Chapter 20 of The Obstacle Race is here in full — 270 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Obstacle Race is here in full — 270 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
KISMET He was breathing hard, as if he had been hurrying. He spoke to her exclusively, ignoring the man at her side. "Will you come at once? Mrs. Fielding has been taken ill." She started forward.
Chapter 20 of The Obstacle Race is here in full — 270 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/54 · 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 bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading “KISMET He was breathing hard, as if he had been hurrying.”
without any others being included or involved
From this reading “He spoke to her exclusively, ignoring the man at her side.”
(baseball) handling the ball while playing in the field
From this reading “Mrs. Fielding has been taken ill."”
moving with great haste
From this reading “KISMET He was breathing hard, as if he had been hurrying.”
-ing form of “ignore” — refuse to acknowledge
From this reading “He spoke to her exclusively, ignoring the man at her side.”
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “Mrs. Fielding has been taken ill."”
(Islam) the will of Allah
From this reading “KISMET He was breathing hard, as if he had been hurrying.”
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “She started forward.”
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.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading KISMET He was breathing hard, as if he had been hurrying.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He spoke to her exclusively, ignoring the man at her side.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading KISMET He was breathing hard, as if he had been hurrying.
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading KISMET He was breathing hard, as if he had been hurrying.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Will you come at once?
without any others being included or involved
From this reading He spoke to her exclusively, ignoring the man at her side.
(baseball) handling the ball while playing in the field
From this reading Mrs. Fielding has been taken ill."
at or to or toward the front
From this reading She started forward.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading KISMET He was breathing hard, as if he had been hurrying.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading KISMET He was breathing hard, as if he had been hurrying.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mrs. Fielding has been taken ill."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading KISMET He was breathing hard, as if he had been hurrying.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He spoke to her exclusively, ignoring the man at her side.
moving with great haste
From this reading KISMET He was breathing hard, as if he had been hurrying.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading KISMET He was breathing hard, as if he had been hurrying.
-ing form of “ignore” — refuse to acknowledge
From this reading He spoke to her exclusively, ignoring the man at her side.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading Mrs. Fielding has been taken ill."
(Islam) the will of Allah
From this reading KISMET He was breathing hard, as if he had been hurrying.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He spoke to her exclusively, ignoring the man at her side.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Fielding has been taken ill."
on one occasion
From this reading "Will you come at once?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She started forward.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading He spoke to her exclusively, ignoring the man at her side.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading He spoke to her exclusively, ignoring the man at her side.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading She started forward.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Mrs. Fielding has been taken ill."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He spoke to her exclusively, ignoring the man at her side.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He spoke to her exclusively, ignoring the man at her side.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading KISMET He was breathing hard, as if he had been hurrying.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Will you come at once?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Will you come at once?
Chapter 20 of The Obstacle Race by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 270 sentences, grouped into 54 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 270 sentences of The Obstacle Race, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Obstacle Race by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 270 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 Obstacle Race by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9621 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11520 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11520, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1925 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Obstacle Race section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Obstacle Race 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 Obstacle Race, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
