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Nights in London
Nights in London

Chapter X · Chapter 10

Chapter 10 of Nights in London is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/77 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The skies were dashed with stars and a sick moon.
It was trying to snow.
I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.
The cheek that was turned toward me was clumsily daubed with carmine and rouge.
Snowflakes fell dejectedly about her narrow shoulders.
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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.

Nights in London

Chapter X · Chapter 10

Chapter 10 of Nights in London is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/77 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The skies were dashed with stars and a sick moon.
/ðə skaɪz wɜːr dæʃt wɪð stɑːrz ənd ə sɪk muːn/
Line 2
It was trying to snow.
/ɪt wɑːz ˈtraɪɪŋ tuː snoʊ/
Line 3
I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.
/aɪ trɪpt daʊn ðə steps frʌm ðə dɔːr ənd ræn ˈlaɪtli ˈɪntuː ə ɡɜːrl huː stʊd æt ðə ɡeɪt ˈlʊkɪŋ ʌp æt ðə ruːm aɪ hæd dʒʌst left/
Line 4
The cheek that was turned toward me was clumsily daubed with carmine and rouge.
/ðə tʃiːk ðæt wɑːz tɜːrnd təˈwɔːrd miː wɑːz ˈklʌmsəli dɔːbd wɪð ˈkɑːrmən ənd ruːʒ/
Line 5
Snowflakes fell dejectedly about her narrow shoulders.

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.

carmine noun US /ˈkɑːrmən/

a variable color averaging a vivid red

From this reading “The cheek that was turned toward me was clumsily daubed with carmine and rouge.”

clumsily adverb US /ˈklʌmsəli/

in a clumsy manner

From this reading “The cheek that was turned toward me was clumsily daubed with carmine and rouge.”

dashed adjective US /dæʃt/

having gaps or spaces

From this reading “The skies were dashed with stars and a sick moon.”

daubed verb US /dɔːbd/

past form of “daub” — coat with plaster

From this reading “The cheek that was turned toward me was clumsily daubed with carmine and rouge.”

rouge noun US /ruːʒ/

makeup consisting of a pink or red powder applied to the cheeks

From this reading “The cheek that was turned toward me was clumsily daubed with carmine and rouge.”

skies noun US /skaɪz/

plural of “sky” — the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth

From this reading “The skies were dashed with stars and a sick moon.”

Snowflakes noun US /ˈsnoʊfleɪks/

plural of “snowflake” — a crystal of snow

From this reading “Snowflakes fell dejectedly about her narrow shoulders.”

tripped verb US /trɪpt/

inflected form of “trip” — miss a step and fall or nearly fall

From this reading “I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.”

All words in this reading · 51

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 The skies were dashed with stars and a sick moon.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Snowflakes fell dejectedly about her narrow shoulders.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The skies were dashed with stars and a sick moon.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

carminenounUS /ˈkɑːrmən/

a variable color averaging a vivid red

From this reading The cheek that was turned toward me was clumsily daubed with carmine and rouge.

cheeknounUS /tʃiːk/

either side of the face below the eyes

From this reading The cheek that was turned toward me was clumsily daubed with carmine and rouge.

clumsilyadverbUS /ˈklʌmsəli/

in a clumsy manner

From this reading The cheek that was turned toward me was clumsily daubed with carmine and rouge.

dashedadjectiveUS /dæʃt/

having gaps or spaces

From this reading The skies were dashed with stars and a sick moon.

daubedverbUS /dɔːbd/

past form of “daub” — coat with plaster

From this reading The cheek that was turned toward me was clumsily daubed with carmine and rouge.

dejectedlyadverb

in a dejected manner

From this reading Snowflakes fell dejectedly about her narrow shoulders.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

fellverbUS /fel/

cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow

From this reading Snowflakes fell dejectedly about her narrow shoulders.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

gatenounUS /ɡeɪt/

a movable barrier in a fence or wall

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Snowflakes fell dejectedly about her narrow shoulders.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was trying to snow.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

lightlyadverbUS /ˈlaɪtli/

without good reason

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading The cheek that was turned toward me was clumsily daubed with carmine and rouge.

moonnounUS /muːn/

the natural satellite of the Earth

From this reading The skies were dashed with stars and a sick moon.

narrowverbUS /ˈneroʊ/

make or become more narrow or restricted

From this reading Snowflakes fell dejectedly about her narrow shoulders.

ranverbUS /ræn/

inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

rougenounUS /ruːʒ/

makeup consisting of a pink or red powder applied to the cheeks

From this reading The cheek that was turned toward me was clumsily daubed with carmine and rouge.

shouldersnounUS /ˈʃoʊldərz/

plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm

From this reading Snowflakes fell dejectedly about her narrow shoulders.

sickadjectiveUS /sɪk/

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading The skies were dashed with stars and a sick moon.

skiesnounUS /skaɪz/

plural of “sky” — the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth

From this reading The skies were dashed with stars and a sick moon.

snownounUS /snoʊ/

precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals

From this reading It was trying to snow.

SnowflakesnounUS /ˈsnoʊfleɪks/

plural of “snowflake” — a crystal of snow

From this reading Snowflakes fell dejectedly about her narrow shoulders.

starsnounUS /stɑːrz/

plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior

From this reading The skies were dashed with stars and a sick moon.

stepsnounUS /steps/

a flight of stairs or a flight of steps

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The cheek that was turned toward me was clumsily daubed with carmine and rouge.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The skies were dashed with stars and a sick moon.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It was trying to snow.

towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading The cheek that was turned toward me was clumsily daubed with carmine and rouge.

trippedverbUS /trɪpt/

inflected form of “trip” — miss a step and fall or nearly fall

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

tryingadjectiveUS /ˈtraɪɪŋ/

hard to endure

From this reading It was trying to snow.

turnedadjectiveUS /tɜːrnd/

moved around an axis or center

From this reading The cheek that was turned toward me was clumsily daubed with carmine and rouge.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was trying to snow.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading The skies were dashed with stars and a sick moon.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading I tripped down the steps from the door, and ran lightly into a girl who stood at the gate, looking up at the room I had just left.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The skies were dashed with stars and a sick moon.

Chapter 10 of Nights in London by Thomas Burke holds 387 sentences, grouped into 78 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 Nights in London contain?

Chapter 10 holds 387 sentences of Nights in London, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 10 of Nights in London by Thomas Burke exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 387 sentences, grouped into 78 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 Nights in London?

Work through the 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 78 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 Nights in London

Common questions about reading Nights in London by Thomas Burke on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Nights in London?

Yes. All 4347 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23605 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Nights in London is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #23605, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Nights in London take to read?

About 362 minutes of reading across 870 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Nights in London section by section

How to work through Nights in London section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 11 chapters of Nights in London to begin.

  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 Nights in London

Words and structures a reader meets early in Nights in London, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Nights in London; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Limehouse
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Nights in London; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Nights
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Nights in London; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Henry
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Nights in London; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.