Chapter 20 of The Swindler and Other Stories is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Swindler and Other Stories is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"To give me your promise," he said. "It is all I shall ask of you. I shall be satisfied with that." "And what have you to offer in exchange?" she said. A strange expression, that was almost a smile, flitted over his hard face.
Chapter 20 of The Swindler and Other Stories is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
chemical process in which one atom or ion or group changes places with another
From this reading “"And what have you to offer in exchange?" she said.”
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading “A strange expression, that was almost a smile, flitted over his hard face.”
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “A strange expression, that was almost a smile, flitted over his hard face.”
make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading “"And what have you to offer in exchange?" she said.”
make a promise or commitment
From this reading “"To give me your promise," he said.”
filled with satisfaction
From this reading “I shall be satisfied with that."”
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “A strange expression, that was almost a smile, flitted over his hard face.”
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading “A strange expression, that was almost a smile, flitted over his hard face.”
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 A strange expression, that was almost a smile, flitted over his hard face.
(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 "It is all I shall ask of you.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading A strange expression, that was almost a smile, flitted over his hard face.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And what have you to offer in exchange?" she said.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "It is all I shall ask of you.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I shall be satisfied with that."
chemical process in which one atom or ion or group changes places with another
From this reading "And what have you to offer in exchange?" she said.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading A strange expression, that was almost a smile, flitted over his hard face.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading A strange expression, that was almost a smile, flitted over his hard face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A strange expression, that was almost a smile, flitted over his hard face.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "To give me your promise," he said.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading A strange expression, that was almost a smile, flitted over his hard face.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "And what have you to offer in exchange?" she said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "To give me your promise," he said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A strange expression, that was almost a smile, flitted over his hard face.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "It is all I shall ask of you.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "And what have you to offer in exchange?" she said.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is all I shall ask of you.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is all I shall ask of you.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "To give me your promise," he said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "It is all I shall ask of you.
make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading "And what have you to offer in exchange?" she said.
above and across; more than
From this reading A strange expression, that was almost a smile, flitted over his hard face.
make a promise or commitment
From this reading "To give me your promise," he said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "To give me your promise," he said.
filled with satisfaction
From this reading I shall be satisfied with that."
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "It is all I shall ask of you.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "And what have you to offer in exchange?" she said.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading A strange expression, that was almost a smile, flitted over his hard face.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading A strange expression, that was almost a smile, flitted over his hard face.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I shall be satisfied with that."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "To give me your promise," he said.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A strange expression, that was almost a smile, flitted over his hard face.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "And what have you to offer in exchange?" she said.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I shall be satisfied with that."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "It is all I shall ask of you.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "To give me your promise," he said.
Chapter 20 of The Swindler and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 406 sentences of The Swindler and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Swindler and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Swindler and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8523 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18644 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18644, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1705 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Swindler and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Swindler and Other Stories 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 Swindler and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
