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The Triumph of John Kars
The Triumph of John Kars

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of The Triumph of John Kars is here in full — 339 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Ridgwell Cullum • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Triumph of John Kars
Context Illustration Reading 1/67 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
DR.
BILL INVESTIGATES All that had been feared by the two men in the box had come to pass.
It had come with a swiftness, a sureness incomparable.
It had come with a mercilessness which those who knew him regarded as only to be expected in a man of Pap Shaunbaum's record.
Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Triumph of John Kars

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of The Triumph of John Kars is here in full — 339 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/67 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
DR.
Line 2
BILL INVESTIGATES All that had been feared by the two men in the box had come to pass.
/bɪl ˌɪnˈvestəɡeɪts ɔːl ðæt hæd bɪn fɪrd baɪ ðə tuː men ɪn ðə bɑːks hæd kʌm tuː pæs/
Line 3
It had come with a swiftness, a sureness incomparable.
Line 4
It had come with a mercilessness which those who knew him regarded as only to be expected in a man of Pap Shaunbaum's record.
Line 5
Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

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.

incomparable adjective US /ˌɪnˈkɑːmpərəbəl/

such that comparison is impossible; unsuitable for comparison or lacking features that can be compared

From this reading “It had come with a swiftness, a sureness incomparable.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
investigates verb US /ˌɪnˈvestəɡeɪts/

third-person singular of “investigate” — investigate scientifically

From this reading “BILL INVESTIGATES All that had been feared by the two men in the box had come to pass.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lawless adjective US /ˈlɔːləs/

without law or control

From this reading “Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pandemonium noun US /ˌpændɪˈmoʊniəm/

a state of extreme confusion and disorder

From this reading “Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
panic noun US /ˈpænɪk/

an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety

From this reading “Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Pap noun US /pæp/

worthless or oversimplified ideas

From this reading “It had come with a mercilessness which those who knew him regarded as only to be expected in a man of Pap Shaunbaum's record.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
reigned verb US /reɪnd/

past form of “reign” — have sovereign power

From this reading “Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
swiftness noun US /ˈswɪftnəs/

a rate (usually rapid) at which something happens

From this reading “It had come with a swiftness, a sureness incomparable.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 60

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 It had come with a swiftness, a sureness incomparable.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
AccustomedadjectiveUS /əˈkʌstəmd/

commonly used or practiced; usual

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
AlladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 BILL INVESTIGATES All that had been feared by the two men in the box had come to pass.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading It had come with a mercilessness which those who knew him regarded as only to be expected in a man of Pap Shaunbaum's record.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atmospherenounUS /ˈætməsfɪr/

a particular environment or surrounding influence

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading It had come with a mercilessness which those who knew him regarded as only to be expected in a man of Pap Shaunbaum's record.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading BILL INVESTIGATES All that had been feared by the two men in the box had come to pass.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
BILLnounUS /bɪl/

a statute in draft before it becomes law

From this reading BILL INVESTIGATES All that had been feared by the two men in the box had come to pass.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
boxnounUS /bɑːks/

a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid

From this reading BILL INVESTIGATES All that had been feared by the two men in the box had come to pass.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading BILL INVESTIGATES All that had been feared by the two men in the box had come to pass.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading BILL INVESTIGATES All that had been feared by the two men in the box had come to pass.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
darknounUS /dɑːrk/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DR

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

From this reading DR.

Pending verification
Elysianadjective

relating to the Elysian Fields

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
expectedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈspektəd/

considered likely or probable to happen or arrive

From this reading It had come with a mercilessness which those who knew him regarded as only to be expected in a man of Pap Shaunbaum's record.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fearedverbUS /fɪrd/

past form of “fear” — be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event

From this reading BILL INVESTIGATES All that had been feared by the two men in the box had come to pass.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FieldsnounUS /fiːldz/

United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
frequenters

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

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

Pending verification
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading BILL INVESTIGATES All that had been feared by the two men in the box had come to pass.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/

only a very short time before

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading It had come with a mercilessness which those who knew him regarded as only to be expected in a man of Pap Shaunbaum's record.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading BILL INVESTIGATES All that had been feared by the two men in the box had come to pass.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
incomparableadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈkɑːmpərəbəl/

such that comparison is impossible; unsuitable for comparison or lacking features that can be compared

From this reading It had come with a swiftness, a sureness incomparable.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
INVESTIGATESverbUS /ˌɪnˈvestəɡeɪts/

third-person singular of “investigate” — investigate scientifically

From this reading BILL INVESTIGATES All that had been feared by the two men in the box had come to pass.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It had come with a swiftness, a sureness incomparable.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
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 It had come with a mercilessness which those who knew him regarded as only to be expected in a man of Pap Shaunbaum's record.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lawlessadjectiveUS /ˈlɔːləs/

without law or control

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

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

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mannounUS /mæn/

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

From this reading It had come with a mercilessness which those who knew him regarded as only to be expected in a man of Pap Shaunbaum's record.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading BILL INVESTIGATES All that had been feared by the two men in the box had come to pass.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mercilessnessnoun

feelings of extreme heartlessness

From this reading It had come with a mercilessness which those who knew him regarded as only to be expected in a man of Pap Shaunbaum's record.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It had come with a mercilessness which those who knew him regarded as only to be expected in a man of Pap Shaunbaum's record.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading It had come with a mercilessness which those who knew him regarded as only to be expected in a man of Pap Shaunbaum's record.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pandemoniumnounUS /ˌpændɪˈmoʊniəm/

a state of extreme confusion and disorder

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
panicnounUS /ˈpænɪk/

an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PapnounUS /pæp/

worthless or oversimplified ideas

From this reading It had come with a mercilessness which those who knew him regarded as only to be expected in a man of Pap Shaunbaum's record.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
partnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
passverbUS /pæs/

go across or through

From this reading BILL INVESTIGATES All that had been feared by the two men in the box had come to pass.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
recordnounUS /rəˈkɔːrd/

anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events

From this reading It had come with a mercilessness which those who knew him regarded as only to be expected in a man of Pap Shaunbaum's record.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
regardedverbUS /rɪˈɡɑːrdɪd/

past form of “regard” — deem to be

From this reading It had come with a mercilessness which those who knew him regarded as only to be expected in a man of Pap Shaunbaum's record.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
reignedverbUS /reɪnd/

past form of “reign” — have sovereign power

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
removedadjectiveUS /riˈmuːvd/

separated in relationship by a given degree of descent

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Shaunbaum's

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

From this reading It had come with a mercilessness which those who knew him regarded as only to be expected in a man of Pap Shaunbaum's record.

Pending verification
surenessnoun

freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities

From this reading It had come with a swiftness, a sureness incomparable.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
swiftnessnounUS /ˈswɪftnəs/

a rate (usually rapid) at which something happens

From this reading It had come with a swiftness, a sureness incomparable.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading BILL INVESTIGATES All that had been feared by the two men in the box had come to pass.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading BILL INVESTIGATES All that had been feared by the two men in the box had come to pass.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading It had come with a mercilessness which those who knew him regarded as only to be expected in a man of Pap Shaunbaum's record.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading BILL INVESTIGATES All that had been feared by the two men in the box had come to pass.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading BILL INVESTIGATES All that had been feared by the two men in the box had come to pass.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Accustomed to an atmosphere very little removed from the lawless, the panic and pandemonium that reigned in the dark was hardly to have been expected on the part of the frequenters of the Elysian Fields.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading It had come with a mercilessness which those who knew him regarded as only to be expected in a man of Pap Shaunbaum's record.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading It had come with a mercilessness which those who knew him regarded as only to be expected in a man of Pap Shaunbaum's record.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading It had come with a swiftness, a sureness incomparable.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 20 of The Triumph of John Kars by Ridgwell Cullum holds 339 sentences, grouped into 68 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 Triumph of John Kars contain?

Chapter 20 holds 339 sentences of The Triumph of John Kars, unabridged, divided into 68 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of The Triumph of John Kars by Ridgwell Cullum exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 339 sentences, grouped into 68 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 Triumph of John Kars?

Work through the 68 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 68 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.

Can chapter 20 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Triumph of John Kars

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Project Gutenberg eBook #19064, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 600 minutes of reading across 1891 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Triumph of John Kars

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Triumph of John Kars, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Haunting
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Triumph of John Kars; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Silence
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Triumph of John Kars; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Prevails
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Triumph of John Kars; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Beyond
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Triumph of John Kars; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.