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The Grain of Dust: A Novel
The Grain of Dust: A Novel

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of The Grain of Dust: A Novel is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Grain of Dust: A Novel
Context Illustration Reading 1/43 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"I've broken with her," replied he.
"With Jo?" she cried.
"Why, Fred, you can't--you can't--with the wedding only five days away!"
"Not with Jo."
Ursula breathed noisy relief.
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 Grain of Dust: A Novel

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of The Grain of Dust: A Novel is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/43 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"I've broken with her," replied he.
Line 2
"With Jo?" she cried.
Line 3
"Why, Fred, you can't--you can't--with the wedding only five days away!"
Line 4
"Not with Jo."
Line 5
Ursula breathed noisy relief.

All words in this reading · 24

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.

away

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

From this reading "Why, Fred, you can't--you can't--with the wedding only five days away!"

breathed

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

From this reading Ursula breathed noisy relief.

broken

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

From this reading "I've broken with her," replied he.

can't

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

From this reading "Why, Fred, you can't--you can't--with the wedding only five days away!"

cried

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

From this reading "With Jo?" she cried.

days

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

From this reading "Why, Fred, you can't--you can't--with the wedding only five days away!"

five

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

From this reading "Why, Fred, you can't--you can't--with the wedding only five days away!"

Fred

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

From this reading "Why, Fred, you can't--you can't--with the wedding only five days away!"

he

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

From this reading "I've broken with her," replied he.

her

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

From this reading "I've broken with her," replied he.

I've

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

From this reading "I've broken with her," replied he.

Jo

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

From this reading "With Jo?" she cried.

noisy

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

From this reading Ursula breathed noisy relief.

Not

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

From this reading "Not with Jo."

only

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

From this reading "Why, Fred, you can't--you can't--with the wedding only five days away!"

relief

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

From this reading Ursula breathed noisy relief.

replied

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

From this reading "I've broken with her," replied he.

she

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

From this reading "With Jo?" she cried.

the

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

From this reading "Why, Fred, you can't--you can't--with the wedding only five days away!"

Ursula

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

From this reading Ursula breathed noisy relief.

wedding

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

From this reading "Why, Fred, you can't--you can't--with the wedding only five days away!"

Why

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

From this reading "Why, Fred, you can't--you can't--with the wedding only five days away!"

with

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

From this reading "I've broken with her," replied he.

you

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

From this reading "Why, Fred, you can't--you can't--with the wedding only five days away!"

Chapter 20 of The Grain of Dust: A Novel by David Graham Phillips holds 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 Grain of Dust: A Novel contain?

Chapter 20 holds 218 sentences of The Grain of Dust: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of The Grain of Dust: A Novel by David Graham Phillips exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 Grain of Dust: A Novel?

Work through the 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 44 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 Grain of Dust: A Novel

Common questions about reading The Grain of Dust: A Novel by David Graham Phillips on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Grain of Dust: A Novel?

Yes. All 7553 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #430 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Grain of Dust: A Novel is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #430, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Grain of Dust: A Novel take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1511 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Grain of Dust: A Novel section by section

How to work through The Grain of Dust: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Grain of Dust: A Novel 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 Grain of Dust: A Novel

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Grain of Dust: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Teach
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Grain of Dust: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cried
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Grain of Dust: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Won't
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Grain of Dust: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Out-and-out
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Grain of Dust: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.