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The Interpreter: A Tale of the War
The Interpreter: A Tale of the War

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of The Interpreter: A Tale of the War is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/31 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
VALÈRIE "I tell you I saw them led out under my very windows to be shot.
Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.
Thirteen of them in all, and the oldest not five-and-forty.
Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.
Taken with arms in their hands, forsooth!
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Interpreter: A Tale of the War

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of The Interpreter: A Tale of the War is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
VALÈRIE "I tell you I saw them led out under my very windows to be shot.
Line 2
Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.
/tuː ənd tuː ðeɪ mɑːrtʃt wɪð ðer hedz ɪˈrekt ənd ðer ɡeɪt æz ˈhɔːti æz ɪf ðeɪ wɜːr ˈliːdɪŋ ðə əˈsɔːlt/
Line 3
Thirteen of them in all, and the oldest not five-and-forty.
Line 4
Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.
Line 5
Taken with arms in their hands, forsooth!

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.

assault noun US /əˈsɔːlt/

close fighting during the culmination of a military attack

From this reading “Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.”

Fatherland noun US /ˈfɑːðərlænd/

the country where you were born

From this reading “Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.”

gait noun US /ɡeɪt/

the rate of moving (especially walking or running)

From this reading “Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.”

haughty adjective US /ˈhɔːti/

having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy

From this reading “Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.”

Hungary noun US /ˈhʌŋɡəri/

a republic in central Europe

From this reading “Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.”

oldest adjective US /ˈoʊldəst/

superlative of “old” — (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading “Thirteen of them in all, and the oldest not five-and-forty.”

Thirteen noun US /ˈθɜːrˈtiːn/

the cardinal number that is the sum of twelve and one

From this reading “Thirteen of them in all, and the oldest not five-and-forty.”

woe noun US /woʊ/

misery resulting from affliction

From this reading “Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.”

All words in this reading · 65

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 Thirteen of them in all, and the oldest not five-and-forty.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.

armsnounUS /ɑːrmz/

weapons considered collectively

From this reading Taken with arms in their hands, forsooth!

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.

assaultnounUS /əˈsɔːlt/

close fighting during the culmination of a military attack

From this reading Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading VALÈRIE "I tell you I saw them led out under my very windows to be shot.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

bloodnounUS /blʌd/

The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

callverbUS /kɔːl/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

erectverbUS /ɪˈrekt/

construct, build, or erect

From this reading Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.

failverbUS /feɪl/

fail to do something; leave something undone

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

FatherlandnounUS /ˈfɑːðərlænd/

the country where you were born

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

fearfuladjectiveUS /ˈfɪrfəl/

experiencing or showing fear

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

five-and-forty

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

From this reading Thirteen of them in all, and the oldest not five-and-forty.

forsoothadverb

an archaic word originally meaning “in truth” but now usually used to express disbelief

From this reading Taken with arms in their hands, forsooth!

gaitnounUS /ɡeɪt/

the rate of moving (especially walking or running)

From this reading Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.

gallantadjectiveUS /ˈɡælənt/

unflinching in battle or action

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading Taken with arms in their hands, forsooth!

haughtyadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːti/

having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy

From this reading Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.

headsnounUS /hedz/

plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.

HungarynounUS /ˈhʌŋɡəri/

a republic in central Europe

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading VALÈRIE "I tell you I saw them led out under my very windows to be shot.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Thirteen of them in all, and the oldest not five-and-forty.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

leadingadjectiveUS /ˈliːdɪŋ/

indicating the most important performer or role

From this reading Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.

lednounUS /led/

diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used

From this reading VALÈRIE "I tell you I saw them led out under my very windows to be shot.

marchedverbUS /mɑːrtʃt/

past form of “march” — march in a procession

From this reading Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading VALÈRIE "I tell you I saw them led out under my very windows to be shot.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Thirteen of them in all, and the oldest not five-and-forty.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Thirteen of them in all, and the oldest not five-and-forty.

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

oldestadjectiveUS /ˈoʊldəst/

superlative of “old” — (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Thirteen of them in all, and the oldest not five-and-forty.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading VALÈRIE "I tell you I saw them led out under my very windows to be shot.

risenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪzən/

(of e.g. celestial bodies) above the horizon

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading VALÈRIE "I tell you I saw them led out under my very windows to be shot.

shedverbUS /ʃed/

get rid of

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

shotnounUS /ʃɑːt/

the act of firing a projectile

From this reading VALÈRIE "I tell you I saw them led out under my very windows to be shot.

TakenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading Taken with arms in their hands, forsooth!

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading VALÈRIE "I tell you I saw them led out under my very windows to be shot.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading VALÈRIE "I tell you I saw them led out under my very windows to be shot.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.

ThirteennounUS /ˈθɜːrˈtiːn/

the cardinal number that is the sum of twelve and one

From this reading Thirteen of them in all, and the oldest not five-and-forty.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading VALÈRIE "I tell you I saw them led out under my very windows to be shot.

true-hearted

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

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

TwonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading VALÈRIE "I tell you I saw them led out under my very windows to be shot.

VALÈRIE

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

From this reading VALÈRIE "I tell you I saw them led out under my very windows to be shot.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading VALÈRIE "I tell you I saw them led out under my very windows to be shot.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

windowsnounUS /ˈwɪndoʊz/

(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface

From this reading VALÈRIE "I tell you I saw them led out under my very windows to be shot.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Two and two they marched, with their heads erect, and their gait as haughty as if they were leading the assault.

woenounUS /woʊ/

misery resulting from affliction

From this reading Oh! woe to the Fatherland!--the best blood in Hungary was shed on that fearful day,--the gallant, the true-hearted, who had risen at the first call, and had been the last to fail.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading VALÈRIE "I tell you I saw them led out under my very windows to be shot.

Chapter 20 of The Interpreter: A Tale of the War by G. J. (George John) Whyte-Melville holds 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 Interpreter: A Tale of the War contain?

Chapter 20 holds 158 sentences of The Interpreter: A Tale of the War, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of The Interpreter: A Tale of the War by G. J. (George John) Whyte-Melville exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 Interpreter: A Tale of the War?

Work through the 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 32 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 Interpreter: A Tale of the War

Common questions about reading The Interpreter: A Tale of the War by G. J. (George John) Whyte-Melville on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Interpreter: A Tale of the War?

Yes. All 5952 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40660 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Interpreter: A Tale of the War is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #40660, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Interpreter: A Tale of the War take to read?

About 496 minutes of reading across 1191 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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How to work through The Interpreter: A Tale of the War section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

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

Vocabulary met early in The Interpreter: A Tale of the War

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Interpreter: A Tale of the War, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Interpreter: A Tale of the War; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Digby
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Interpreter: A Tale of the War; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Grand
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Interpreter: A Tale of the War; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
General
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Interpreter: A Tale of the War; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.