Chapter 20 of The Knave of Diamonds is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Knave of Diamonds is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A SUDDEN BLOW Anne found herself the first to enter the drawing room that night before dinner. It was still early, barely half-past seven. The theatricals were to begin at nine. She had her unopened letters with her, and she sat down to peruse them by an open window. The evening sun poured full upon her in fiery splendour.
Chapter 20 of The Knave of Diamonds is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading “A SUDDEN BLOW Anne found herself the first to enter the drawing room that night before dinner.”
only a very short time before
From this reading “It was still early, barely half-past seven.”
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading “A SUDDEN BLOW Anne found herself the first to enter the drawing room that night before dinner.”
characterized by intense emotion
From this reading “The evening sun poured full upon her in fiery splendour.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading “The theatricals were to begin at nine.”
examine or consider with attention and in detail
From this reading “She had her unopened letters with her, and she sat down to peruse them by an open window.”
past form of “pour” — cause to run
From this reading “The evening sun poured full upon her in fiery splendour.”
not yet opened or unsealed
From this reading “She had her unopened letters with her, and she sat down to peruse them by an open window.”
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 SUDDEN BLOW Anne found herself the first to enter the drawing room that night before dinner.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading She had her unopened letters with her, and she sat down to peruse them by an open window.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She had her unopened letters with her, and she sat down to peruse them by an open window.
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading A SUDDEN BLOW Anne found herself the first to enter the drawing room that night before dinner.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The theatricals were to begin at nine.
only a very short time before
From this reading It was still early, barely half-past seven.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading A SUDDEN BLOW Anne found herself the first to enter the drawing room that night before dinner.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The theatricals were to begin at nine.
exhale hard
From this reading A SUDDEN BLOW Anne found herself the first to enter the drawing room that night before dinner.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She had her unopened letters with her, and she sat down to peruse them by an open window.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading A SUDDEN BLOW Anne found herself the first to enter the drawing room that night before dinner.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She had her unopened letters with her, and she sat down to peruse them by an open window.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading A SUDDEN BLOW Anne found herself the first to enter the drawing room that night before dinner.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading It was still early, barely half-past seven.
to come or go into
From this reading A SUDDEN BLOW Anne found herself the first to enter the drawing room that night before dinner.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading The evening sun poured full upon her in fiery splendour.
characterized by intense emotion
From this reading The evening sun poured full upon her in fiery splendour.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading A SUDDEN BLOW Anne found herself the first to enter the drawing room that night before dinner.
set up or found
From this reading A SUDDEN BLOW Anne found herself the first to enter the drawing room that night before dinner.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading The evening sun poured full upon her in fiery splendour.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had her unopened letters with her, and she sat down to peruse them by an open window.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was still early, barely half-past seven.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She had her unopened letters with her, and she sat down to peruse them by an open window.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading A SUDDEN BLOW Anne found herself the first to enter the drawing room that night before dinner.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The evening sun poured full upon her in fiery splendour.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was still early, barely half-past seven.
the literary culture
From this reading She had her unopened letters with her, and she sat down to peruse them by an open window.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading A SUDDEN BLOW Anne found herself the first to enter the drawing room that night before dinner.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading The theatricals were to begin at nine.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading She had her unopened letters with her, and she sat down to peruse them by an open window.
examine or consider with attention and in detail
From this reading She had her unopened letters with her, and she sat down to peruse them by an open window.
past form of “pour” — cause to run
From this reading The evening sun poured full upon her in fiery splendour.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading A SUDDEN BLOW Anne found herself the first to enter the drawing room that night before dinner.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading She had her unopened letters with her, and she sat down to peruse them by an open window.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading It was still early, barely half-past seven.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had her unopened letters with her, and she sat down to peruse them by an open window.
a quality that outshines the usual
From this reading The evening sun poured full upon her in fiery splendour.
not in physical motion
From this reading It was still early, barely half-past seven.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading A SUDDEN BLOW Anne found herself the first to enter the drawing room that night before dinner.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The evening sun poured full upon her in fiery splendour.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A SUDDEN BLOW Anne found herself the first to enter the drawing room that night before dinner.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A SUDDEN BLOW Anne found herself the first to enter the drawing room that night before dinner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The theatricals were to begin at nine.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading She had her unopened letters with her, and she sat down to peruse them by an open window.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A SUDDEN BLOW Anne found herself the first to enter the drawing room that night before dinner.
not yet opened or unsealed
From this reading She had her unopened letters with her, and she sat down to peruse them by an open window.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The evening sun poured full upon her in fiery splendour.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was still early, barely half-past seven.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The theatricals were to begin at nine.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading She had her unopened letters with her, and she sat down to peruse them by an open window.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She had her unopened letters with her, and she sat down to peruse them by an open window.
Chapter 20 of The Knave of Diamonds by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 132 sentences of The Knave of Diamonds, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Knave of Diamonds by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 Knave of Diamonds by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10295 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12484 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12484, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2059 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Knave of Diamonds section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Knave of Diamonds 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 Knave of Diamonds, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
