Chapter 20 of The Land of Joy is here in full — 277 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Land of Joy is here in full — 277 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“The whole thing’s a big swindle!” declared Chester Baker in disgust. “Here I’ve been watching them ever since lunch, and what has happened? Not a thing! There hasn’t even been a false step!” He turned away from the window and punched a cushion vindictively.
Chapter 20 of The Land of Joy is here in full — 277 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/55 · 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.
someone who bakes commercially
From this reading ““The whole thing’s a big swindle!” declared Chester Baker in disgust.”
a city of southeastern Pennsylvania on the Delaware river (an industrial suburb of Philadelphia)
From this reading ““The whole thing’s a big swindle!” declared Chester Baker in disgust.”
a mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses
From this reading “He turned away from the window and punched a cushion vindictively.”
fill with distaste
From this reading ““The whole thing’s a big swindle!” declared Chester Baker in disgust.”
take the midday meal
From this reading ““Here I’ve been watching them ever since lunch, and what has happened?”
past form of “punch” — deliver a quick blow to
From this reading “He turned away from the window and punched a cushion vindictively.”
deprive of by deceit
From this reading ““The whole thing’s a big swindle!” declared Chester Baker in disgust.”
possessive form of “thing” — a special situation
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “There hasn’t even been a false step!””
In this reading “He turned away from the window and punched a cushion vindictively.”
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 “The whole thing’s a big swindle!” declared Chester Baker in disgust.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Here I’ve been watching them ever since lunch, and what has happened?
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He turned away from the window and punched a cushion vindictively.
someone who bakes commercially
From this reading “The whole thing’s a big swindle!” declared Chester Baker in disgust.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “Here I’ve been watching them ever since lunch, and what has happened?
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “The whole thing’s a big swindle!” declared Chester Baker in disgust.
a city of southeastern Pennsylvania on the Delaware river (an industrial suburb of Philadelphia)
From this reading “The whole thing’s a big swindle!” declared Chester Baker in disgust.
a mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses
From this reading He turned away from the window and punched a cushion vindictively.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading “The whole thing’s a big swindle!” declared Chester Baker in disgust.
fill with distaste
From this reading “The whole thing’s a big swindle!” declared Chester Baker in disgust.
divisible by two
From this reading There hasn’t even been a false step!”
at any time
From this reading “Here I’ve been watching them ever since lunch, and what has happened?
not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality
From this reading There hasn’t even been a false step!”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He turned away from the window and punched a cushion vindictively.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “Here I’ve been watching them ever since lunch, and what has happened?
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Here I’ve been watching them ever since lunch, and what has happened?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There hasn’t even been a false step!”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He turned away from the window and punched a cushion vindictively.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “Here I’ve been watching them ever since lunch, and what has happened?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Here I’ve been watching them ever since lunch, and what has happened?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “The whole thing’s a big swindle!” declared Chester Baker in disgust.
take the midday meal
From this reading “Here I’ve been watching them ever since lunch, and what has happened?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not a thing!
past form of “punch” — deliver a quick blow to
From this reading He turned away from the window and punched a cushion vindictively.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading “Here I’ve been watching them ever since lunch, and what has happened?
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading There hasn’t even been a false step!”
deprive of by deceit
From this reading “The whole thing’s a big swindle!” declared Chester Baker in disgust.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The whole thing’s a big swindle!” declared Chester Baker in disgust.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “Here I’ve been watching them ever since lunch, and what has happened?
in or at that place or location
From this reading There hasn’t even been a false step!”
a special situation
From this reading Not a thing!
possessive form of “thing” — a special situation
From this reading “The whole thing’s a big swindle!” declared Chester Baker in disgust.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He turned away from the window and punched a cushion vindictively.
in a vindictive, revengeful manner
From this reading He turned away from the window and punched a cushion vindictively.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading “Here I’ve been watching them ever since lunch, and what has happened?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Here I’ve been watching them ever since lunch, and what has happened?
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading “The whole thing’s a big swindle!” declared Chester Baker in disgust.
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 He turned away from the window and punched a cushion vindictively.
Chapter 20 of The Land of Joy by Ralph Henry Barbour holds 277 sentences, grouped into 56 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 277 sentences of The Land of Joy, unabridged, divided into 56 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Land of Joy by Ralph Henry Barbour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 277 sentences, grouped into 56 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 56 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 56 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 Land of Joy by Ralph Henry Barbour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5845 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57497 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57497, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 487 minutes of reading across 1169 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Land of Joy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Land of Joy 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 Land of Joy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
