Chapter 20 of The Rat Race is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Rat Race is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him. A pleasant, rangy, mild-mannered man rose from behind the great desk and shook my hand. "Glad to see you, Mr. Tompkins," he said. "General Vaughan has been telling me great things about your work. What can I do for you?"
Chapter 20 of The Rat Race is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
past form of “beckon” — signal with the hands or nod
From this reading “"The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “A pleasant, rangy, mild-mannered man rose from behind the great desk and shook my hand.”
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading “A pleasant, rangy, mild-mannered man rose from behind the great desk and shook my hand.”
an executive officer of a firm or corporation
From this reading “"The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.”
tall and thin and having long slender limbs
From this reading “A pleasant, rangy, mild-mannered man rose from behind the great desk and shook my hand.”
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading “"General Vaughan has been telling me great things about your work.”
take (someone) to their seats, as in theaters or auditoriums
From this reading “"The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.”
United States jazz singer noted for her complex bebop phrasing and scat singing (1924-1990)
From this reading “"General Vaughan has been telling me great things about your work.”
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.
the chief executive department of the United States government
In this reading “"The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.”
In this reading “"General Vaughan has been telling me great things about your work.”
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 pleasant, rangy, mild-mannered man rose from behind the great desk and shook my hand.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "General Vaughan has been telling me great things about your work.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A pleasant, rangy, mild-mannered man rose from behind the great desk and shook my hand.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.
past form of “beckon” — signal with the hands or nod
From this reading "The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "General Vaughan has been telling me great things about your work.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading A pleasant, rangy, mild-mannered man rose from behind the great desk and shook my hand.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading What can I do for you?"
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading A pleasant, rangy, mild-mannered man rose from behind the great desk and shook my hand.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What can I do for you?"
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading "The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading What can I do for you?"
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A pleasant, rangy, mild-mannered man rose from behind the great desk and shook my hand.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading "General Vaughan has been telling me great things about your work.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading "Glad to see you, Mr. Tompkins," he said.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading A pleasant, rangy, mild-mannered man rose from behind the great desk and shook my hand.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading A pleasant, rangy, mild-mannered man rose from behind the great desk and shook my hand.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "General Vaughan has been telling me great things about your work.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading What can I do for you?"
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A pleasant, rangy, mild-mannered man rose from behind the great desk and shook my hand.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.
behaving in or having a mild or gentle manner
From this reading A pleasant, rangy, mild-mannered man rose from behind the great desk and shook my hand.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading A pleasant, rangy, mild-mannered man rose from behind the great desk and shook my hand.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading A pleasant, rangy, mild-mannered man rose from behind the great desk and shook my hand.
an executive officer of a firm or corporation
From this reading "The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.
tall and thin and having long slender limbs
From this reading A pleasant, rangy, mild-mannered man rose from behind the great desk and shook my hand.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading A pleasant, rangy, mild-mannered man rose from behind the great desk and shook my hand.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading A pleasant, rangy, mild-mannered man rose from behind the great desk and shook my hand.
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading "General Vaughan has been telling me great things about your work.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "General Vaughan has been telling me great things about your work.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.
take (someone) to their seats, as in theaters or auditoriums
From this reading "The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.
United States jazz singer noted for her complex bebop phrasing and scat singing (1924-1990)
From this reading "General Vaughan has been telling me great things about your work.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What can I do for you?"
a Caucasian
From this reading "The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "General Vaughan has been telling me great things about your work.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "The President will see you now, Mr. Tompkins," said the White House usher, as he beckoned me to follow him.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "General Vaughan has been telling me great things about your work.
Chapter 20 of The Rat Race by Jay Franklin holds 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 192 sentences of The Rat Race, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Rat Race by Jay Franklin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Rat Race by Jay Franklin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6721 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51854 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51854, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 560 minutes of reading across 1345 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Rat Race section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Rat Race 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 Rat Race, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
