Chapter 10 of A Voyage to Arcturus is here in full — 671 sentences across 135 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of A Voyage to Arcturus is here in full — 671 sentences across 135 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums. “You see, you had to kill him, Maskull,” she said, in a rather quizzical voice. He came away from the corpse and regarded her—still red, and still breathing hard. “It’s no joking matter. You especially ought to keep quiet.”
Chapter 10 of A Voyage to Arcturus is here in full — 671 sentences across 135 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/134 · 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 bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading “He came away from the corpse and regarded her—still red, and still breathing hard.”
without care or concern
From this reading “Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums.”
the dead body of a human being
From this reading “He came away from the corpse and regarded her—still red, and still breathing hard.”
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums.”
characterized by jokes and good humor
From this reading ““It’s no joking matter.”
plural of “moss” — tiny leafy-stemmed flowerless plants
From this reading “Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums.”
plural of “plum” — any of several trees producing edible oval fruit having a smooth skin and a single hard stone
From this reading “Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums.”
playfully vexing (especially by ridicule)
From this reading ““You see, you had to kill him, Maskull,” she said, in a rather quizzical voice.”
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 “You see, you had to kill him, Maskull,” she said, in a rather quizzical voice.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He came away from the corpse and regarded her—still red, and still breathing hard.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums.
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading He came away from the corpse and regarded her—still red, and still breathing hard.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He came away from the corpse and regarded her—still red, and still breathing hard.
without care or concern
From this reading Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums.
the dead body of a human being
From this reading He came away from the corpse and regarded her—still red, and still breathing hard.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums.
the act of consuming food
From this reading Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading You especially ought to keep quiet.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He came away from the corpse and regarded her—still red, and still breathing hard.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “You see, you had to kill him, Maskull,” she said, in a rather quizzical voice.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading He came away from the corpse and regarded her—still red, and still breathing hard.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He came away from the corpse and regarded her—still red, and still breathing hard.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He came away from the corpse and regarded her—still red, and still breathing hard.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You see, you had to kill him, Maskull,” she said, in a rather quizzical voice.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “You see, you had to kill him, Maskull,” she said, in a rather quizzical voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s no joking matter.
characterized by jokes and good humor
From this reading “It’s no joking matter.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading You especially ought to keep quiet.”
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “You see, you had to kill him, Maskull,” she said, in a rather quizzical voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You see, you had to kill him, Maskull,” she said, in a rather quizzical voice.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “It’s no joking matter.
plural of “moss” — tiny leafy-stemmed flowerless plants
From this reading Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums.
not any; not one
From this reading “It’s no joking matter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading You especially ought to keep quiet.”
plural of “plum” — any of several trees producing edible oval fruit having a smooth skin and a single hard stone
From this reading Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading You especially ought to keep quiet.”
playfully vexing (especially by ridicule)
From this reading “You see, you had to kill him, Maskull,” she said, in a rather quizzical voice.
on the contrary
From this reading “You see, you had to kill him, Maskull,” she said, in a rather quizzical voice.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading He came away from the corpse and regarded her—still red, and still breathing hard.
past form of “regard” — deem to be
From this reading He came away from the corpse and regarded her—still red, and still breathing hard.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You see, you had to kill him, Maskull,” she said, in a rather quizzical voice.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “You see, you had to kill him, Maskull,” she said, in a rather quizzical voice.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You see, you had to kill him, Maskull,” she said, in a rather quizzical voice.
not in physical motion
From this reading He came away from the corpse and regarded her—still red, and still breathing hard.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “You see, you had to kill him, Maskull,” she said, in a rather quizzical voice.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “You see, you had to kill him, Maskull,” she said, in a rather quizzical voice.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You see, you had to kill him, Maskull,” she said, in a rather quizzical voice.
Chapter 10 of A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay holds 671 sentences, grouped into 135 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 10 holds 671 sentences of A Voyage to Arcturus, unabridged, divided into 135 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 671 sentences, grouped into 135 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 135 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 135 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 Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7783 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1329 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1329, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1557 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Voyage to Arcturus section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of A Voyage to Arcturus 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 Voyage to Arcturus, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
