Chapter 20 of The Secret Adversary is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Secret Adversary is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SIR James’s words came like a bomb-shell. Both girls looked equally puzzled. The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane. Tuppence read it over her shoulder. Mr. Carter would have recognized it.
Chapter 20 of The Secret Adversary is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)
From this reading “Mr. Carter would have recognized it.”
the activity of selecting the scenes to be shown and putting them together to create a film
From this reading “The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.”
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading “The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.”
possessive form of “james” — a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading “The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.”
a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading “The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.”
filled with bewilderment
From this reading “Both girls looked equally puzzled.”
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 SIR James’s words came like a bomb-shell.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SIR James’s words came like a bomb-shell.
the two together, not just one
From this reading Both girls looked equally puzzled.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading SIR James’s words came like a bomb-shell.
Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)
From this reading Mr. Carter would have recognized it.
the activity of selecting the scenes to be shown and putting them together to create a film
From this reading The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.
to the same degree (often followed by “as”)
From this reading Both girls looked equally puzzled.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading Both girls looked equally puzzled.
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Mr. Carter would have recognized it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Tuppence read it over her shoulder.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Tuppence read it over her shoulder.
possessive form of “james” — a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading SIR James’s words came like a bomb-shell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading SIR James’s words came like a bomb-shell.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Both girls looked equally puzzled.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Carter would have recognized it.
a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.
above and across; more than
From this reading Tuppence read it over her shoulder.
filled with bewilderment
From this reading Both girls looked equally puzzled.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading Tuppence read it over her shoulder.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading Mr. Carter would have recognized it.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading Tuppence read it over her shoulder.
term of address for a man
From this reading SIR James’s words came like a bomb-shell.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.
a former United Kingdom silver coin; United Kingdom bronze decimal coin worth two pennies
From this reading Tuppence read it over her shoulder.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The lawyer went across to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane.
the words that are spoken
From this reading SIR James’s words came like a bomb-shell.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Mr. Carter would have recognized it.
Chapter 20 of The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie holds 182 sentences, grouped into 37 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 182 sentences of The Secret Adversary, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 182 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5839 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1155 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1155, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 486 minutes of reading across 1168 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret Adversary section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Secret Adversary 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 Secret Adversary, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
