The Sign of the Seven Sins

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of The Sign of the Seven Sins is here in full — 49 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By William Le Queux • Curated US English Learning Edition

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REVEALS THE TRUTH The woman Fournereau crossed the room quickly to a small rosewood bureau and took therefrom a little card-board box about a couple of inches square, such as are used for cheap jewelry.

“I have something here,” she said, addressing the man before her.

“It was lying on the floor.

You alone knew its secret--a secret which I too have lately discovered.”

And opening the box carefully she displayed, lying in a bed of cotton-wool, what at first appeared to be a woman’s steel thimble.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Sign of the Seven Sins

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of The Sign of the Seven Sins is here in full — 49 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/9 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Line 2

“I have something here,” she said, addressing the man before her.

/aɪ hæv ˈsʌmθɪŋ hiːr ʃiː sed əˈdresɪŋ ðə mæn bɪˈfɔːr hɜːr/

Line 3

“It was lying on the floor.

/ɪt wɑːz ˈlaɪɪŋ ɑːn ðə flɔːr/

Line 4

You alone knew its secret--a secret which I too have lately discovered.”

Line 5

And opening the box carefully she displayed, lying in a bed of cotton-wool, what at first appeared to be a woman’s steel thimble.

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.

addressing verb US /əˈdresɪŋ/

-ing form of “address” — speak to

From this reading ““I have something here,” she said, addressing the man before her.”

bureau noun US /ˈbjʊroʊ/

an administrative unit of government

From this reading “REVEALS THE TRUTH The woman Fournereau crossed the room quickly to a small rosewood bureau and took therefrom a little card-board box about a couple of inches square, such as are used for cheap jewelry.”

cheap adjective US /tʃiːp/

relatively low in price or charging low prices

displayed verb US /dɪˈspleɪd/

past form of “display” — to show, make visible or apparent

From this reading “And opening the box carefully she displayed, lying in a bed of cotton-wool, what at first appeared to be a woman’s steel thimble.”

jewelry noun US /ˈdʒuːəlri/

an adornment (as a bracelet or ring or necklace) made of precious metals and set with gems (or imitation gems)

reveals verb US /rɪˈviːlz/

third-person singular of “reveal” — make visible

rosewood noun US /ˈroʊzwʊd/

hard dark reddish wood of a rosewood tree having a strongly marked grain; used in cabinetwork

thimble noun US /ˈθɪmbəl/

as much as a thimble will hold

From this reading “And opening the box carefully she displayed, lying in a bed of cotton-wool, what at first appeared to be a woman’s steel thimble.”

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.

lately discovered adverb + adjective

In this reading “You alone knew its secret--a secret which I too have lately discovered.””

on the floor preposition + article + noun counted as “on … floor”

In this reading ““It was lying on the floor.”

REVEALS THE TRUTH verb + article + noun counted as “reveal … truth”

In this reading “REVEALS THE TRUTH The woman Fournereau crossed the room quickly to a small rosewood bureau and took therefrom a little card-board box about a couple of inches square, such as are used for cheap jewelry.”

All words in this reading · 69

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 REVEALS THE TRUTH The woman Fournereau crossed the room quickly to a small rosewood bureau and took therefrom a little card-board box about a couple of inches square, such as are used for cheap jewelry.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

addressingverbUS /əˈdresɪŋ/

-ing form of “address” — speak to

From this reading “I have something here,” she said, addressing the man before her.

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading You alone knew its secret--a secret which I too have lately discovered.”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

appearedverbUS /əˈpɪrd/

past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading And opening the box carefully she displayed, lying in a bed of cotton-wool, what at first appeared to be a woman’s steel thimble.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading And opening the box carefully she displayed, lying in a bed of cotton-wool, what at first appeared to be a woman’s steel thimble.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading And opening the box carefully she displayed, lying in a bed of cotton-wool, what at first appeared to be a woman’s steel thimble.

bednounUS /bed/

a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep

From this reading And opening the box carefully she displayed, lying in a bed of cotton-wool, what at first appeared to be a woman’s steel thimble.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “I have something here,” she said, addressing the man before her.

boxnounUS /bɑːks/

a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid

bureaunounUS /ˈbjʊroʊ/

an administrative unit of government

card-board

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

carefullyadverbUS /ˈkerfəli/

taking care or paying attention

From this reading And opening the box carefully she displayed, lying in a bed of cotton-wool, what at first appeared to be a woman’s steel thimble.

cheapadjectiveUS /tʃiːp/

relatively low in price or charging low prices

cotton-wool

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

From this reading And opening the box carefully she displayed, lying in a bed of cotton-wool, what at first appeared to be a woman’s steel thimble.

couplenounUS /ˈkʌpəl/

a pair who associate with one another

crossedadjectiveUS /krɔːst/

placed crosswise

discoveredadjectiveUS /dɪˈskʌvərd/

discovered or determined by scientific observation

From this reading You alone knew its secret--a secret which I too have lately discovered.”

displayedverbUS /dɪˈspleɪd/

past form of “display” — to show, make visible or apparent

From this reading And opening the box carefully she displayed, lying in a bed of cotton-wool, what at first appeared to be a woman’s steel thimble.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading And opening the box carefully she displayed, lying in a bed of cotton-wool, what at first appeared to be a woman’s steel thimble.

floornounUS /flɔːr/

the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)

From this reading “It was lying on the floor.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

Fournereau

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

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “I have something here,” she said, addressing the man before her.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading “I have something here,” she said, addressing the man before her.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading “I have something here,” she said, addressing the man before her.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading “I have something here,” she said, addressing the man before her.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading And opening the box carefully she displayed, lying in a bed of cotton-wool, what at first appeared to be a woman’s steel thimble.

inchesnounUS /ˈɪntʃəz/

plural of “inch” — a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “It was lying on the floor.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading You alone knew its secret--a secret which I too have lately discovered.”

jewelrynounUS /ˈdʒuːəlri/

an adornment (as a bracelet or ring or necklace) made of precious metals and set with gems (or imitation gems)

knewverbUS /nuː/

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 You alone knew its secret--a secret which I too have lately discovered.”

latelyadverbUS /ˈleɪtli/

in the recent past

From this reading You alone knew its secret--a secret which I too have lately discovered.”

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

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

lyingnounUS /ˈlaɪɪŋ/

the deliberate act of deviating from the truth

From this reading “It was lying on the floor.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading “I have something here,” she said, addressing the man before her.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading “It was lying on the floor.

openingnounUS /ˈoʊpənɪŋ/

an open or empty space in or between things

From this reading And opening the box carefully she displayed, lying in a bed of cotton-wool, what at first appeared to be a woman’s steel thimble.

quicklyadverbUS /ˈkwɪkli/

with speed

REVEALSverbUS /rɪˈviːlz/

third-person singular of “reveal” — make visible

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

rosewoodnounUS /ˈroʊzwʊd/

hard dark reddish wood of a rosewood tree having a strongly marked grain; used in cabinetwork

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “I have something here,” she said, addressing the man before her.

secretnounUS /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading You alone knew its secret--a secret which I too have lately discovered.”

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “I have something here,” she said, addressing the man before her.

smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

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

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “I have something here,” she said, addressing the man before her.

squareverbUS /skwer/

make square

steelnounUS /stiːl/

an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range

From this reading And opening the box carefully she displayed, lying in a bed of cotton-wool, what at first appeared to be a woman’s steel thimble.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

therefromadverb

from that circumstance or source

thimblenounUS /ˈθɪmbəl/

as much as a thimble will hold

From this reading And opening the box carefully she displayed, lying in a bed of cotton-wool, what at first appeared to be a woman’s steel thimble.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading You alone knew its secret--a secret which I too have lately discovered.”

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

TRUTHnounUS /truːθ/

a fact that has been verified

usedadjectiveUS /juːzd/

employed in accomplishing something

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading “It was lying on the floor.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading And opening the box carefully she displayed, lying in a bed of cotton-wool, what at first appeared to be a woman’s steel thimble.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading You alone knew its secret--a secret which I too have lately discovered.”

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

woman'snounUS /ˈwʊmənz/

possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading And opening the box carefully she displayed, lying in a bed of cotton-wool, what at first appeared to be a woman’s steel thimble.

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading You alone knew its secret--a secret which I too have lately discovered.”

Chapter 20 of The Sign of the Seven Sins by William Le Queux holds 49 sentences, grouped into 10 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 20 of The Sign of the Seven Sins contain?

Chapter 20 holds 49 sentences of The Sign of the Seven Sins, unabridged, divided into 10 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of The Sign of the Seven Sins by William Le Queux exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 49 sentences, grouped into 10 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 20 of The Sign of the Seven Sins?

Work through the 10 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 20 can be played aloud in United States English.

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