Chapter 10 of A London Life, and Other Tales is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of A London Life, and Other Tales is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'Yes, and she always sticks pins and daggers into her head, to increase that effect. I must say I like her husband better: he is so clever.' 'Well, when I knew her there was no comparison that could injure her. She was altogether the most delightful thing in Munich.' 'In Munich?'
Chapter 10 of A London Life, and Other Tales is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
the act of examining resemblances
From this reading “'Well, when I knew her there was no comparison that could injure her.”
plural of “dagger” — a short knife with a pointed blade used for piercing or stabbing
From this reading “'Yes, and she always sticks pins and daggers into her head, to increase that effect.”
greatly pleasing or entertaining
From this reading “She was altogether the most delightful thing in Munich.'”
a quantity that is added
From this reading “'Yes, and she always sticks pins and daggers into her head, to increase that effect.”
cause injuries or bodily harm to
From this reading “'Well, when I knew her there was no comparison that could injure her.”
the capital and largest city of Bavaria in southwestern Germany
From this reading “She was altogether the most delightful thing in Munich.'”
plural of “pin” — a piece of jewelry that is pinned onto the wearer's garment
From this reading “'Yes, and she always sticks pins and daggers into her head, to increase that effect.”
plural of “stick” — an implement consisting of a length of wood
From this reading “'Yes, and she always sticks pins and daggers into her head, to increase that effect.”
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.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading She was altogether the most delightful thing in Munich.'
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading 'Yes, and she always sticks pins and daggers into her head, to increase that effect.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 'Yes, and she always sticks pins and daggers into her head, to increase that effect.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading I must say I like her husband better: he is so clever.'
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading I must say I like her husband better: he is so clever.'
the act of examining resemblances
From this reading 'Well, when I knew her there was no comparison that could injure her.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading 'Well, when I knew her there was no comparison that could injure her.
plural of “dagger” — a short knife with a pointed blade used for piercing or stabbing
From this reading 'Yes, and she always sticks pins and daggers into her head, to increase that effect.
greatly pleasing or entertaining
From this reading She was altogether the most delightful thing in Munich.'
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading 'Yes, and she always sticks pins and daggers into her head, to increase that effect.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I must say I like her husband better: he is so clever.'
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading 'Yes, and she always sticks pins and daggers into her head, to increase that effect.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading 'Yes, and she always sticks pins and daggers into her head, to increase that effect.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading I must say I like her husband better: he is so clever.'
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I must say I like her husband better: he is so clever.'
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She was altogether the most delightful thing in Munich.'
a quantity that is added
From this reading 'Yes, and she always sticks pins and daggers into her head, to increase that effect.
cause injuries or bodily harm to
From this reading 'Well, when I knew her there was no comparison that could injure her.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading 'Yes, and she always sticks pins and daggers into her head, to increase that effect.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I must say I like her husband better: he is so clever.'
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading 'Well, when I knew her there was no comparison that could injure her.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I must say I like her husband better: he is so clever.'
used to form the superlative
From this reading She was altogether the most delightful thing in Munich.'
the capital and largest city of Bavaria in southwestern Germany
From this reading She was altogether the most delightful thing in Munich.'
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading I must say I like her husband better: he is so clever.'
not any; not one
From this reading 'Well, when I knew her there was no comparison that could injure her.
plural of “pin” — a piece of jewelry that is pinned onto the wearer's garment
From this reading 'Yes, and she always sticks pins and daggers into her head, to increase that effect.
express in words
From this reading I must say I like her husband better: he is so clever.'
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'Yes, and she always sticks pins and daggers into her head, to increase that effect.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I must say I like her husband better: he is so clever.'
plural of “stick” — an implement consisting of a length of wood
From this reading 'Yes, and she always sticks pins and daggers into her head, to increase that effect.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading 'Yes, and she always sticks pins and daggers into her head, to increase that effect.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She was altogether the most delightful thing in Munich.'
in or at that place or location
From this reading 'Well, when I knew her there was no comparison that could injure her.
a special situation
From this reading She was altogether the most delightful thing in Munich.'
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 'Yes, and she always sticks pins and daggers into her head, to increase that effect.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'Well, when I knew her there was no comparison that could injure her.
(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 'Well, when I knew her there was no comparison that could injure her.
at the time that
From this reading 'Well, when I knew her there was no comparison that could injure her.
an affirmative
From this reading 'Yes, and she always sticks pins and daggers into her head, to increase that effect.
Chapter 10 of A London Life, and Other Tales by Henry James holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 426 sentences of A London Life, and Other Tales, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of A London Life, and Other Tales by Henry James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 London Life, and Other Tales by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5410 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25500 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25500, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 450 minutes of reading across 1082 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A London Life, and Other Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of A London Life, and Other Tales 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 London Life, and Other Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
