Chapter 20 of The Wings of Icarus is here in full — 27 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Wings of Icarus is here in full — 27 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
December 6th. The snow is on the ground; 'tis a beautiful white world. Yet to-day has been a dull day. I had my lesson yesterday. I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
Chapter 20 of The Wings of Icarus is here in full — 27 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/5 · 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.
of or relating to the life and times of kings Charles I or Charles II of England
From this reading “I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.”
plural of “charity” — a foundation created to promote the public good (not for assistance to any particular individuals)
From this reading “I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.”
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading “December 6th.”
an agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank
From this reading “I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.”
a unit of instruction
From this reading “I had my lesson yesterday.”
give or make a list of; name individually; give the names of
From this reading “I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.”
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading “I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.”
Queen of England as the third wife of Henry VIII and mother of Edward VI (1509-1537)
From this reading “I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading December 6th.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The snow is on the ground; 'tis a beautiful white world.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading The snow is on the ground; 'tis a beautiful white world.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Yet to-day has been a dull day.
of or relating to the life and times of kings Charles I or Charles II of England
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
plural of “charity” — a foundation created to promote the public good (not for assistance to any particular individuals)
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Yet to-day has been a dull day.
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading December 6th.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading Yet to-day has been a dull day.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading The snow is on the ground; 'tis a beautiful white world.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had my lesson yesterday.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Yet to-day has been a dull day.
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I had my lesson yesterday.
an agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The snow is on the ground; 'tis a beautiful white world.
a unit of instruction
From this reading I had my lesson yesterday.
give or make a list of; name individually; give the names of
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I had my lesson yesterday.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The snow is on the ground; 'tis a beautiful white world.
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
Queen of England as the third wife of Henry VIII and mother of Edward VI (1509-1537)
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading The snow is on the ground; 'tis a beautiful white world.
plural of “soul” — the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The snow is on the ground; 'tis a beautiful white world.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading The snow is on the ground; 'tis a beautiful white world.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yet to-day has been a dull day.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
a Caucasian
From this reading The snow is on the ground; 'tis a beautiful white world.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading I spent the whole of this afternoon preparing a list of Christmas charities, in which Aunt Caroline and Ida Seymour helped me, good souls.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading The snow is on the ground; 'tis a beautiful white world.
the day immediately before today
From this reading I had my lesson yesterday.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet to-day has been a dull day.
Chapter 20 of The Wings of Icarus by Laurence Alma-Tadema holds 27 sentences, grouped into 6 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 27 sentences of The Wings of Icarus, unabridged, divided into 6 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Wings of Icarus by Laurence Alma-Tadema exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 27 sentences, grouped into 6 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 6 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 6 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 Wings of Icarus by Laurence Alma-Tadema on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2158 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17255 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17255, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 179 minutes of reading across 432 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Wings of Icarus section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Wings of Icarus 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 Wings of Icarus, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
