Chapter 20 of The Whirlpool is here in full — 241 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Whirlpool is here in full — 241 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months. She would have come at New Year, but an attack of influenza upset her plans. Now she wrote to announce her arrival on Saturday. 'I wish it had been Monday,' said Alma; 'I have to go to the Crystal Palace.' 'Is it imperative?' asked her husband.
Chapter 20 of The Whirlpool is here in full — 241 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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.
make known; make an announcement
From this reading “Now she wrote to announce her arrival on Saturday.”
a solid formed by the solidification of a chemical and having a highly regular atomic structure
From this reading “'I wish it had been Monday,' said Alma; 'I have to go to the Crystal Palace.'”
requiring attention or action
From this reading “'Is it imperative?' asked her husband.”
an acute febrile highly contagious viral disease
From this reading “She would have come at New Year, but an attack of influenza upset her plans.”
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading “'I wish it had been Monday,' said Alma; 'I have to go to the Crystal Palace.'”
a woman's cap with two long flaps pinned on
From this reading “A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.”
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading “Now she wrote to announce her arrival on Saturday.”
disturb the balance or stability of
From this reading “She would have come at New Year, but an attack of influenza upset her plans.”
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 visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I wish it had been Monday,' said Alma; 'I have to go to the Crystal Palace.'
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading She would have come at New Year, but an attack of influenza upset her plans.
make known; make an announcement
From this reading Now she wrote to announce her arrival on Saturday.
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading Now she wrote to announce her arrival on Saturday.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading 'Is it imperative?' asked her husband.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading She would have come at New Year, but an attack of influenza upset her plans.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She would have come at New Year, but an attack of influenza upset her plans.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading She would have come at New Year, but an attack of influenza upset her plans.
a solid formed by the solidification of a chemical and having a highly regular atomic structure
From this reading 'I wish it had been Monday,' said Alma; 'I have to go to the Crystal Palace.'
owed and payable immediately or on demand
From this reading A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading 'I wish it had been Monday,' said Alma; 'I have to go to the Crystal Palace.'
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading She would have come at New Year, but an attack of influenza upset her plans.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She would have come at New Year, but an attack of influenza upset her plans.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading 'Is it imperative?' asked her husband.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'I wish it had been Monday,' said Alma; 'I have to go to the Crystal Palace.'
requiring attention or action
From this reading 'Is it imperative?' asked her husband.
an acute febrile highly contagious viral disease
From this reading She would have come at New Year, but an attack of influenza upset her plans.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'Is it imperative?' asked her husband.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading 'I wish it had been Monday,' said Alma; 'I have to go to the Crystal Palace.'
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading 'I wish it had been Monday,' said Alma; 'I have to go to the Crystal Palace.'
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading She would have come at New Year, but an attack of influenza upset her plans.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now she wrote to announce her arrival on Saturday.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She would have come at New Year, but an attack of influenza upset her plans.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Now she wrote to announce her arrival on Saturday.
a large and stately mansion
From this reading 'I wish it had been Monday,' said Alma; 'I have to go to the Crystal Palace.'
a woman's cap with two long flaps pinned on
From this reading A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.
plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished
From this reading She would have come at New Year, but an attack of influenza upset her plans.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'I wish it had been Monday,' said Alma; 'I have to go to the Crystal Palace.'
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Now she wrote to announce her arrival on Saturday.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She would have come at New Year, but an attack of influenza upset her plans.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'I wish it had been Monday,' said Alma; 'I have to go to the Crystal Palace.'
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now she wrote to announce her arrival on Saturday.
disturb the balance or stability of
From this reading She would have come at New Year, but an attack of influenza upset her plans.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.
which person or people
From this reading A visit was due from Mrs. Frothingham, who had not been seen at Pinner for more than six months.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading 'I wish it had been Monday,' said Alma; 'I have to go to the Crystal Palace.'
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading She would have come at New Year, but an attack of influenza upset her plans.
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading Now she wrote to announce her arrival on Saturday.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading She would have come at New Year, but an attack of influenza upset her plans.
Chapter 20 of The Whirlpool by George Gissing holds 241 sentences, grouped into 49 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 241 sentences of The Whirlpool, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Whirlpool by George Gissing exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 241 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 Whirlpool by George Gissing on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10699 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4299 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4299, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2140 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Whirlpool section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Whirlpool 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 Whirlpool, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
