Chapter 20 of The Purple Pennant is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Purple Pennant is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. ADDICKS EXPLAINS Fudge and Perry gazed spellbound. There was no chance of mistake, even at that distance. Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano. No one would ever have suspected him of being a fugitive from justice!
Chapter 20 of The Purple Pennant is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
third-person singular of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “ADDICKS EXPLAINS Fudge and Perry gazed spellbound.”
tamper, with the purpose of deception
From this reading “ADDICKS EXPLAINS Fudge and Perry gazed spellbound.”
either side of the body below the waist and above the thigh
From this reading “Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.”
device consisting of a set of keys on a piano or organ or typewriter or typesetting machine or computer or the like
From this reading “Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.”
in a negligent manner
From this reading “Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.”
United States philosopher (1876-1957)
From this reading “ADDICKS EXPLAINS Fudge and Perry gazed spellbound.”
having your attention fixated as though by a spell
From this reading “ADDICKS EXPLAINS Fudge and Perry gazed spellbound.”
lacking in interest or care or feeling
From this reading “Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.”
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 No one would ever have suspected him of being a fugitive from justice!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ADDICKS EXPLAINS Fudge and Perry gazed spellbound.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ADDICKS EXPLAINS Fudge and Perry gazed spellbound.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading There was no chance of mistake, even at that distance.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading No one would ever have suspected him of being a fugitive from justice!
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading There was no chance of mistake, even at that distance.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading There was no chance of mistake, even at that distance.
divisible by two
From this reading There was no chance of mistake, even at that distance.
at any time
From this reading No one would ever have suspected him of being a fugitive from justice!
third-person singular of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading ADDICKS EXPLAINS Fudge and Perry gazed spellbound.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading No one would ever have suspected him of being a fugitive from justice!
tamper, with the purpose of deception
From this reading ADDICKS EXPLAINS Fudge and Perry gazed spellbound.
someone who flees from an uncongenial situation
From this reading No one would ever have suspected him of being a fugitive from justice!
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading ADDICKS EXPLAINS Fudge and Perry gazed spellbound.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading No one would ever have suspected him of being a fugitive from justice!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading No one would ever have suspected him of being a fugitive from justice!
either side of the body below the waist and above the thigh
From this reading Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.
the quality of being just or fair
From this reading No one would ever have suspected him of being a fugitive from justice!
device consisting of a set of keys on a piano or organ or typewriter or typesetting machine or computer or the like
From this reading Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading There was no chance of mistake, even at that distance.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.
in a negligent manner
From this reading Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no chance of mistake, even at that distance.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was no chance of mistake, even at that distance.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.
United States philosopher (1876-1957)
From this reading ADDICKS EXPLAINS Fudge and Perry gazed spellbound.
a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
From this reading Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.
-ing form of “rest” — not move; be in a resting position
From this reading Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.
having your attention fixated as though by a spell
From this reading ADDICKS EXPLAINS Fudge and Perry gazed spellbound.
believed likely
From this reading No one would ever have suspected him of being a fugitive from justice!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There was no chance of mistake, even at that distance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no chance of mistake, even at that distance.
lacking in interest or care or feeling
From this reading Before them, smiling, unconcerned, sat Mr. Myron Addicks, one hand resting negligently on his hip, the other on the keyboard of the piano.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no chance of mistake, even at that distance.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading No one would ever have suspected him of being a fugitive from justice!
Chapter 20 of The Purple Pennant by Ralph Henry Barbour holds 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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 211 sentences of The Purple Pennant, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Purple Pennant by Ralph Henry Barbour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 Purple Pennant by Ralph Henry Barbour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4939 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65819 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65819, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 411 minutes of reading across 988 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Purple Pennant section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Purple Pennant 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 Purple Pennant, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
