Chapter 20 of The Master of the Ceremonies is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 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 of the Ceremonies is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"And what do you think of it, Joseph?" "Nothing, sir," said Barclay's confidential man drily. "I believe it's all to make him seem important. Lived a long while in an artificial soil, sir, and goes in for shams." Barclay chuckled.
Chapter 20 of The Master of the Ceremonies is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
contrived by art rather than nature
From this reading “Lived a long while in an artificial soil, sir, and goes in for shams."”
past form of “chuckle” — laugh quietly or with restraint
From this reading “Barclay chuckled.”
entrusted with private information and the confidence of another
From this reading “"Nothing, sir," said Barclay's confidential man drily.”
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading “Lived a long while in an artificial soil, sir, and goes in for shams."”
of great significance or value
From this reading “"I believe it's all to make him seem important.”
leader of the Nez Perce in their retreat from United States troops (1840-1904)
From this reading “"And what do you think of it, Joseph?"”
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “Lived a long while in an artificial soil, sir, and goes in for shams."”
the state of being covered with unclean things
From this reading “Lived a long while in an artificial soil, sir, and goes in for shams."”
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.
keep in mind for attention or consideration
In this reading “"And what do you think of it, Joseph?"”
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 Lived a long while in an artificial soil, sir, and goes in for shams."
(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 "I believe it's all to make him seem important.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Lived a long while in an artificial soil, sir, and goes in for shams."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And what do you think of it, Joseph?"
contrived by art rather than nature
From this reading Lived a long while in an artificial soil, sir, and goes in for shams."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Barclay chuckled.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Nothing, sir," said Barclay's confidential man drily.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "I believe it's all to make him seem important.
past form of “chuckle” — laugh quietly or with restraint
From this reading Barclay chuckled.
entrusted with private information and the confidence of another
From this reading "Nothing, sir," said Barclay's confidential man drily.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "And what do you think of it, Joseph?"
in a dry laconic manner
From this reading "Nothing, sir," said Barclay's confidential man drily.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Lived a long while in an artificial soil, sir, and goes in for shams."
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading Lived a long while in an artificial soil, sir, and goes in for shams."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I believe it's all to make him seem important.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I believe it's all to make him seem important.
of great significance or value
From this reading "I believe it's all to make him seem important.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Lived a long while in an artificial soil, sir, and goes in for shams."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "And what do you think of it, Joseph?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I believe it's all to make him seem important.
leader of the Nez Perce in their retreat from United States troops (1840-1904)
From this reading "And what do you think of it, Joseph?"
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Lived a long while in an artificial soil, sir, and goes in for shams."
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 Lived a long while in an artificial soil, sir, and goes in for shams."
engage in
From this reading "I believe it's all to make him seem important.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Nothing, sir," said Barclay's confidential man drily.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Nothing, sir," said Barclay's confidential man drily.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "And what do you think of it, Joseph?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Nothing, sir," said Barclay's confidential man drily.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "I believe it's all to make him seem important.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lived a long while in an artificial soil, sir, and goes in for shams."
term of address for a man
From this reading "Nothing, sir," said Barclay's confidential man drily.
the state of being covered with unclean things
From this reading Lived a long while in an artificial soil, sir, and goes in for shams."
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "And what do you think of it, Joseph?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I believe it's all to make him seem important.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "And what do you think of it, Joseph?"
during the time that
From this reading Lived a long while in an artificial soil, sir, and goes in for shams."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "And what do you think of it, Joseph?"
Chapter 20 of The Master of the Ceremonies by George Manville Fenn holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of The Master of the Ceremonies, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Master of the Ceremonies by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Master of the Ceremonies by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11848 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34492 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34492, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2370 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Master of the Ceremonies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Master of the Ceremonies 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 Master of the Ceremonies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
