Chapter 20 of The Portion of Labor is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Portion of Labor is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Ellen looked at the other girl in a kind of rage of maidenly shame. "Why have I got to get married, anyway?" she demanded. "Isn't there anything in this world besides getting married? Why do you all talk so about me? You don't seem so bent on getting married yourself.
Chapter 20 of The Portion of Labor is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading “"Why have I got to get married, anyway?" she demanded.”
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading “You don't seem so bent on getting married yourself.”
in addition to; as well as
From this reading “"Isn't there anything in this world besides getting married?”
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “"Why have I got to get married, anyway?" she demanded.”
the act of acquiring something
From this reading “"Isn't there anything in this world besides getting married?”
joined in matrimony
From this reading “"Why have I got to get married, anyway?" she demanded.”
a feeling of intense anger
From this reading “Ellen looked at the other girl in a kind of rage of maidenly shame.”
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading “Ellen looked at the other girl in a kind of rage of maidenly shame.”
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 Ellen looked at the other girl in a kind of rage of maidenly shame.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Why do you all talk so about me?
(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 Why do you all talk so about me?
any thing at all
From this reading "Isn't there anything in this world besides getting married?
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading "Why have I got to get married, anyway?" she demanded.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Ellen looked at the other girl in a kind of rage of maidenly shame.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading You don't seem so bent on getting married yourself.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading "Isn't there anything in this world besides getting married?
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "Why have I got to get married, anyway?" she demanded.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Why do you all talk so about me?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You don't seem so bent on getting married yourself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ellen looked at the other girl in a kind of rage of maidenly shame.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Why have I got to get married, anyway?" she demanded.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading "Isn't there anything in this world besides getting married?
a young female
From this reading Ellen looked at the other girl in a kind of rage of maidenly shame.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Why have I got to get married, anyway?" she demanded.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Why have I got to get married, anyway?" she demanded.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Why have I got to get married, anyway?" she demanded.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Ellen looked at the other girl in a kind of rage of maidenly shame.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Isn't there anything in this world besides getting married?
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading Ellen looked at the other girl in a kind of rage of maidenly shame.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Ellen looked at the other girl in a kind of rage of maidenly shame.
befitting or characteristic of a maiden
From this reading Ellen looked at the other girl in a kind of rage of maidenly shame.
joined in matrimony
From this reading "Why have I got to get married, anyway?" she demanded.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Why do you all talk so about me?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Ellen looked at the other girl in a kind of rage of maidenly shame.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading You don't seem so bent on getting married yourself.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Ellen looked at the other girl in a kind of rage of maidenly shame.
a feeling of intense anger
From this reading Ellen looked at the other girl in a kind of rage of maidenly shame.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading You don't seem so bent on getting married yourself.
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading Ellen looked at the other girl in a kind of rage of maidenly shame.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Why have I got to get married, anyway?" she demanded.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Why do you all talk so about me?
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Why do you all talk so about me?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ellen looked at the other girl in a kind of rage of maidenly shame.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Isn't there anything in this world besides getting married?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Isn't there anything in this world besides getting married?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Why have I got to get married, anyway?" she demanded.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why have I got to get married, anyway?" she demanded.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "Isn't there anything in this world besides getting married?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Why do you all talk so about me?
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading You don't seem so bent on getting married yourself.
Chapter 20 of The Portion of Labor by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman holds 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 146 sentences of The Portion of Labor, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Portion of Labor by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Portion of Labor by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9828 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18011 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18011, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1966 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Portion of Labor section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Portion of Labor 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 Portion of Labor, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
