Chapter 10 of A Life Sentence: A Novel is here in full — 295 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of A Life Sentence: A Novel is here in full — 295 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Hubert raised his hat courteously. "Good evening, Miss West. Of course you may speak to me!" he said. "Can I do anything for you?" "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
Chapter 10 of A Life Sentence: A Novel is here in full — 295 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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.
marked by sudden changes in subject and sharp transitions
From this reading “"Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.”
brought into existence
From this reading “"Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.”
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading “"Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.”
deliberate discourtesy
From this reading “"Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.”
skillful performance or ability without difficulty
From this reading “"Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.”
a feeling of fear of embarrassment
From this reading “"Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.”
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading “"Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.”
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading “"Good evening, Miss West.”
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.
as might be expected
In this reading “Of course you may speak to me!" he said.”
In this reading “"Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.”
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 "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
marked by sudden changes in subject and sharp transitions
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
any thing at all
From this reading "Can I do anything for you?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
brought into existence
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Can I do anything for you?"
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Of course you may speak to me!" he said.
in a polite manner
From this reading Hubert raised his hat courteously.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Can I do anything for you?"
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading "Good evening, Miss West.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Can I do anything for you?"
a young female
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Good evening, Miss West.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading Hubert raised his hat courteously.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Of course you may speak to me!" he said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Hubert raised his hat courteously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hubert raised his hat courteously.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Can I do anything for you?"
deliberate discourtesy
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Of course you may speak to me!" he said.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Of course you may speak to me!" he said.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Good evening, Miss West.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Of course you may speak to me!" he said.
skillful performance or ability without difficulty
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading Hubert raised his hat courteously.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Of course you may speak to me!" he said.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
a feeling of fear of embarrassment
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
express in speech
From this reading Of course you may speak to me!" he said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Of course you may speak to me!" he said.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading "Good evening, Miss West.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," answered the girl with a quickness which sounded abrupt, but which, as could easily be seen, was born of shyness and not of incivility.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Of course you may speak to me!" he said.
Chapter 10 of A Life Sentence: A Novel by Adeline Sergeant holds 295 sentences, grouped into 59 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 10 holds 295 sentences of A Life Sentence: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 59 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of A Life Sentence: A Novel by Adeline Sergeant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 295 sentences, grouped into 59 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 59 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 59 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 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.
Common questions about reading A Life Sentence: A Novel by Adeline Sergeant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9268 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31984 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31984, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1854 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Life Sentence: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of A Life Sentence: A Novel 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 A Life Sentence: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
