Chapter 20 of The Master Craftsman is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Master Craftsman is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LADY FRANCES AT HOME. I found Robert satisfied--he used the word himself--with his first success. ‘I could have desired nothing better,’ he said, ‘than such a chance. So far as I can learn, there will be a good many more such chances before long. What does Isabel say?
Chapter 20 of The Master Craftsman is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 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.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “‘I could have desired nothing better,’ he said, ‘than such a chance.”
plural of “chance” — a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “So far as I can learn, there will be a good many more such chances before long.”
wanted intensely
From this reading “‘I could have desired nothing better,’ he said, ‘than such a chance.”
plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading “LADY FRANCES AT HOME.”
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading “So far as I can learn, there will be a good many more such chances before long.”
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading “I found Robert satisfied--he used the word himself--with his first success.”
filled with satisfaction
From this reading “I found Robert satisfied--he used the word himself--with his first success.”
an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
From this reading “I found Robert satisfied--he used the word himself--with his first success.”
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.
a reception held in your own home
In this reading “LADY FRANCES AT HOME.”
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 ‘I could have desired nothing better,’ he said, ‘than such a chance.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading So far as I can learn, there will be a good many more such chances before long.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading LADY FRANCES AT HOME.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading So far as I can learn, there will be a good many more such chances before long.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading So far as I can learn, there will be a good many more such chances before long.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading ‘I could have desired nothing better,’ he said, ‘than such a chance.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading So far as I can learn, there will be a good many more such chances before long.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading ‘I could have desired nothing better,’ he said, ‘than such a chance.
plural of “chance” — a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading So far as I can learn, there will be a good many more such chances before long.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading ‘I could have desired nothing better,’ he said, ‘than such a chance.
wanted intensely
From this reading ‘I could have desired nothing better,’ he said, ‘than such a chance.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What does Isabel say?
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading So far as I can learn, there will be a good many more such chances before long.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading I found Robert satisfied--he used the word himself--with his first success.
set up or found
From this reading I found Robert satisfied--he used the word himself--with his first success.
plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading LADY FRANCES AT HOME.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading So far as I can learn, there will be a good many more such chances before long.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading ‘I could have desired nothing better,’ he said, ‘than such a chance.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I found Robert satisfied--he used the word himself--with his first success.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading I found Robert satisfied--he used the word himself--with his first success.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I found Robert satisfied--he used the word himself--with his first success.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading LADY FRANCES AT HOME.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I found Robert satisfied--he used the word himself--with his first success.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What does Isabel say?
a polite name for any woman
From this reading LADY FRANCES AT HOME.
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading So far as I can learn, there will be a good many more such chances before long.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading So far as I can learn, there will be a good many more such chances before long.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading So far as I can learn, there will be a good many more such chances before long.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading So far as I can learn, there will be a good many more such chances before long.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading ‘I could have desired nothing better,’ he said, ‘than such a chance.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading I found Robert satisfied--he used the word himself--with his first success.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘I could have desired nothing better,’ he said, ‘than such a chance.
filled with satisfaction
From this reading I found Robert satisfied--he used the word himself--with his first success.
express in words
From this reading What does Isabel say?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So far as I can learn, there will be a good many more such chances before long.
an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
From this reading I found Robert satisfied--he used the word himself--with his first success.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading ‘I could have desired nothing better,’ he said, ‘than such a chance.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading ‘I could have desired nothing better,’ he said, ‘than such a chance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I found Robert satisfied--he used the word himself--with his first success.
in or at that place or location
From this reading So far as I can learn, there will be a good many more such chances before long.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading I found Robert satisfied--he used the word himself--with his first success.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What does Isabel say?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading So far as I can learn, there will be a good many more such chances before long.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I found Robert satisfied--he used the word himself--with his first success.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading I found Robert satisfied--he used the word himself--with his first success.
Chapter 20 of The Master Craftsman by Walter Besant holds 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 192 sentences of The Master Craftsman, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Master Craftsman by Walter Besant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Master Craftsman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
