The Rosie World

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The Rosie World is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Parker Fillmore • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

With anxious headshakes Terence and Janet McFadden corroborated all George Riley said, but the gatekeeper was firm.

"Only passengers this side the fence," he repeated.

So the three friends had to wait while the long train slowly disgorged.

Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXI Reading 1/29

The Rosie World Parker Fillmore

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The Rosie World is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

HOME AGAIN George Riley protested vigorously: "But I tell you she's only a little girl and she's got a baby and a big basket and I don't know how many other things and some one's just got to help her!" With anxious headshakes Terence and Janet McFadden corroborated all George Riley said, but the gatekeeper was firm. "Only passengers this side the fence," he repeated. So the three friends had to wait while the long train slowly disgorged. Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.

The Rosie World

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The Rosie World is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Line 2

With anxious headshakes Terence and Janet McFadden corroborated all George Riley said, but the gatekeeper was firm.

Line 3

"Only passengers this side the fence," he repeated.

/ˈoʊnli ˈpæsəndʒərz ðɪs saɪd ðə fens hiː rɪˈpiːtɪd/

Line 4

So the three friends had to wait while the long train slowly disgorged.

/soʊ ðə θriː frendz hæd tuː weɪt waɪl ðə lɔːŋ treɪn ˈsloʊli dɪsˈɡɔːrdʒd/

Line 5

Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.

Learner Dictionary

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.

corroborated verb US /kərˈɑːbəreɪtɪd/

past form of “corroborate” — establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts

From this reading “With anxious headshakes Terence and Janet McFadden corroborated all George Riley said, but the gatekeeper was firm.”

disgorged verb US /dɪsˈɡɔːrdʒd/

past form of “disgorge” — cause or allow (a solid substance) to flow or run out or over

From this reading “So the three friends had to wait while the long train slowly disgorged.”

division noun US /dɪˈvɪʒən/

an army unit large enough to sustain combat

From this reading “Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.”

gatekeeper noun US /ˈɡeɪtˌkiː.pər/

An attendant or guardian who controls access through a gate or barrier.

From this reading “With anxious headshakes Terence and Janet McFadden corroborated all George Riley said, but the gatekeeper was firm.”

Riley noun US /ˈraɪli/

United States poet (1849-1916)

From this reading “HOME AGAIN George Riley protested vigorously: "But I tell you she's only a little girl and she's got a baby and a big basket and I don't know how many other things and some one's just got to help her!"”

tense noun US /tens/

a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time

From this reading “Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.”

Terence noun US /ˈterəns/

dramatist of ancient Rome (born in Greece) whose comedies were based on works by Menander (190?-159 BC)

From this reading “With anxious headshakes Terence and Janet McFadden corroborated all George Riley said, but the gatekeeper was firm.”

vigorously adverb US /ˈvɪɡərəsli/

with vigor; in a vigorous manner

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

through the bars preposition + article + noun counted as “through … bars”

In this reading “Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.”

little girl adjective + noun

a youthful female person

In this reading “HOME AGAIN George Riley protested vigorously: "But I tell you she's only a little girl and she's got a baby and a big basket and I don't know how many other things and some one's just got to help her!"”

big basket adjective + noun

other things adjective + noun

stood guard verb + noun

In this reading “Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.”

All words in this reading · 75

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading HOME AGAIN George Riley protested vigorously: "But I tell you she's only a little girl and she's got a baby and a big basket and I don't know how many other things and some one's just got to help her!"

AGAINadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 With anxious headshakes Terence and Janet McFadden corroborated all George Riley said, but the gatekeeper was firm.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

anxiousadjectiveUS /ˈæŋkʃəs/

eagerly desirous

From this reading With anxious headshakes Terence and Janet McFadden corroborated all George Riley said, but the gatekeeper was firm.

babynounUS /ˈbeɪbi/

a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk

barsnounUS /bɑːrz/

gymnastic apparatus consisting of two parallel wooden rods supported on uprights

From this reading Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.

basketnounUS /ˈbæskət/

a container that is usually woven and has handles

bigadjectiveUS /bɪɡ/

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

corroboratedverbUS /kərˈɑːbəreɪtɪd/

past form of “corroborate” — establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts

From this reading With anxious headshakes Terence and Janet McFadden corroborated all George Riley said, but the gatekeeper was firm.

disgorgedverbUS /dɪsˈɡɔːrdʒd/

past form of “disgorge” — cause or allow (a solid substance) to flow or run out or over

From this reading So the three friends had to wait while the long train slowly disgorged.

divisionnounUS /dɪˈvɪʒən/

an army unit large enough to sustain combat

From this reading Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.

don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.

fenceverbUS /fens/

enclose with a fence

From this reading "Only passengers this side the fence," he repeated.

firmadjectiveUS /fɜːrm/

marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable

From this reading With anxious headshakes Terence and Janet McFadden corroborated all George Riley said, but the gatekeeper was firm.

friendsnounUS /frendz/

plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading So the three friends had to wait while the long train slowly disgorged.

gatenounUS /ɡeɪt/

a movable barrier in a fence or wall

From this reading Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.

gatekeepernounUS /ˈɡeɪtˌkiː.pər/

An attendant or guardian who controls access through a gate or barrier.

From this reading With anxious headshakes Terence and Janet McFadden corroborated all George Riley said, but the gatekeeper was firm.

GeorgenounUS /dʒɔːrdʒ/

Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

guardnounUS /ɡɑːrd/

a person who keeps watch over something or someone

From this reading Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading So the three friends had to wait while the long train slowly disgorged.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Only passengers this side the fence," he repeated.

headshakes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading With anxious headshakes Terence and Janet McFadden corroborated all George Riley said, but the gatekeeper was firm.

helpverbUS /help/

give help or assistance; be of service

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

highadjectiveUS /haɪ/

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.

HOMEnounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

how

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

Janet

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading With anxious headshakes Terence and Janet McFadden corroborated all George Riley said, but the gatekeeper was firm.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

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 So the three friends had to wait while the long train slowly disgorged.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

McFadden

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading With anxious headshakes Terence and Janet McFadden corroborated all George Riley said, but the gatekeeper was firm.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.

one's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

passengersnounUS /ˈpæsəndʒərz/

plural of “passenger” — a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it

From this reading "Only passengers this side the fence," he repeated.

pressedadjectiveUS /prest/

compacted by ironing

From this reading Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.

protestedverbUS /prəˈtestɪd/

past form of “protest” — utter words of protest

repeatedadjectiveUS /rɪˈpiːtɪd/

recurring again and again

From this reading "Only passengers this side the fence," he repeated.

RileynounUS /ˈraɪli/

United States poet (1849-1916)

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading With anxious headshakes Terence and Janet McFadden corroborated all George Riley said, but the gatekeeper was firm.

searchingadjectiveUS /ˈsɜːrtʃɪŋ/

diligent and thorough in inquiry or investigation

From this reading Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.

she's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

sidenounUS /saɪd/

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading "Only passengers this side the fence," he repeated.

slowlyadverbUS /ˈsloʊli/

without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)

From this reading So the three friends had to wait while the long train slowly disgorged.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So the three friends had to wait while the long train slowly disgorged.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

tensenounUS /tens/

a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time

From this reading Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.

TerencenounUS /ˈterəns/

dramatist of ancient Rome (born in Greece) whose comedies were based on works by Menander (190?-159 BC)

From this reading With anxious headshakes Terence and Janet McFadden corroborated all George Riley said, but the gatekeeper was firm.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading With anxious headshakes Terence and Janet McFadden corroborated all George Riley said, but the gatekeeper was firm.

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading "Only passengers this side the fence," he repeated.

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading So the three friends had to wait while the long train slowly disgorged.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading Terence stood guard on one side of the gate, George Riley on the other, while Janet pressed a tense searching face through the bars of the high division fence.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

trainverbUS /treɪn/

create by training and teaching

From this reading So the three friends had to wait while the long train slowly disgorged.

vigorouslyadverbUS /ˈvɪɡərəsli/

with vigor; in a vigorous manner

waitverbUS /weɪt/

stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

From this reading So the three friends had to wait while the long train slowly disgorged.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading With anxious headshakes Terence and Janet McFadden corroborated all George Riley said, but the gatekeeper was firm.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading So the three friends had to wait while the long train slowly disgorged.

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading With anxious headshakes Terence and Janet McFadden corroborated all George Riley said, but the gatekeeper was firm.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

Chapter 21 of The Rosie World by Parker Fillmore holds 149 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.

What does chapter 21 of The Rosie World contain?

Chapter 21 holds 149 sentences of The Rosie World, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of The Rosie World by Parker Fillmore exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 149 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.

How do I study chapter 21 of The Rosie World?

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.

Can chapter 21 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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.

Questions about reading The Rosie World

Common questions about reading The Rosie World by Parker Fillmore on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Rosie World?

Yes. All 6658 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31718 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Rosie World is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #31718, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Rosie World take to read?

About 554 minutes of reading across 1332 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Rosie World

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Rosie World, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chin-chopper: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Rosie World; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
O'brien: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Rosie World; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Raised: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Rosie World; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Helpless: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Rosie World; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

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Vocabulary met early in The Rosie World