Chapter 20 of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Dan paused, seemed to listen, then went on doggedly. “'Sit down, gentleman,' said old Pearse. 'What may you want to see my son for?' John Ford begged his pardon, he had something to say, he said, that wouldn't wait. “They were very polite to one another,” muttered Dan ....
Chapter 20 of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
inflected form of “beg” — call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading “John Ford begged his pardon, he had something to say, he said, that wouldn't wait.”
with obstinate determination
From this reading “Dan paused, seemed to listen, then went on doggedly.”
United States film maker (1896-1973)
From this reading “John Ford begged his pardon, he had something to say, he said, that wouldn't wait.”
hear with intention
From this reading “Dan paused, seemed to listen, then went on doggedly.”
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading ““They were very polite to one another,” muttered Dan ....”
accept an excuse for
From this reading “John Ford begged his pardon, he had something to say, he said, that wouldn't wait.”
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading “Dan paused, seemed to listen, then went on doggedly.”
showing regard for others in manners, speech, behavior, etc.
From this reading ““They were very polite to one another,” muttered Dan ....”
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.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading “They were very polite to one another,” muttered Dan ....
inflected form of “beg” — call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading John Ford begged his pardon, he had something to say, he said, that wouldn't wait.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dan paused, seemed to listen, then went on doggedly.
with obstinate determination
From this reading Dan paused, seemed to listen, then went on doggedly.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “'Sit down, gentleman,' said old Pearse.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading 'What may you want to see my son for?'
United States film maker (1896-1973)
From this reading John Ford begged his pardon, he had something to say, he said, that wouldn't wait.
a man of refinement
From this reading “'Sit down, gentleman,' said old Pearse.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading John Ford begged his pardon, he had something to say, he said, that wouldn't wait.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading John Ford begged his pardon, he had something to say, he said, that wouldn't wait.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading John Ford begged his pardon, he had something to say, he said, that wouldn't wait.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading John Ford begged his pardon, he had something to say, he said, that wouldn't wait.
hear with intention
From this reading Dan paused, seemed to listen, then went on doggedly.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading 'What may you want to see my son for?'
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “They were very polite to one another,” muttered Dan ....
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading 'What may you want to see my son for?'
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “'Sit down, gentleman,' said old Pearse.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Dan paused, seemed to listen, then went on doggedly.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “They were very polite to one another,” muttered Dan ....
accept an excuse for
From this reading John Ford begged his pardon, he had something to say, he said, that wouldn't wait.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading Dan paused, seemed to listen, then went on doggedly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “'Sit down, gentleman,' said old Pearse.
showing regard for others in manners, speech, behavior, etc.
From this reading “They were very polite to one another,” muttered Dan ....
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “'Sit down, gentleman,' said old Pearse.
express in words
From this reading John Ford begged his pardon, he had something to say, he said, that wouldn't wait.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading 'What may you want to see my son for?'
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Dan paused, seemed to listen, then went on doggedly.
be seated
From this reading “'Sit down, gentleman,' said old Pearse.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading John Ford begged his pardon, he had something to say, he said, that wouldn't wait.
a male human offspring
From this reading 'What may you want to see my son for?'
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading John Ford begged his pardon, he had something to say, he said, that wouldn't wait.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Dan paused, seemed to listen, then went on doggedly.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “They were very polite to one another,” muttered Dan ....
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Dan paused, seemed to listen, then went on doggedly.
precisely as stated
From this reading “They were very polite to one another,” muttered Dan ....
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading John Ford begged his pardon, he had something to say, he said, that wouldn't wait.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading 'What may you want to see my son for?'
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Dan paused, seemed to listen, then went on doggedly.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “They were very polite to one another,” muttered Dan ....
used to ask for information about something
From this reading 'What may you want to see my son for?'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading John Ford begged his pardon, he had something to say, he said, that wouldn't wait.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'What may you want to see my son for?'
Chapter 20 of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories by John Galsworthy holds 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 213 sentences of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories by John Galsworthy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 Villa Rubein, and Other Stories by John Galsworthy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7123 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2639 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2639, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 593 minutes of reading across 1425 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Villa Rubein, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories 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 Villa Rubein, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
