Chapter 20 of The Old Maids' Club is here in full — 363 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Old Maids' Club is here in full — 363 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE INAUGURAL SOIREE. "Oh, Lord Silverdale," cried Lillie exultantly when he made his usual visit the next afternoon. "At last I have an unexceptional candidate. We shall get under weigh at last. I am so pleased because papa keeps bothering about that inaugural _soirée_.
Chapter 20 of The Old Maids' Club is here in full — 363 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/72 · 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.
-ing form of “bother” — take the trouble to do something; concern oneself
From this reading “I am so pleased because papa keeps bothering about that inaugural _soirée_.”
a politician who is running for public office
From this reading “"At last I have an unexceptional candidate.”
in an exultant manner
From this reading “"Oh, Lord Silverdale," cried Lillie exultantly when he made his usual visit the next afternoon.”
occurring at or characteristic of a formal investiture or induction
From this reading “THE INAUGURAL SOIREE.”
plural of “keep” — the financial means whereby one lives
From this reading “I am so pleased because papa keeps bothering about that inaugural _soirée_.”
British actress (born in Canada) (1898-1989)
From this reading “"Oh, Lord Silverdale," cried Lillie exultantly when he made his usual visit the next afternoon.”
a party of people assembled in the evening (usually at a private house)
From this reading “THE INAUGURAL SOIREE.”
have a certain weight
From this reading “We shall get under weigh at last.”
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 “I am so pleased because papa keeps bothering about that inaugural _soirée_.”
In this reading “"Oh, Lord Silverdale," cried Lillie exultantly when he made his usual visit the next afternoon.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I am so pleased because papa keeps bothering about that inaugural _soirée_.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading "Oh, Lord Silverdale," cried Lillie exultantly when he made his usual visit the next afternoon.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am so pleased because papa keeps bothering about that inaugural _soirée_.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "At last I have an unexceptional candidate.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "At last I have an unexceptional candidate.
for the reason that
From this reading I am so pleased because papa keeps bothering about that inaugural _soirée_.
-ing form of “bother” — take the trouble to do something; concern oneself
From this reading I am so pleased because papa keeps bothering about that inaugural _soirée_.
a politician who is running for public office
From this reading "At last I have an unexceptional candidate.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Oh, Lord Silverdale," cried Lillie exultantly when he made his usual visit the next afternoon.
in an exultant manner
From this reading "Oh, Lord Silverdale," cried Lillie exultantly when he made his usual visit the next afternoon.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading We shall get under weigh at last.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "At last I have an unexceptional candidate.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Oh, Lord Silverdale," cried Lillie exultantly when he made his usual visit the next afternoon.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Oh, Lord Silverdale," cried Lillie exultantly when he made his usual visit the next afternoon.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "At last I have an unexceptional candidate.
occurring at or characteristic of a formal investiture or induction
From this reading THE INAUGURAL SOIREE.
plural of “keep” — the financial means whereby one lives
From this reading I am so pleased because papa keeps bothering about that inaugural _soirée_.
immediately past
From this reading "At last I have an unexceptional candidate.
British actress (born in Canada) (1898-1989)
From this reading "Oh, Lord Silverdale," cried Lillie exultantly when he made his usual visit the next afternoon.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading "Oh, Lord Silverdale," cried Lillie exultantly when he made his usual visit the next afternoon.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "Oh, Lord Silverdale," cried Lillie exultantly when he made his usual visit the next afternoon.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading "Oh, Lord Silverdale," cried Lillie exultantly when he made his usual visit the next afternoon.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, Lord Silverdale," cried Lillie exultantly when he made his usual visit the next afternoon.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading I am so pleased because papa keeps bothering about that inaugural _soirée_.
experiencing or manifesting pleasure
From this reading I am so pleased because papa keeps bothering about that inaugural _soirée_.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading We shall get under weigh at last.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, Lord Silverdale," cried Lillie exultantly when he made his usual visit the next afternoon.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I am so pleased because papa keeps bothering about that inaugural _soirée_.
a party of people assembled in the evening (usually at a private house)
From this reading THE INAUGURAL SOIREE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I am so pleased because papa keeps bothering about that inaugural _soirée_.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I am so pleased because papa keeps bothering about that inaugural _soirée_.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE INAUGURAL SOIREE.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading We shall get under weigh at last.
not special in any way; lacking distinction
From this reading "At last I have an unexceptional candidate.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading "Oh, Lord Silverdale," cried Lillie exultantly when he made his usual visit the next afternoon.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading "Oh, Lord Silverdale," cried Lillie exultantly when he made his usual visit the next afternoon.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We shall get under weigh at last.
have a certain weight
From this reading We shall get under weigh at last.
at the time that
From this reading "Oh, Lord Silverdale," cried Lillie exultantly when he made his usual visit the next afternoon.
Chapter 20 of The Old Maids' Club by Israel Zangwill holds 363 sentences, grouped into 73 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 363 sentences of The Old Maids' Club, unabridged, divided into 73 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Old Maids' Club by Israel Zangwill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 363 sentences, grouped into 73 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 73 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 73 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 Old Maids' Club by Israel Zangwill on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6063 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45623 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45623, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 505 minutes of reading across 1213 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Old Maids' Club section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Old Maids' Club 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 Old Maids' Club, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
