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Vine and Olive
Vine and Olive

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of Vine and Olive is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/38 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
LISBON AND ITS SURROUNDINGS.
The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.
“I should think this hotel had been a fort some time,” said Sheridan, when they rose in the morning.
“Those windows look like port–holes for cannon.”
“It is the house of Braganza, and ought to be a royal hotel; but it is not very elegantly furnished.
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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.

Vine and Olive

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of Vine and Olive is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
LISBON AND ITS SURROUNDINGS.
/ˈlɪzbən ənd ɪts sərˈaʊndɪŋz/
Line 2
The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.
Line 3
“I should think this hotel had been a fort some time,” said Sheridan, when they rose in the morning.
/aɪ ʃʊd θɪŋk ðɪs hoʊˈtel hæd bɪn ə fɔːrt sʌm taɪm sed ˈʃerɪdən wen ðeɪ roʊz ɪn ðə ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/
Line 4
“Those windows look like port–holes for cannon.”
Line 5
“It is the house of Braganza, and ought to be a royal hotel; but it is not very elegantly furnished.

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.

cannon noun US /ˈkænən/

a large artillery gun that is usually on wheels

From this reading ““Those windows look like port–holes for cannon.””

elegantly adverb US /ˈelɪɡəntliː/

with elegance; in a tastefully elegant manner

From this reading ““It is the house of Braganza, and ought to be a royal hotel; but it is not very elegantly furnished.”

holes noun US /hoʊlz/

plural of “hole” — an opening into or through something

From this reading ““Those windows look like port–holes for cannon.””

lisbon noun US /ˈlɪzbən/

capital and largest city and economic and cultural center of Portugal; a major port in western Portugal on Tagus River where it broadens and empties into the Atlantic

From this reading “LISBON AND ITS SURROUNDINGS.”

Murray noun US /ˈmɜːri/

British classical scholar (born in Australia) who advocated the League of Nations and the United Nations (1866-1957)

From this reading “The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.”

Sheridan noun US /ˈʃerɪdən/

Irish playwright remembered for his satirical comedies of manners (1751-1816)

From this reading “The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.”

surrounding adjective US /sərˈaʊndɪŋ/

closely encircling

From this reading “The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.”

surroundings noun US /sərˈaʊndɪŋz/

the environmental condition

From this reading “LISBON AND ITS SURROUNDINGS.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

elegantly furnished adverb + adjective

In this reading ““It is the house of Braganza, and ought to be a royal hotel; but it is not very elegantly furnished.”

surrounding country adjective + noun

In this reading “The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.”

some time adjective + noun

In this reading ““I should think this hotel had been a fort some time,” said Sheridan, when they rose in the morning.”

in the morning preposition + article + noun counted as “in … morning”

In this reading ““I should think this hotel had been a fort some time,” said Sheridan, when they rose in the morning.”

All words in this reading · 64

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading LISBON AND ITS SURROUNDINGS.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading “It is the house of Braganza, and ought to be a royal hotel; but it is not very elegantly furnished.

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “I should think this hotel had been a fort some time,” said Sheridan, when they rose in the morning.

Braganza

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

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading “It is the house of Braganza, and ought to be a royal hotel; but it is not very elegantly furnished.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

cannonnounUS /ˈkænən/

a large artillery gun that is usually on wheels

From this reading “Those windows look like port–holes for cannon.”

commandedverbUS /kəˈmændɪd/

past form of “command” — be in command of

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

concernedadjectiveUS /kənˈsɜːrnd/

feeling or showing worry or solicitude

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

countrynounUS /ˈkʌntri/

a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

elegantlyadverbUS /ˈelɪɡəntliː/

with elegance; in a tastefully elegant manner

From this reading “It is the house of Braganza, and ought to be a royal hotel; but it is not very elegantly furnished.

excellentadjectiveUS /ˈeksələnt/

very good; of the highest quality

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

faradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

fortnounUS /fɔːrt/

a fortified military post where troops are stationed

From this reading “I should think this hotel had been a fort some time,” said Sheridan, when they rose in the morning.

furnishedadjectiveUS /ˈfɜːrnɪʃt/

provided with whatever is necessary for a purpose (as furniture or equipment or authority)

From this reading “It is the house of Braganza, and ought to be a royal hotel; but it is not very elegantly furnished.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading “I should think this hotel had been a fort some time,” said Sheridan, when they rose in the morning.

holesnounUS /hoʊlz/

plural of “hole” — an opening into or through something

From this reading “Those windows look like port–holes for cannon.”

HotelnounUS /hoʊˈtel/

a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading “It is the house of Braganza, and ought to be a royal hotel; but it is not very elegantly furnished.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “I should think this hotel had been a fort some time,” said Sheridan, when they rose in the morning.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “It is the house of Braganza, and ought to be a royal hotel; but it is not very elegantly furnished.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

ITSdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading LISBON AND ITS SURROUNDINGS.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading “Those windows look like port–holes for cannon.”

LISBONnounUS /ˈlɪzbən/

capital and largest city and economic and cultural center of Portugal; a major port in western Portugal on Tagus River where it broadens and empties into the Atlantic

From this reading LISBON AND ITS SURROUNDINGS.

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading “Those windows look like port–holes for cannon.”

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading “I should think this hotel had been a fort some time,” said Sheridan, when they rose in the morning.

MurraynounUS /ˈmɜːri/

British classical scholar (born in Australia) who advocated the League of Nations and the United Nations (1866-1957)

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading “It is the house of Braganza, and ought to be a royal hotel; but it is not very elegantly furnished.

occupiedadjectiveUS /ˈɑːkjəpaɪd/

held or filled or in use

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

oughtmodal verbUS /ɔːt/

used with “to” to say what is right or advisable

From this reading “It is the house of Braganza, and ought to be a royal hotel; but it is not very elegantly furnished.

portnounUS /pɔːrt/

a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country

From this reading “Those windows look like port–holes for cannon.”

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

rosenounUS /roʊz/

any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses

From this reading “I should think this hotel had been a fort some time,” said Sheridan, when they rose in the morning.

royaladjectiveUS /ˈrɔɪəl/

of or relating to or indicative of or issued or performed by a king or queen or other monarch

From this reading “It is the house of Braganza, and ought to be a royal hotel; but it is not very elegantly furnished.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “I should think this hotel had been a fort some time,” said Sheridan, when they rose in the morning.

SheridannounUS /ˈʃerɪdən/

Irish playwright remembered for his satirical comedies of manners (1751-1816)

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading “I should think this hotel had been a fort some time,” said Sheridan, when they rose in the morning.

situationnounUS /ˌsɪtʃuːˈeɪʃən/

the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading “I should think this hotel had been a fort some time,” said Sheridan, when they rose in the morning.

surroundingadjectiveUS /sərˈaʊndɪŋ/

closely encircling

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

SURROUNDINGSnounUS /sərˈaʊndɪŋz/

the environmental condition

From this reading LISBON AND ITS SURROUNDINGS.

Tagusnoun

a European river; flows into the North Atlantic

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “I should think this hotel had been a fort some time,” said Sheridan, when they rose in the morning.

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading “I should think this hotel had been a fort some time,” said Sheridan, when they rose in the morning.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading “I should think this hotel had been a fort some time,” said Sheridan, when they rose in the morning.

ThosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “Those windows look like port–holes for cannon.”

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading “I should think this hotel had been a fort some time,” said Sheridan, when they rose in the morning.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading “It is the house of Braganza, and ought to be a royal hotel; but it is not very elegantly furnished.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading “It is the house of Braganza, and ought to be a royal hotel; but it is not very elegantly furnished.

viewnounUS /vjuː/

a way of regarding situations or topics etc.

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The room in the Hotel Braganza occupied by Sheridan and Murray was an excellent one, so far as the situation was concerned; for it commanded a beautiful view of the Tagus and the surrounding country.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading “I should think this hotel had been a fort some time,” said Sheridan, when they rose in the morning.

windowsnounUS /ˈwɪndoʊz/

(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface

From this reading “Those windows look like port–holes for cannon.”

Chapter 20 of Vine and Olive by Oliver Optic holds 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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.

What does chapter 20 of Vine and Olive contain?

Chapter 20 holds 190 sentences of Vine and Olive, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of Vine and Olive by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 Vine and Olive?

Work through the 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 38 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 Vine and Olive

Common questions about reading Vine and Olive by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Vine and Olive?

Yes. All 5918 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47423 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Vine and Olive is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #47423, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Vine and Olive take to read?

About 493 minutes of reading across 1184 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in Vine and Olive

Words and structures a reader meets early in Vine and Olive, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Obvious
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vine and Olive; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Print
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vine and Olive; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Punctuation
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vine and Olive; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Errors
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vine and Olive; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.