Chapter 20 of The Kentons is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Kentons is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh, that's very nice, Boyne. I do like the Queen so much. She's so sweet!" "Yes, isn't she?" said Boyne, glad of Ellen's approval. So far, at least, he was not wrong.
Chapter 20 of The Kentons is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
the formal act of approving
From this reading “"Yes, isn't she?" said Boyne, glad of Ellen's approval.”
a battle in the War of the Grand Alliance in Ireland in 1690; William III defeated the deposed James II and so ended the Catholicism that had been reintroduced in England by the Stuarts
From this reading “"Oh, that's very nice, Boyne.”
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading “"Yes, isn't she?" said Boyne, glad of Ellen's approval.”
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading “So far, at least, he was not wrong.”
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “"Oh, that's very nice, Boyne.”
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading “I do like the Queen so much.”
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading “She's so sweet!"”
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading “So far, at least, he was not wrong.”
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.
the formal act of approving
From this reading "Yes, isn't she?" said Boyne, glad of Ellen's approval.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading So far, at least, he was not wrong.
a battle in the War of the Grand Alliance in Ireland in 1690; William III defeated the deposed James II and so ended the Catholicism that had been reintroduced in England by the Stuarts
From this reading "Oh, that's very nice, Boyne.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I do like the Queen so much.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, isn't she?" said Boyne, glad of Ellen's approval.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading So far, at least, he was not wrong.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading "Yes, isn't she?" said Boyne, glad of Ellen's approval.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading So far, at least, he was not wrong.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I do like the Queen so much.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, isn't she?" said Boyne, glad of Ellen's approval.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading So far, at least, he was not wrong.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I do like the Queen so much.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading I do like the Queen so much.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading "Oh, that's very nice, Boyne.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading So far, at least, he was not wrong.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Yes, isn't she?" said Boyne, glad of Ellen's approval.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, that's very nice, Boyne.
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading I do like the Queen so much.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Yes, isn't she?" said Boyne, glad of Ellen's approval.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Yes, isn't she?" said Boyne, glad of Ellen's approval.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She's so sweet!"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I do like the Queen so much.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading She's so sweet!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, that's very nice, Boyne.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I do like the Queen so much.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Oh, that's very nice, Boyne.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading So far, at least, he was not wrong.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading So far, at least, he was not wrong.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, isn't she?" said Boyne, glad of Ellen's approval.
Chapter 20 of The Kentons by William Dean Howells holds 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 190 sentences of The Kentons, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Kentons by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Kentons by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4483 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3362 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3362, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 373 minutes of reading across 897 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Kentons section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Kentons 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 Kentons, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
