Chapter 20 of The Vision Splendid is here in full — 216 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 Vision Splendid is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color! 'She's coming, she's coming!' said he; 'Courage, boys I wait and see! 'FREEDOM'S AHEAD!' --Robert Buchanan.
Chapter 20 of The Vision Splendid is here in full — 216 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.
at or in the front
From this reading “'FREEDOM'S AHEAD!'”
15th President of the United States (1791-1868)
From this reading “--Robert Buchanan.”
a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
From this reading “Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!”
comparative of “dull” — lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading “Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!”
possessive form of “freedom” — the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints
From this reading “'FREEDOM'S AHEAD!'”
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading “--Robert Buchanan.”
only a very short time before
From this reading “Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!”
do one's shopping
From this reading “Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!”
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 Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
at or in the front
From this reading 'FREEDOM'S AHEAD!'
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading 'She's coming, she's coming!' said he; 'Courage, boys I wait and see!
15th President of the United States (1791-1868)
From this reading --Robert Buchanan.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading 'She's coming, she's coming!' said he; 'Courage, boys I wait and see!
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading 'She's coming, she's coming!' said he; 'Courage, boys I wait and see!
comparative of “dull” — lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
possessive form of “freedom” — the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints
From this reading 'FREEDOM'S AHEAD!'
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'She's coming, she's coming!' said he; 'Courage, boys I wait and see!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'She's coming, she's coming!' said he; 'Courage, boys I wait and see!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading --Robert Buchanan.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'She's coming, she's coming!' said he; 'Courage, boys I wait and see!
only a very short time before
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading 'She's coming, she's coming!' said he; 'Courage, boys I wait and see!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'She's coming, she's coming!' said he; 'Courage, boys I wait and see!
do one's shopping
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
male cat
From this reading Now poor Tom Dunstan's cold, Our shop is duller; Scarce a tale is told, And our talk has lost the old Red-republican color!
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading 'She's coming, she's coming!' said he; 'Courage, boys I wait and see!
Chapter 20 of The Vision Splendid by William MacLeod Raine holds 216 sentences, grouped into 44 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 216 sentences of The Vision Splendid, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Vision Splendid by William MacLeod Raine exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 216 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 Vision Splendid by William MacLeod Raine on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6527 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1846 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1846, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 543 minutes of reading across 1306 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Vision Splendid section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Vision Splendid 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 Vision Splendid, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
