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The wisdom of Father Brown
The wisdom of Father Brown

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of The wisdom of Father Brown is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The wisdom of Father Brown
Context Illustration Reading 1/34 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Mrs Boulnois drew near once more with the same contained glow of certainty.
My husband,” she said, is a great man.
Sir Claude Champion was not a great man: he was a celebrated and successful man.
My husband has never been celebrated or successful; and it is the solemn truth that he has never dreamed of being so.
He no more expects to be famous for thinking than for smoking cigars.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The wisdom of Father Brown

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of The wisdom of Father Brown is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Mrs Boulnois drew near once more with the same contained glow of certainty.
Line 2
My husband,” she said, “is a great man.
Line 3
Sir Claude Champion was not a great man: he was a celebrated and successful man.
Line 4
My husband has never been celebrated or successful; and it is the solemn truth that he has never dreamed of being so.
Line 5
He no more expects to be famous for thinking than for smoking cigars.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Same adjective US /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

From this reading “Mrs Boulnois drew near once more with the same contained glow of certainty.”

All words in this reading · 51

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.

a

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “My husband,” she said, “is a great man.

and

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sir Claude Champion was not a great man: he was a celebrated and successful man.

be

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He no more expects to be famous for thinking than for smoking cigars.

been

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My husband has never been celebrated or successful; and it is the solemn truth that he has never dreamed of being so.

being

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My husband has never been celebrated or successful; and it is the solemn truth that he has never dreamed of being so.

Boulnois

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mrs Boulnois drew near once more with the same contained glow of certainty.

celebrated

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sir Claude Champion was not a great man: he was a celebrated and successful man.

certainty

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mrs Boulnois drew near once more with the same contained glow of certainty.

Champion

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sir Claude Champion was not a great man: he was a celebrated and successful man.

cigars

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He no more expects to be famous for thinking than for smoking cigars.

Claude

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sir Claude Champion was not a great man: he was a celebrated and successful man.

contained

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mrs Boulnois drew near once more with the same contained glow of certainty.

dreamed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My husband has never been celebrated or successful; and it is the solemn truth that he has never dreamed of being so.

drew

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mrs Boulnois drew near once more with the same contained glow of certainty.

expects

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He no more expects to be famous for thinking than for smoking cigars.

famous

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He no more expects to be famous for thinking than for smoking cigars.

for

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He no more expects to be famous for thinking than for smoking cigars.

glow

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mrs Boulnois drew near once more with the same contained glow of certainty.

great

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “My husband,” she said, “is a great man.

has

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My husband has never been celebrated or successful; and it is the solemn truth that he has never dreamed of being so.

he

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sir Claude Champion was not a great man: he was a celebrated and successful man.

husband

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “My husband,” she said, “is a great man.

is

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “My husband,” she said, “is a great man.

it

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My husband has never been celebrated or successful; and it is the solemn truth that he has never dreamed of being so.

man

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “My husband,” she said, “is a great man.

more

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mrs Boulnois drew near once more with the same contained glow of certainty.

Mrs

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mrs Boulnois drew near once more with the same contained glow of certainty.

My

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “My husband,” she said, “is a great man.

near

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mrs Boulnois drew near once more with the same contained glow of certainty.

never

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My husband has never been celebrated or successful; and it is the solemn truth that he has never dreamed of being so.

no

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He no more expects to be famous for thinking than for smoking cigars.

not

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sir Claude Champion was not a great man: he was a celebrated and successful man.

of

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mrs Boulnois drew near once more with the same contained glow of certainty.

once

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mrs Boulnois drew near once more with the same contained glow of certainty.

or

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My husband has never been celebrated or successful; and it is the solemn truth that he has never dreamed of being so.

said

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “My husband,” she said, “is a great man.

sameadjectiveUS /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

From this reading Mrs Boulnois drew near once more with the same contained glow of certainty.

she

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “My husband,” she said, “is a great man.

Sir

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sir Claude Champion was not a great man: he was a celebrated and successful man.

smoking

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He no more expects to be famous for thinking than for smoking cigars.

so

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My husband has never been celebrated or successful; and it is the solemn truth that he has never dreamed of being so.

solemn

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My husband has never been celebrated or successful; and it is the solemn truth that he has never dreamed of being so.

successful

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sir Claude Champion was not a great man: he was a celebrated and successful man.

than

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He no more expects to be famous for thinking than for smoking cigars.

that

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My husband has never been celebrated or successful; and it is the solemn truth that he has never dreamed of being so.

the

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mrs Boulnois drew near once more with the same contained glow of certainty.

thinking

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He no more expects to be famous for thinking than for smoking cigars.

to

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He no more expects to be famous for thinking than for smoking cigars.

truth

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My husband has never been celebrated or successful; and it is the solemn truth that he has never dreamed of being so.

was

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sir Claude Champion was not a great man: he was a celebrated and successful man.

with

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mrs Boulnois drew near once more with the same contained glow of certainty.

Chapter 20 of The wisdom of Father Brown by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton holds 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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.

What does chapter 20 of The wisdom of Father Brown contain?

Chapter 20 holds 170 sentences of The wisdom of Father Brown, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of The wisdom of Father Brown by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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.

How do I study chapter 20 of The wisdom of Father Brown?

Work through the 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 34 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.

Can chapter 20 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The wisdom of Father Brown

Common questions about reading The wisdom of Father Brown by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The wisdom of Father Brown?

Yes. All 3580 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #223 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The wisdom of Father Brown is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #223, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The wisdom of Father Brown take to read?

About 298 minutes of reading across 716 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The wisdom of Father Brown section by section

How to work through The wisdom of Father Brown section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 21 chapters of The wisdom of Father Brown to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The wisdom of Father Brown

Words and structures a reader meets early in The wisdom of Father Brown, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Absence
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The wisdom of Father Brown; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Glass
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The wisdom of Father Brown; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Paradise
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The wisdom of Father Brown; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Thieves
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The wisdom of Father Brown; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.