Chapter 20 of The reigning belle 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 reigning belle is here in full — 152 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MRS. CARTER BECOMES FASHIONABLE. Mrs. Carter’s party had been the grand sensation of a week. Fashionable circles were profoundly agitated by the great social question it evolved. The word “shoddy” became inelegantly common in ladies’ conversation.
Chapter 20 of The reigning belle 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.
troubled emotionally and usually deeply
From this reading “Fashionable circles were profoundly agitated by the great social question it evolved.”
Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)
From this reading “CARTER BECOMES FASHIONABLE.”
possessive form of “carter” — Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)
plural of “circle” — ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading “Fashionable circles were profoundly agitated by the great social question it evolved.”
past form of “evolve” — work out
From this reading “Fashionable circles were profoundly agitated by the great social question it evolved.”
being or in accordance with current social fashions
From this reading “CARTER BECOMES FASHIONABLE.”
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading “Fashionable circles were profoundly agitated by the great social question it evolved.”
made of inferior workmanship and materials
From this reading “The word “shoddy” became inelegantly common in ladies’ conversation.”
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 Mrs. Carter’s party had been the grand sensation of a week.
troubled emotionally and usually deeply
From this reading Fashionable circles were profoundly agitated by the great social question it evolved.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading The word “shoddy” became inelegantly common in ladies’ conversation.
third-person singular of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading CARTER BECOMES FASHIONABLE.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Mrs. Carter’s party had been the grand sensation of a week.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Fashionable circles were profoundly agitated by the great social question it evolved.
Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)
From this reading CARTER BECOMES FASHIONABLE.
possessive form of “carter” — Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)
From this reading Mrs. Carter’s party had been the grand sensation of a week.
plural of “circle” — ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading Fashionable circles were profoundly agitated by the great social question it evolved.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading The word “shoddy” became inelegantly common in ladies’ conversation.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading The word “shoddy” became inelegantly common in ladies’ conversation.
past form of “evolve” — work out
From this reading Fashionable circles were profoundly agitated by the great social question it evolved.
being or in accordance with current social fashions
From this reading CARTER BECOMES FASHIONABLE.
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading Mrs. Carter’s party had been the grand sensation of a week.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Fashionable circles were profoundly agitated by the great social question it evolved.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mrs. Carter’s party had been the grand sensation of a week.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The word “shoddy” became inelegantly common in ladies’ conversation.
without elegance
From this reading The word “shoddy” became inelegantly common in ladies’ conversation.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Fashionable circles were profoundly agitated by the great social question it evolved.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading The word “shoddy” became inelegantly common in ladies’ conversation.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MRS.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mrs. Carter’s party had been the grand sensation of a week.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading Mrs. Carter’s party had been the grand sensation of a week.
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading Fashionable circles were profoundly agitated by the great social question it evolved.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading Fashionable circles were profoundly agitated by the great social question it evolved.
an unelaborated elementary awareness of stimulation
From this reading Mrs. Carter’s party had been the grand sensation of a week.
made of inferior workmanship and materials
From this reading The word “shoddy” became inelegantly common in ladies’ conversation.
relating to human society and its members
From this reading Fashionable circles were profoundly agitated by the great social question it evolved.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mrs. Carter’s party had been the grand sensation of a week.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading Mrs. Carter’s party had been the grand sensation of a week.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Fashionable circles were profoundly agitated by the great social question it evolved.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading The word “shoddy” became inelegantly common in ladies’ conversation.
Chapter 20 of The reigning belle by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens 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 reigning belle, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The reigning belle by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens 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 reigning belle by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The reigning belle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The reigning belle 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 reigning belle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
