Chapter 20 of The Plow-Woman is here in full — 152 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Plow-Woman is here in full — 152 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross. Before him he held an open Bible. But he was not reading. His head was uncovered. His beard was lifted.
Chapter 20 of The Plow-Woman is here in full — 152 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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 hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading “His beard was lifted.”
the sacred writings of the Christian religions
From this reading “Before him he held an open Bible.”
an electrical force linking atoms
From this reading “A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.”
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading “A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.”
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading “A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.”
held up in the air
From this reading “His beard was lifted.”
not covered with clothing
From this reading “His head was uncovered.”
any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading “A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.”
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.
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 A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Before him he held an open Bible.
the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading His beard was lifted.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before him he held an open Bible.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.
the sacred writings of the Christian religions
From this reading Before him he held an open Bible.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.
an electrical force linking atoms
From this reading A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he was not reading.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.
travel across or pass over
From this reading A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Before him he held an open Bible.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading His head was uncovered.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Before him he held an open Bible.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Before him he held an open Bible.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.
held up in the air
From this reading His beard was lifted.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But he was not reading.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Before him he held an open Bible.
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading But he was not reading.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.
not covered with clothing
From this reading His head was uncovered.
any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A CHARGE David Bond was on his knees in the bed of his wagon, beneath the high board cross.
Chapter 20 of The Plow-Woman by Eleanor Gates holds 152 sentences, grouped into 31 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 152 sentences of The Plow-Woman, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Plow-Woman by Eleanor Gates exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 152 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 Plow-Woman by Eleanor Gates on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7668 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31139 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31139, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1534 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Plow-Woman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Plow-Woman 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 Plow-Woman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
