Chapter 20 of The Rough Road is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Rough Road is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When Doggie, in dinner suit, went downstairs, he found Peggy alone in the drawing-room. She gave him the kiss of one accustomed to kiss him from childhood, and sat down again on the fender-stool. "Now you look more like a Christian gentleman," she laughed. "Confess. It's much more comfortable than your wretched private's uniform."
Chapter 20 of The Rough Road is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
commonly used or practiced; usual
From this reading “She gave him the kiss of one accustomed to kiss him from childhood, and sat down again on the fender-stool.”
the time of person's life when they are a child
From this reading “She gave him the kiss of one accustomed to kiss him from childhood, and sat down again on the fender-stool.”
providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)
From this reading “It's much more comfortable than your wretched private's uniform."”
confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading “"Confess.”
informal terms for dogs
From this reading “When Doggie, in dinner suit, went downstairs, he found Peggy alone in the drawing-room.”
on a floor below
From this reading “When Doggie, in dinner suit, went downstairs, he found Peggy alone in the drawing-room.”
always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences
From this reading “It's much more comfortable than your wretched private's uniform."”
of very poor quality or condition
From this reading “It's much more comfortable than your wretched private's uniform."”
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 "Now you look more like a Christian gentleman," she laughed.
commonly used or practiced; usual
From this reading She gave him the kiss of one accustomed to kiss him from childhood, and sat down again on the fender-stool.
anew
From this reading She gave him the kiss of one accustomed to kiss him from childhood, and sat down again on the fender-stool.
Having no one else present.
From this reading When Doggie, in dinner suit, went downstairs, he found Peggy alone in the drawing-room.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She gave him the kiss of one accustomed to kiss him from childhood, and sat down again on the fender-stool.
the time of person's life when they are a child
From this reading She gave him the kiss of one accustomed to kiss him from childhood, and sat down again on the fender-stool.
relating to or characteristic of Christianity
From this reading "Now you look more like a Christian gentleman," she laughed.
providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)
From this reading It's much more comfortable than your wretched private's uniform."
confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading "Confess.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading When Doggie, in dinner suit, went downstairs, he found Peggy alone in the drawing-room.
informal terms for dogs
From this reading When Doggie, in dinner suit, went downstairs, he found Peggy alone in the drawing-room.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She gave him the kiss of one accustomed to kiss him from childhood, and sat down again on the fender-stool.
on a floor below
From this reading When Doggie, in dinner suit, went downstairs, he found Peggy alone in the drawing-room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Doggie, in dinner suit, went downstairs, he found Peggy alone in the drawing-room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She gave him the kiss of one accustomed to kiss him from childhood, and sat down again on the fender-stool.
set up or found
From this reading When Doggie, in dinner suit, went downstairs, he found Peggy alone in the drawing-room.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She gave him the kiss of one accustomed to kiss him from childhood, and sat down again on the fender-stool.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading She gave him the kiss of one accustomed to kiss him from childhood, and sat down again on the fender-stool.
a man of refinement
From this reading "Now you look more like a Christian gentleman," she laughed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Doggie, in dinner suit, went downstairs, he found Peggy alone in the drawing-room.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She gave him the kiss of one accustomed to kiss him from childhood, and sat down again on the fender-stool.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When Doggie, in dinner suit, went downstairs, he found Peggy alone in the drawing-room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's much more comfortable than your wretched private's uniform."
the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading She gave him the kiss of one accustomed to kiss him from childhood, and sat down again on the fender-stool.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading "Now you look more like a Christian gentleman," she laughed.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Now you look more like a Christian gentleman," she laughed.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Now you look more like a Christian gentleman," she laughed.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "Now you look more like a Christian gentleman," she laughed.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It's much more comfortable than your wretched private's uniform."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now you look more like a Christian gentleman," she laughed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She gave him the kiss of one accustomed to kiss him from childhood, and sat down again on the fender-stool.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She gave him the kiss of one accustomed to kiss him from childhood, and sat down again on the fender-stool.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She gave him the kiss of one accustomed to kiss him from childhood, and sat down again on the fender-stool.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Doggie, in dinner suit, went downstairs, he found Peggy alone in the drawing-room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's much more comfortable than your wretched private's uniform."
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading She gave him the kiss of one accustomed to kiss him from childhood, and sat down again on the fender-stool.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She gave him the kiss of one accustomed to kiss him from childhood, and sat down again on the fender-stool.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading When Doggie, in dinner suit, went downstairs, he found Peggy alone in the drawing-room.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It's much more comfortable than your wretched private's uniform."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Doggie, in dinner suit, went downstairs, he found Peggy alone in the drawing-room.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She gave him the kiss of one accustomed to kiss him from childhood, and sat down again on the fender-stool.
always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences
From this reading It's much more comfortable than your wretched private's uniform."
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading When Doggie, in dinner suit, went downstairs, he found Peggy alone in the drawing-room.
at the time that
From this reading When Doggie, in dinner suit, went downstairs, he found Peggy alone in the drawing-room.
of very poor quality or condition
From this reading It's much more comfortable than your wretched private's uniform."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Now you look more like a Christian gentleman," she laughed.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading It's much more comfortable than your wretched private's uniform."
Chapter 20 of The Rough Road by William John Locke holds 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 394 sentences of The Rough Road, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Rough Road by William John Locke exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Rough Road by William John Locke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7200 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27786 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27786, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1440 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Rough Road section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Rough Road 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 Rough Road, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
