Chapter 20 of The Romance of a Shop is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Romance of a Shop is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN THE SICK-ROOM. _A riddle that one shrinks To challenge from the scornful sphinx._ D. G. ROSSETTI. The doctor's verdict was unhesitating enough. Phyllis's doom, as more than one who knew her foresaw, was sealed. The shock and the exposure had only hastened an end which for long had been inevitable.
Chapter 20 of The Romance of a Shop is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
vulnerability to the elements; to the action of heat or cold or wind or rain
From this reading “The shock and the exposure had only hastened an end which for long had been inevitable.”
inflected form of “foresee” — realize beforehand
From this reading “Phyllis's doom, as more than one who knew her foresaw, was sealed.”
pierce with many holes
From this reading “_A riddle that one shrinks To challenge from the scornful sphinx._ D. G. ROSSETTI.”
English poet and painter who was a leader of the Pre-Raphaelites (1828-1882)
From this reading “_A riddle that one shrinks To challenge from the scornful sphinx._ D. G. ROSSETTI.”
expressing extreme contempt
From this reading “_A riddle that one shrinks To challenge from the scornful sphinx._ D. G. ROSSETTI.”
plural of “shrink” — a physician who specializes in psychiatry
From this reading “_A riddle that one shrinks To challenge from the scornful sphinx._ D. G. ROSSETTI.”
an inscrutable person who keeps his thoughts and intentions secret
From this reading “_A riddle that one shrinks To challenge from the scornful sphinx._ D. G. ROSSETTI.”
(law) the findings of a jury on issues of fact submitted to it for decision; can be used in formulating a judgment
From this reading “The doctor's verdict was unhesitating enough.”
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 riddle that one shrinks To challenge from the scornful sphinx._ D. G. ROSSETTI.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The shock and the exposure had only hastened an end which for long had been inevitable.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The shock and the exposure had only hastened an end which for long had been inevitable.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Phyllis's doom, as more than one who knew her foresaw, was sealed.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The shock and the exposure had only hastened an end which for long had been inevitable.
take exception to
From this reading _A riddle that one shrinks To challenge from the scornful sphinx._ D. G. ROSSETTI.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading _A riddle that one shrinks To challenge from the scornful sphinx._ D. G. ROSSETTI.
possessive form of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading The doctor's verdict was unhesitating enough.
decree or designate beforehand
From this reading Phyllis's doom, as more than one who knew her foresaw, was sealed.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading The shock and the exposure had only hastened an end which for long had been inevitable.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading The doctor's verdict was unhesitating enough.
vulnerability to the elements; to the action of heat or cold or wind or rain
From this reading The shock and the exposure had only hastened an end which for long had been inevitable.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The shock and the exposure had only hastened an end which for long had been inevitable.
inflected form of “foresee” — realize beforehand
From this reading Phyllis's doom, as more than one who knew her foresaw, was sealed.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading _A riddle that one shrinks To challenge from the scornful sphinx._ D. G. ROSSETTI.
a metric unit of weight equal to one thousandth of a kilogram
From this reading _A riddle that one shrinks To challenge from the scornful sphinx._ D. G. ROSSETTI.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The shock and the exposure had only hastened an end which for long had been inevitable.
past form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed
From this reading The shock and the exposure had only hastened an end which for long had been inevitable.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Phyllis's doom, as more than one who knew her foresaw, was sealed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE SICK-ROOM.
incapable of being avoided or prevented
From this reading The shock and the exposure had only hastened an end which for long had been inevitable.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Phyllis's doom, as more than one who knew her foresaw, was sealed.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The shock and the exposure had only hastened an end which for long had been inevitable.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Phyllis's doom, as more than one who knew her foresaw, was sealed.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading _A riddle that one shrinks To challenge from the scornful sphinx._ D. G. ROSSETTI.
and nothing more
From this reading The shock and the exposure had only hastened an end which for long had been inevitable.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Phyllis's doom, as more than one who knew her foresaw, was sealed.
pierce with many holes
From this reading _A riddle that one shrinks To challenge from the scornful sphinx._ D. G. ROSSETTI.
English poet and painter who was a leader of the Pre-Raphaelites (1828-1882)
From this reading _A riddle that one shrinks To challenge from the scornful sphinx._ D. G. ROSSETTI.
expressing extreme contempt
From this reading _A riddle that one shrinks To challenge from the scornful sphinx._ D. G. ROSSETTI.
established irrevocably
From this reading Phyllis's doom, as more than one who knew her foresaw, was sealed.
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading The shock and the exposure had only hastened an end which for long had been inevitable.
plural of “shrink” — a physician who specializes in psychiatry
From this reading _A riddle that one shrinks To challenge from the scornful sphinx._ D. G. ROSSETTI.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IN THE SICK-ROOM.
an inscrutable person who keeps his thoughts and intentions secret
From this reading _A riddle that one shrinks To challenge from the scornful sphinx._ D. G. ROSSETTI.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Phyllis's doom, as more than one who knew her foresaw, was sealed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading _A riddle that one shrinks To challenge from the scornful sphinx._ D. G. ROSSETTI.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE SICK-ROOM.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _A riddle that one shrinks To challenge from the scornful sphinx._ D. G. ROSSETTI.
characterized by quickness and firmness
From this reading The doctor's verdict was unhesitating enough.
(law) the findings of a jury on issues of fact submitted to it for decision; can be used in formulating a judgment
From this reading The doctor's verdict was unhesitating enough.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The doctor's verdict was unhesitating enough.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The shock and the exposure had only hastened an end which for long had been inevitable.
which person or people
From this reading Phyllis's doom, as more than one who knew her foresaw, was sealed.
Chapter 20 of The Romance of a Shop by Amy Levy holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 103 sentences of The Romance of a Shop, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Romance of a Shop by Amy Levy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Romance of a Shop by Amy Levy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2747 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57447 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57447, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 228 minutes of reading across 550 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Romance of a Shop section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Romance of a Shop 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 Romance of a Shop, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
