Chapter 20 of 'Tilda Jane is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of 'Tilda Jane is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WAITING. Mr. Dillson had not passed a pleasant night. In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure. For half an hour he had sat, hoping that she would return, or that some one would call on some errand. Without his crutches he was helpless.
Chapter 20 of 'Tilda Jane is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 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.
plural of “crutch” — a wooden or metal staff that fits under the armpit and reaches to the ground; used by disabled person while walking
From this reading “Without his crutches he was helpless.”
the act of departing
From this reading “In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.”
a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission
From this reading “For half an hour he had sat, hoping that she would return, or that some one would call on some errand.”
lacking in or deprived of strength or power
From this reading “Without his crutches he was helpless.”
-ing form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading “For half an hour he had sat, hoping that she would return, or that some one would call on some errand.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.”
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading “Mr. Dillson had not passed a pleasant night.”
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading “WAITING.”
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.
a prolonged period of time
In this reading “In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.”
In this reading “In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.”
In this reading “For half an hour he had sat, hoping that she would return, or that some one would call on some errand.”
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 Mr. Dillson had not passed a pleasant night.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.
later than; following
From this reading In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For half an hour he had sat, hoping that she would return, or that some one would call on some errand.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading For half an hour he had sat, hoping that she would return, or that some one would call on some errand.
plural of “crutch” — a wooden or metal staff that fits under the armpit and reaches to the ground; used by disabled person while walking
From this reading Without his crutches he was helpless.
the act of departing
From this reading In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Dillson had not passed a pleasant night.
a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission
From this reading For half an hour he had sat, hoping that she would return, or that some one would call on some errand.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mr. Dillson had not passed a pleasant night.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading For half an hour he had sat, hoping that she would return, or that some one would call on some errand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.
lacking in or deprived of strength or power
From this reading Without his crutches he was helpless.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Without his crutches he was helpless.
-ing form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading For half an hour he had sat, hoping that she would return, or that some one would call on some errand.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading For half an hour he had sat, hoping that she would return, or that some one would call on some errand.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Dillson had not passed a pleasant night.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Mr. Dillson had not passed a pleasant night.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Mr. Dillson had not passed a pleasant night.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading For half an hour he had sat, hoping that she would return, or that some one would call on some errand.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading For half an hour he had sat, hoping that she would return, or that some one would call on some errand.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading For half an hour he had sat, hoping that she would return, or that some one would call on some errand.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Mr. Dillson had not passed a pleasant night.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading Mr. Dillson had not passed a pleasant night.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading For half an hour he had sat, hoping that she would return, or that some one would call on some errand.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading For half an hour he had sat, hoping that she would return, or that some one would call on some errand.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For half an hour he had sat, hoping that she would return, or that some one would call on some errand.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading For half an hour he had sat, hoping that she would return, or that some one would call on some errand.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading For half an hour he had sat, hoping that she would return, or that some one would call on some errand.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In the first place he had not been able to move for a long time after 'Tilda Jane's departure.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading WAITING.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Without his crutches he was helpless.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Without his crutches he was helpless.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading For half an hour he had sat, hoping that she would return, or that some one would call on some errand.
Chapter 20 of 'Tilda Jane by Marshall Saunders holds 65 sentences, grouped into 13 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 65 sentences of 'Tilda Jane, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of 'Tilda Jane by Marshall Saunders exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 65 sentences, grouped into 13 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 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 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 'Tilda Jane by Marshall Saunders on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3461 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52018 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52018, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 288 minutes of reading across 693 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through 'Tilda Jane section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of 'Tilda Jane 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 'Tilda Jane, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
