Chapter 20 of White Lies is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of White Lies is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
These were not words; they were electric shocks. The two arms that gripped Rose’s arms were paralyzed, and dropped off them; and there was silence. Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her. She stood, her eyes turned downwards, yet inwards, and dilating with horror. Silence.
Chapter 20 of White Lies is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
spatially or metaphorically from a higher to a lower level or position
From this reading “She stood, her eyes turned downwards, yet inwards, and dilating with horror.”
using or providing or producing or transmitting or operated by electricity
From this reading “These were not words; they were electric shocks.”
inflected form of “grip” — hold fast or firmly
From this reading “The two arms that gripped Rose’s arms were paralyzed, and dropped off them; and there was silence.”
intense and profound fear
From this reading “She stood, her eyes turned downwards, yet inwards, and dilating with horror.”
affected with paralysis
From this reading “The two arms that gripped Rose’s arms were paralyzed, and dropped off them; and there was silence.”
possessive form of “rose” — any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
plural of “shock” — the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading “These were not words; they were electric shocks.”
rise and move, as in waves or billows
From this reading “Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The two arms that gripped Rose’s arms were paralyzed, and dropped off them; and there was silence.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading The two arms that gripped Rose’s arms were paralyzed, and dropped off them; and there was silence.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She stood, her eyes turned downwards, yet inwards, and dilating with horror.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her.
spatially or metaphorically from a higher to a lower level or position
From this reading She stood, her eyes turned downwards, yet inwards, and dilating with horror.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading The two arms that gripped Rose’s arms were paralyzed, and dropped off them; and there was silence.
using or providing or producing or transmitting or operated by electricity
From this reading These were not words; they were electric shocks.
opinion or judgment
From this reading She stood, her eyes turned downwards, yet inwards, and dilating with horror.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her.
inflected form of “grip” — hold fast or firmly
From this reading The two arms that gripped Rose’s arms were paralyzed, and dropped off them; and there was silence.
pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her.
intense and profound fear
From this reading She stood, her eyes turned downwards, yet inwards, and dilating with horror.
to or toward the inside of
From this reading She stood, her eyes turned downwards, yet inwards, and dilating with horror.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading These were not words; they were electric shocks.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The two arms that gripped Rose’s arms were paralyzed, and dropped off them; and there was silence.
above and across; more than
From this reading Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her.
affected with paralysis
From this reading The two arms that gripped Rose’s arms were paralyzed, and dropped off them; and there was silence.
move upward
From this reading Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her.
possessive form of “rose” — any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading The two arms that gripped Rose’s arms were paralyzed, and dropped off them; and there was silence.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her.
plural of “shock” — the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading These were not words; they were electric shocks.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading The two arms that gripped Rose’s arms were paralyzed, and dropped off them; and there was silence.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading She stood, her eyes turned downwards, yet inwards, and dilating with horror.
rise and move, as in waves or billows
From this reading Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The two arms that gripped Rose’s arms were paralyzed, and dropped off them; and there was silence.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The two arms that gripped Rose’s arms were paralyzed, and dropped off them; and there was silence.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The two arms that gripped Rose’s arms were paralyzed, and dropped off them; and there was silence.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The two arms that gripped Rose’s arms were paralyzed, and dropped off them; and there was silence.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These were not words; they were electric shocks.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading These were not words; they were electric shocks.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading She stood, her eyes turned downwards, yet inwards, and dilating with horror.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The two arms that gripped Rose’s arms were paralyzed, and dropped off them; and there was silence.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The two arms that gripped Rose’s arms were paralyzed, and dropped off them; and there was silence.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading These were not words; they were electric shocks.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then first the thought of all she had done with those three words began to rise and grow and surge over her.
the words that are spoken
From this reading These were not words; they were electric shocks.
but in spite of that
From this reading She stood, her eyes turned downwards, yet inwards, and dilating with horror.
Chapter 20 of White Lies by Charles Reade holds 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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 268 sentences of White Lies, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of White Lies by Charles Reade exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 White Lies by Charles Reade on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8259 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2472 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2472, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1652 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through White Lies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of White Lies 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 White Lies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
