Chapter 20 of The West Point Rivals is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The West Point Rivals is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE PARSON’S BATTLE. The prisoners heard the Parson’s startled cry, and they staggered back overwhelmed. They were lost! As for Stanard, he was having a yet more terrible experience. His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.
Chapter 20 of The West Point Rivals is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
an abrupt excited utterance
From this reading “His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.”
cause to be firmly attached
From this reading “His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.”
the act of grasping
From this reading “His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.”
past form of “overwhelm” — overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
From this reading “The prisoners heard the Parson’s startled cry, and they staggered back overwhelmed.”
plural of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading “The prisoners heard the Parson’s startled cry, and they staggered back overwhelmed.”
take hold of; grab
From this reading “His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.”
past form of “stagger” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading “The prisoners heard the Parson’s startled cry, and they staggered back overwhelmed.”
a holding device attached to a workbench; has two jaws to hold workpiece firmly in place
From this reading “His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.”
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 “The prisoners heard the Parson’s startled cry, and they staggered back overwhelmed.”
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 As for Stanard, he was having a yet more terrible experience.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The prisoners heard the Parson’s startled cry, and they staggered back overwhelmed.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As for Stanard, he was having a yet more terrible experience.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The prisoners heard the Parson’s startled cry, and they staggered back overwhelmed.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading THE PARSON’S BATTLE.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.
resembling a claw
From this reading His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading The prisoners heard the Parson’s startled cry, and they staggered back overwhelmed.
an abrupt excited utterance
From this reading His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading As for Stanard, he was having a yet more terrible experience.
cause to be firmly attached
From this reading His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading As for Stanard, he was having a yet more terrible experience.
the act of grasping
From this reading His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading As for Stanard, he was having a yet more terrible experience.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As for Stanard, he was having a yet more terrible experience.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading The prisoners heard the Parson’s startled cry, and they staggered back overwhelmed.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading They were lost!
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading As for Stanard, he was having a yet more terrible experience.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.
past form of “overwhelm” — overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
From this reading The prisoners heard the Parson’s startled cry, and they staggered back overwhelmed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE PARSON’S BATTLE.
plural of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading The prisoners heard the Parson’s startled cry, and they staggered back overwhelmed.
take hold of; grab
From this reading His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.
past form of “stagger” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading The prisoners heard the Parson’s startled cry, and they staggered back overwhelmed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As for Stanard, he was having a yet more terrible experience.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading The prisoners heard the Parson’s startled cry, and they staggered back overwhelmed.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading As for Stanard, he was having a yet more terrible experience.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PARSON’S BATTLE.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The prisoners heard the Parson’s startled cry, and they staggered back overwhelmed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.
a holding device attached to a workbench; has two jaws to hold workpiece firmly in place
From this reading His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As for Stanard, he was having a yet more terrible experience.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were lost!
in the company of; together with
From this reading His exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise.
but in spite of that
From this reading As for Stanard, he was having a yet more terrible experience.
Chapter 20 of The West Point Rivals by Upton Sinclair holds 113 sentences, grouped into 23 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 113 sentences of The West Point Rivals, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The West Point Rivals by Upton Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 113 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 West Point Rivals by Upton Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4285 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #68041 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #68041, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 357 minutes of reading across 857 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The West Point Rivals section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The West Point Rivals 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 West Point Rivals, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
