Chapter 20 of The Sign of the Red Cross is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Sign of the Red Cross is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Something must be done! The whole city must not perish! It is a shame that so much destruction has already taken place. What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?" Young Lord Desborough was the speaker.
Chapter 20 of The Sign of the Red Cross is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 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.
United States comedian and film actor (1896-1996)
From this reading “What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"”
the termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists
From this reading “It is a shame that so much destruction has already taken place.”
not in action or at work
From this reading “What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"”
plural of “magnate” — a very wealthy or powerful businessman
From this reading “What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"”
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading “The whole city must not perish!”
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading “Young Lord Desborough was the speaker.”
an old and formal word for “while”
From this reading “What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"”
-ing form of “wring” — twist and press out of shape
From this reading “What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"”
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 It is a shame that so much destruction has already taken place.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"
(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 What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading It is a shame that so much destruction has already taken place.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Something must be done!
United States comedian and film actor (1896-1996)
From this reading What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading The whole city must not perish!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Young Lord Desborough was the speaker.
the termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists
From this reading It is a shame that so much destruction has already taken place.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "Something must be done!
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is a shame that so much destruction has already taken place.
not in action or at work
From this reading What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is a shame that so much destruction has already taken place.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is a shame that so much destruction has already taken place.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading Young Lord Desborough was the speaker.
plural of “magnate” — a very wealthy or powerful businessman
From this reading What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It is a shame that so much destruction has already taken place.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "Something must be done!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The whole city must not perish!
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading The whole city must not perish!
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading It is a shame that so much destruction has already taken place.
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading It is a shame that so much destruction has already taken place.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It is a shame that so much destruction has already taken place.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "Something must be done!
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading Young Lord Desborough was the speaker.
be standing; be upright
From this reading What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading It is a shame that so much destruction has already taken place.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It is a shame that so much destruction has already taken place.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The whole city must not perish!
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Young Lord Desborough was the speaker.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"
an old and formal word for “while”
From this reading What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading The whole city must not perish!
-ing form of “wring” — twist and press out of shape
From this reading What are the city magnates about that they stand idle, wringing their hands, whilst all London burns about their ears?"
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Young Lord Desborough was the speaker.
Chapter 20 of The Sign of the Red Cross by Evelyn Everett-Green holds 150 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.
Chapter 20 holds 150 sentences of The Sign of the Red Cross, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Sign of the Red Cross by Evelyn Everett-Green exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 150 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.
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.
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 Sign of the Red Cross by Evelyn Everett-Green on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3922 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13840 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13840, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 326 minutes of reading across 785 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sign of the Red Cross section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Sign of the Red Cross 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 Sign of the Red Cross, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
