Chapter 10 of In the Permanent Way is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of In the Permanent Way is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened. One twist of the thumb, and all was as it had been. "I know not what holiday tasks may mean," she said scornfully. "In my time work was work, and play play. So must it be now.
Chapter 10 of In the Permanent Way is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading “"I know not what holiday tasks may mean," she said scornfully.”
a tight cluster of people or things
From this reading “Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.”
the mother of your spouse
From this reading “Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.”
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.”
plural of “task” — any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading “"I know not what holiday tasks may mean," she said scornfully.”
the thick short innermost digit of the forelimb
From this reading “One twist of the thumb, and all was as it had been.”
turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading “Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.”
to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)
From this reading “One twist of the thumb, and all was as it had been.”
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.
In this reading “One twist of the thumb, and all was as it had been.”
In this reading “Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.”
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 Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
(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 One twist of the thumb, and all was as it had been.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading One twist of the thumb, and all was as it had been.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading So must it be now.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading One twist of the thumb, and all was as it had been.
lacking funds
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
characterized by great determination
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
plural of “end” — either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
an established custom
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading "I know not what holiday tasks may mean," she said scornfully.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I know not what holiday tasks may mean," she said scornfully.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "In my time work was work, and play play.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading One twist of the thumb, and all was as it had been.
a tight cluster of people or things
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I know not what holiday tasks may mean," she said scornfully.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "I know not what holiday tasks may mean," she said scornfully.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "I know not what holiday tasks may mean," she said scornfully.
the mother of your spouse
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading So must it be now.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "In my time work was work, and play play.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I know not what holiday tasks may mean," she said scornfully.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading So must it be now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One twist of the thumb, and all was as it had been.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One twist of the thumb, and all was as it had been.
participate in games or sport
From this reading "In my time work was work, and play play.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I know not what holiday tasks may mean," she said scornfully.
without respect; in a disdainful manner
From this reading "I know not what holiday tasks may mean," she said scornfully.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I know not what holiday tasks may mean," she said scornfully.
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So must it be now.
plural of “task” — any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading "I know not what holiday tasks may mean," she said scornfully.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
in the following part of a given matter, as in a document or speech
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
the thick short innermost digit of the forelimb
From this reading One twist of the thumb, and all was as it had been.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "In my time work was work, and play play.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)
From this reading One twist of the thumb, and all was as it had been.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One twist of the thumb, and all was as it had been.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "I know not what holiday tasks may mean," she said scornfully.
which person or people
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "In my time work was work, and play play.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Mother-in-law broke the knot with a snap; a habit with the determined little woman, who thereinafter would twirl the ends together as if nothing had happened.
Chapter 10 of In the Permanent Way by Flora Annie Webster Steel holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of In the Permanent Way, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of In the Permanent Way by Flora Annie Webster Steel exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 In the Permanent Way by Flora Annie Webster Steel on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4448 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39832 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39832, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 370 minutes of reading across 890 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In the Permanent Way section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of In the Permanent Way 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 In the Permanent Way, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
