Chapter 20 of The Spy: The Story of a Superfluous Man is here in full — 282 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Spy: The Story of a Superfluous Man is here in full — 282 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The next day Sasha learned of Yevsey's success. He questioned him in detail. After reflecting awhile he smiled his putrid smile, and gave Klimkov instructions. "Wait a little. Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?
Chapter 20 of The Spy: The Story of a Superfluous Man is here in full — 282 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/56 · 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.
for a short time
From this reading “After reflecting awhile he smiled his putrid smile, and gave Klimkov instructions.”
an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole
From this reading “He questioned him in detail.”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?”
a manual usually accompanying a technical device and explaining how to install or operate it
From this reading “After reflecting awhile he smiled his putrid smile, and gave Klimkov instructions.”
text handwritten in the style of printed matter
From this reading “Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?”
of or relating to or attended by putrefaction
From this reading “After reflecting awhile he smiled his putrid smile, and gave Klimkov instructions.”
past form of “question” — challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “He questioned him in detail.”
causing reflection or having a device that reflects
From this reading “After reflecting awhile he smiled his putrid smile, and gave Klimkov instructions.”
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.
In this reading “Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?”
In this reading “The next day Sasha learned of Yevsey's success.”
thoroughly (including all important particulars)
In this reading “He questioned him in detail.”
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 "Wait a little.
later than; following
From this reading After reflecting awhile he smiled his putrid smile, and gave Klimkov instructions.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading After reflecting awhile he smiled his putrid smile, and gave Klimkov instructions.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?
for a short time
From this reading After reflecting awhile he smiled his putrid smile, and gave Klimkov instructions.
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The next day Sasha learned of Yevsey's success.
an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole
From this reading He questioned him in detail.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading After reflecting awhile he smiled his putrid smile, and gave Klimkov instructions.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He questioned him in detail.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He questioned him in detail.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading After reflecting awhile he smiled his putrid smile, and gave Klimkov instructions.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He questioned him in detail.
a manual usually accompanying a technical device and explaining how to install or operate it
From this reading After reflecting awhile he smiled his putrid smile, and gave Klimkov instructions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After reflecting awhile he smiled his putrid smile, and gave Klimkov instructions.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading The next day Sasha learned of Yevsey's success.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Wait a little.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next day Sasha learned of Yevsey's success.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The next day Sasha learned of Yevsey's success.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?
text handwritten in the style of printed matter
From this reading Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?
of or relating to or attended by putrefaction
From this reading After reflecting awhile he smiled his putrid smile, and gave Klimkov instructions.
past form of “question” — challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading He questioned him in detail.
causing reflection or having a device that reflects
From this reading After reflecting awhile he smiled his putrid smile, and gave Klimkov instructions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next day Sasha learned of Yevsey's success.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading After reflecting awhile he smiled his putrid smile, and gave Klimkov instructions.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading After reflecting awhile he smiled his putrid smile, and gave Klimkov instructions.
an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
From this reading The next day Sasha learned of Yevsey's success.
express in words
From this reading Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next day Sasha learned of Yevsey's success.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading "Wait a little.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next day Sasha learned of Yevsey's success.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear?
Chapter 20 of The Spy: The Story of a Superfluous Man by Maksim Gorky holds 282 sentences, grouped into 57 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 282 sentences of The Spy: The Story of a Superfluous Man, unabridged, divided into 57 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Spy: The Story of a Superfluous Man by Maksim Gorky exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 282 sentences, grouped into 57 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 57 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 57 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 Spy: The Story of a Superfluous Man by Maksim Gorky on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7571 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51094 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51094, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1515 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Spy: The Story of a Superfluous Man section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Spy: The Story of a Superfluous Man 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 Spy: The Story of a Superfluous Man, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
