Chapter 20 of The Ordeal by Fire is here in full — 371 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Ordeal by Fire is here in full — 371 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DE VALPIC I had not seen much of De Valpic during the last few days. Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse. That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap. He raised his eyelids: "Halloa!" I had to go up to him, and asked him:
Chapter 20 of The Ordeal by Fire is here in full — 371 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/74 · 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.
plural of “eyelid” — either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye
From this reading “He raised his eyelids: "Halloa!"”
a period of time spent sleeping
From this reading “That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.”
plural of “platoon” — a military unit that is a subdivision of a company; usually has a headquarters and two or more squads; usually commanded by a lieutenant
From this reading “Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.”
(of pain or sorrow) made easier to bear
From this reading “Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.”
a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)
From this reading “Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.”
get rid of
From this reading “That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.”
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading “Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.”
past form of “weigh” — have a certain weight
From this reading “Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.”
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 “DE VALPIC I had not seen much of De Valpic during the last few days.”
In this reading “That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.”
In this reading “That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.”
move upward
In this reading “I had to go up to him, and asked him:”
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 Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I had to go up to him, and asked him:
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading DE VALPIC I had not seen much of De Valpic during the last few days.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading DE VALPIC I had not seen much of De Valpic during the last few days.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading DE VALPIC I had not seen much of De Valpic during the last few days.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.
plural of “eyelid” — either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye
From this reading He raised his eyelids: "Halloa!"
opinion or judgment
From this reading That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading DE VALPIC I had not seen much of De Valpic during the last few days.
set up or found
From this reading That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I had to go up to him, and asked him:
destroyed or killed
From this reading That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading DE VALPIC I had not seen much of De Valpic during the last few days.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He raised his eyelids: "Halloa!"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He raised his eyelids: "Halloa!"
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading DE VALPIC I had not seen much of De Valpic during the last few days.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.
immediately past
From this reading DE VALPIC I had not seen much of De Valpic during the last few days.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading DE VALPIC I had not seen much of De Valpic during the last few days.
a period of time spent sleeping
From this reading That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading DE VALPIC I had not seen much of De Valpic during the last few days.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading DE VALPIC I had not seen much of De Valpic during the last few days.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.
plural of “platoon” — a military unit that is a subdivision of a company; usually has a headquarters and two or more squads; usually commanded by a lieutenant
From this reading Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading He raised his eyelids: "Halloa!"
(of pain or sorrow) made easier to bear
From this reading Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.
a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)
From this reading Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading DE VALPIC I had not seen much of De Valpic during the last few days.
get rid of
From this reading That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.
carry out
From this reading That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DE VALPIC I had not seen much of De Valpic during the last few days.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I had to go up to him, and asked him:
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DE VALPIC I had not seen much of De Valpic during the last few days.
past form of “weigh” — have a certain weight
From this reading Our platoons had relieved each other, and his presence always weighed on me a little like a vague remorse.
in the company of; together with
From this reading That afternoon I found him lying, with closed eyes, in the shed I had gone into, meaning to take a nap.
Chapter 20 of The Ordeal by Fire by Marcel Berger holds 371 sentences, grouped into 75 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 371 sentences of The Ordeal by Fire, unabridged, divided into 75 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Ordeal by Fire by Marcel Berger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 371 sentences, grouped into 75 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 75 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 75 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 Ordeal by Fire by Marcel Berger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11806 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60166 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60166, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2362 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ordeal by Fire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of The Ordeal by Fire 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 Ordeal by Fire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
