Chapter 20 of The Turnpike House is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Turnpike House is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WHAT MR. CASS HAD TO SAY. Mr. Cass arrived home in a more cheerful frame of mind. His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile. He was relieved, too, to hear that Amy had gone.
Chapter 20 of The Turnpike House is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
(psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic
From this reading “His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.”
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading “Mr. Cass arrived home in a more cheerful frame of mind.”
being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits
From this reading “Mr. Cass arrived home in a more cheerful frame of mind.”
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.”
enclose in or as if in a frame
From this reading “Mr. Cass arrived home in a more cheerful frame of mind.”
past form of “prosper” — make steady progress; be at the high point in one's career or reach a high point in historical significance or importance
From this reading “His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.”
(of pain or sorrow) made easier to bear
From this reading “He was relieved, too, to hear that Amy had gone.”
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading “His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.”
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 “Mr. Cass arrived home in a more cheerful frame of mind.”
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 Mr. Cass arrived home in a more cheerful frame of mind.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was relieved, too, to hear that Amy had gone.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.
(psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic
From this reading His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading Mr. Cass arrived home in a more cheerful frame of mind.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CASS HAD TO SAY.
being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits
From this reading Mr. Cass arrived home in a more cheerful frame of mind.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.
enclose in or as if in a frame
From this reading Mr. Cass arrived home in a more cheerful frame of mind.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.
destroyed or killed
From this reading He was relieved, too, to hear that Amy had gone.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading CASS HAD TO SAY.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was relieved, too, to hear that Amy had gone.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading He was relieved, too, to hear that Amy had gone.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Mr. Cass arrived home in a more cheerful frame of mind.
not easily perturbed or excited or upset; marked by extreme calm and composure
From this reading His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mr. Cass arrived home in a more cheerful frame of mind.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Mr. Cass arrived home in a more cheerful frame of mind.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Mr. Cass arrived home in a more cheerful frame of mind.
a form of address for a man
From this reading WHAT MR.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mr. Cass arrived home in a more cheerful frame of mind.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.
past form of “prosper” — make steady progress; be at the high point in one's career or reach a high point in historical significance or importance
From this reading His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.
(of pain or sorrow) made easier to bear
From this reading He was relieved, too, to hear that Amy had gone.
express in words
From this reading CASS HAD TO SAY.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He was relieved, too, to hear that Amy had gone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading CASS HAD TO SAY.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading He was relieved, too, to hear that Amy had gone.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading WHAT MR.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading His business, whatever it was, had evidently prospered, and the look of anxiety which his face had worn had given place to his usual imperturbable smile.
Chapter 20 of The Turnpike House by Fergus Hume holds 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 218 sentences of The Turnpike House, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Turnpike House by Fergus Hume exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Turnpike House by Fergus Hume on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6014 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55782 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55782, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 501 minutes of reading across 1203 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Turnpike House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Turnpike House 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 Turnpike House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
