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common

From this reading “"I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.”

whispering noun US /ˈwɪspərɪŋ/

a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind

From this reading “"I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.”

All words in this reading · 48

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.

ableadjectiveUS /ˈeɪbəl/

(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something

From this reading Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "And Then!"

appearverbUS /əˈpɪr/

give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading On the next morning Miss Boncassen did not appear at breakfast.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading On the next morning Miss Boncassen did not appear at breakfast.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.

bednounUS /bed/

a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep

From this reading Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.

Boncassen

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

From this reading On the next morning Miss Boncassen did not appear at breakfast.

breakfastverbUS /ˈbrekfəst/

eat an early morning meal

From this reading On the next morning Miss Boncassen did not appear at breakfast.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading On the next morning Miss Boncassen did not appear at breakfast.

fatiguedadjectiveUS /fəˈtiːɡd/

drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted

From this reading Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.

interestedadjectiveUS /ˈɪntrəstɪd/

having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern

From this reading "I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.

JonesnounUS /dʒoʊnz/

United States labor leader (born in Ireland) who helped to found the Industrial Workers of the World (1830-1930)

From this reading "I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.

lawn-tennis

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

From this reading Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.

leaveverbUS /liːv/

go away from a place

From this reading Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.

LordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading "I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.

matternounUS /ˈmætər/

a vaguely specified concern

From this reading "There's nothing really the matter.

MissverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading On the next morning Miss Boncassen did not appear at breakfast.

Montacute

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

From this reading "I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading On the next morning Miss Boncassen did not appear at breakfast.

MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading "I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading On the next morning Miss Boncassen did not appear at breakfast.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading On the next morning Miss Boncassen did not appear at breakfast.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading "There's nothing really the matter.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On the next morning Miss Boncassen did not appear at breakfast.

particularlyadverbUS /ˌpɑːrˈtɪkjələrli/

to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common

From this reading "I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.

reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading "There's nothing really the matter.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.

Silverbridge

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

From this reading "I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading On the next morning Miss Boncassen did not appear at breakfast.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading "And Then!"

There's

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

From this reading "There's nothing really the matter.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading "I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading "I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.

whisperingnounUS /ˈwɪspərɪŋ/

a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind

From this reading "I have been to her," said Mrs. Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.

WordnounUS /wɜːrd/

a unit of language that native speakers can identify

From this reading Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.

Chapter 20 of The Duke's Children by Anthony Trollope holds 467 sentences, grouped into 94 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.

What does chapter 20 of The Duke's Children contain?

Chapter 20 holds 467 sentences of The Duke's Children, unabridged, divided into 94 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of The Duke's Children by Anthony Trollope exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 467 sentences, grouped into 94 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 Duke's Children?

Work through the 94 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 94 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 Duke's Children

Common questions about reading The Duke's Children by Anthony Trollope on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Duke's Children?

Yes. All 15059 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3622 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Duke's Children is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3622, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Duke's Children take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 3012 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Duke's Children section by section

How to work through The Duke's Children section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Duke's Children to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Duke's Children

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Duke's Children, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Something
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Duke's Children; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Known
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Duke's Children; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Father
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Duke's Children; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Prepared
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Duke's Children; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.