Chapter 20 of The first violin: A novel is here in full — 368 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The first violin: A novel is here in full — 368 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"And nearer still shall further be, And words shall plague and vex and buffet thee." It was December, close upon Christmas. Winter at last in real earnest. A black frost. The earth bound in fetters of iron.
Chapter 20 of The first violin: A novel is here in full — 368 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/73 · 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 piece of furniture that stands at the side of a dining room; has shelves and drawers
From this reading “"And nearer still shall further be, And words shall plague and vex and buffet thee."”
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading “It was December, close upon Christmas.”
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading “It was December, close upon Christmas.”
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading “Winter at last in real earnest.”
plural of “fetter” — a shackle for the ankles or feet
From this reading “The earth bound in fetters of iron.”
ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
From this reading “A black frost.”
cause to suffer a blight
From this reading “"And nearer still shall further be, And words shall plague and vex and buffet thee."”
cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
From this reading “"And nearer still shall further be, And words shall plague and vex and buffet thee."”
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 A black frost.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And nearer still shall further be, And words shall plague and vex and buffet thee."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Winter at last in real earnest.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "And nearer still shall further be, And words shall plague and vex and buffet thee."
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading A black frost.
confined by bonds
From this reading The earth bound in fetters of iron.
a piece of furniture that stands at the side of a dining room; has shelves and drawers
From this reading "And nearer still shall further be, And words shall plague and vex and buffet thee."
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading It was December, close upon Christmas.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading It was December, close upon Christmas.
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading It was December, close upon Christmas.
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading Winter at last in real earnest.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading The earth bound in fetters of iron.
plural of “fetter” — a shackle for the ankles or feet
From this reading The earth bound in fetters of iron.
ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
From this reading A black frost.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading "And nearer still shall further be, And words shall plague and vex and buffet thee."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Winter at last in real earnest.
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading The earth bound in fetters of iron.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was December, close upon Christmas.
immediately past
From this reading Winter at last in real earnest.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading "And nearer still shall further be, And words shall plague and vex and buffet thee."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The earth bound in fetters of iron.
cause to suffer a blight
From this reading "And nearer still shall further be, And words shall plague and vex and buffet thee."
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading Winter at last in real earnest.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "And nearer still shall further be, And words shall plague and vex and buffet thee."
not in physical motion
From this reading "And nearer still shall further be, And words shall plague and vex and buffet thee."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The earth bound in fetters of iron.
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading "And nearer still shall further be, And words shall plague and vex and buffet thee."
a formal word for “on”
From this reading It was December, close upon Christmas.
cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
From this reading "And nearer still shall further be, And words shall plague and vex and buffet thee."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was December, close upon Christmas.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading Winter at last in real earnest.
the words that are spoken
From this reading "And nearer still shall further be, And words shall plague and vex and buffet thee."
Chapter 20 of The first violin: A novel by Jessie Fothergill holds 368 sentences, grouped into 74 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 368 sentences of The first violin: A novel, unabridged, divided into 74 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The first violin: A novel by Jessie Fothergill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 368 sentences, grouped into 74 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 74 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 74 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 first violin: A novel by Jessie Fothergill on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9030 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29219 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29219, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1806 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The first violin: A novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The first violin: A novel 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 first violin: A novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
