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A Desperate Chance
A Desperate Chance

Chapter X · Chapter 10

Chapter 10 of A Desperate Chance is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for A Desperate Chance
Context Illustration Reading 1/29 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
CONCLUSION.
Amy suddenly appeared to realize--well, our readers can guess what.
It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.
She hesitated and blushed, and after an instant of embarrassment Desmond said:
"Oh, don't be afraid, tell me why you are so happy."
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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.

A Desperate Chance

Chapter X · Chapter 10

Chapter 10 of A Desperate Chance is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
CONCLUSION.
/kənˈkluːʒən/
Line 2
Amy suddenly appeared to realize--well, our readers can guess what.
Line 3
It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.
/ɪt əˈpɪrd tuː krɔːs hɜːr maɪnd ðæt ʃiː wɑːz bɪˈtreɪɪŋ tuː ɡreɪt ˈhæpinəs ənd wɑːz ə ˈlɪtəl tuː friː ɪn bɪˈtreɪɪŋ ɪt/
Line 4
She hesitated and blushed, and after an instant of embarrassment Desmond said:
Line 5
"Oh, don't be afraid, tell me why you are so happy."

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.

betraying verb US /bɪˈtreɪɪŋ/

-ing form of “betray” — reveal unintentionally

From this reading “It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.”

blushed verb US /blʌʃt/

past form of “blush” — turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame

From this reading “She hesitated and blushed, and after an instant of embarrassment Desmond said:”

conclusion noun US /kənˈkluːʒən/

a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration

From this reading “CONCLUSION.”

cross verb US /krɔːs/

travel across or pass over

From this reading “It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.”

embarrassment noun US /ɪmˈberəsmənt/

the shame you feel when your inadequacy or guilt is made public

From this reading “She hesitated and blushed, and after an instant of embarrassment Desmond said:”

hesitated verb US /ˈhezɪteɪtɪd/

past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness

From this reading “She hesitated and blushed, and after an instant of embarrassment Desmond said:”

readers noun US /ˈriːdərz/

plural of “reader” — a person who enjoys reading

From this reading “Amy suddenly appeared to realize--well, our readers can guess what.”

realize verb US /ˈriːəlaɪz/

be fully aware or cognizant of

From this reading “Amy suddenly appeared to realize--well, our readers can guess what.”

All words in this reading · 48

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 It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.

afraidadjectiveUS /əˈfreɪd/

filled with fear or apprehension

From this reading "Oh, don't be afraid, tell me why you are so happy."

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading She hesitated and blushed, and after an instant of embarrassment Desmond said:

Amy

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

From this reading Amy suddenly appeared to realize--well, our readers can guess what.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading She hesitated and blushed, and after an instant of embarrassment Desmond said:

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.

appearedverbUS /əˈpɪrd/

past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading Amy suddenly appeared to realize--well, our readers can guess what.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading "Oh, don't be afraid, tell me why you are so happy."

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading "Oh, don't be afraid, tell me why you are so happy."

betrayingverbUS /bɪˈtreɪɪŋ/

-ing form of “betray” — reveal unintentionally

From this reading It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.

blushedverbUS /blʌʃt/

past form of “blush” — turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame

From this reading She hesitated and blushed, and after an instant of embarrassment Desmond said:

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading Amy suddenly appeared to realize--well, our readers can guess what.

CONCLUSIONnounUS /kənˈkluːʒən/

a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration

From this reading CONCLUSION.

crossverbUS /krɔːs/

travel across or pass over

From this reading It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.

Desmond

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

From this reading She hesitated and blushed, and after an instant of embarrassment Desmond said:

don't

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

From this reading "Oh, don't be afraid, tell me why you are so happy."

embarrassmentnounUS /ɪmˈberəsmənt/

the shame you feel when your inadequacy or guilt is made public

From this reading She hesitated and blushed, and after an instant of embarrassment Desmond said:

freeverbUS /friː/

grant freedom to; free from confinement

From this reading It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.

guessverbUS /ɡes/

expect, believe, or suppose

From this reading Amy suddenly appeared to realize--well, our readers can guess what.

happinessnounUS /ˈhæpinəs/

state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy

From this reading It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.

happyadjectiveUS /ˈhæpi/

enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure

From this reading "Oh, don't be afraid, tell me why you are so happy."

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.

hesitatedverbUS /ˈhezɪteɪtɪd/

past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness

From this reading She hesitated and blushed, and after an instant of embarrassment Desmond said:

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.

instantnounUS /ˈɪnstənt/

a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)

From this reading She hesitated and blushed, and after an instant of embarrassment Desmond said:

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "Oh, don't be afraid, tell me why you are so happy."

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading She hesitated and blushed, and after an instant of embarrassment Desmond said:

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading "Oh, don't be afraid, tell me why you are so happy."

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading Amy suddenly appeared to realize--well, our readers can guess what.

readersnounUS /ˈriːdərz/

plural of “reader” — a person who enjoys reading

From this reading Amy suddenly appeared to realize--well, our readers can guess what.

realizeverbUS /ˈriːəlaɪz/

be fully aware or cognizant of

From this reading Amy suddenly appeared to realize--well, our readers can guess what.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading She hesitated and blushed, and after an instant of embarrassment Desmond said:

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading "Oh, don't be afraid, tell me why you are so happy."

suddenlyadverbUS /ˈsʌdənli/

happening unexpectedly

From this reading Amy suddenly appeared to realize--well, our readers can guess what.

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading "Oh, don't be afraid, tell me why you are so happy."

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Amy suddenly appeared to realize--well, our readers can guess what.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It appeared to cross her mind that she was betraying too great happiness, and was a little too free in betraying it.

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading Amy suddenly appeared to realize--well, our readers can guess what.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Amy suddenly appeared to realize--well, our readers can guess what.

whynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading "Oh, don't be afraid, tell me why you are so happy."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Oh, don't be afraid, tell me why you are so happy."

Chapter 10 of A Desperate Chance by Old Sleuth holds 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 10 of A Desperate Chance contain?

Chapter 10 holds 148 sentences of A Desperate Chance, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 10 of A Desperate Chance by Old Sleuth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 10 of A Desperate Chance?

Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 30 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 10 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 10 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 A Desperate Chance

Common questions about reading A Desperate Chance by Old Sleuth on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Desperate Chance?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Desperate Chance is used?

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

How long does A Desperate Chance take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Desperate Chance section by section

How to work through A Desperate Chance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  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 A Desperate Chance

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Desperate Chance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of A Desperate Chance, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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