Chapter 10 of Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I don't know anything about traps," said Anthony. He was wondering how he had best introduce himself. The vague campaign that he had outlined on those restless nights in the train would be useless here, he had decided. As he spoke, he absently touched the tangled chains and bolts with his foot. "Don't do that!" screamed Miss Mix.
Chapter 10 of Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
plural of “bolt” — a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading “As he spoke, he absently touched the tangled chains and bolts with his foot.”
a race between candidates for elective office
From this reading “The vague campaign that he had outlined on those restless nights in the train would be useless here, he had decided.”
metal shackles; for hands or legs
From this reading “As he spoke, he absently touched the tangled chains and bolts with his foot.”
cause to come to know personally
From this reading “He was wondering how he had best introduce himself.”
mix together different elements
From this reading “"Don't do that!" screamed Miss Mix.”
showing clearly the outline or profile or boundary
From this reading “The vague campaign that he had outlined on those restless nights in the train would be useless here, he had decided.”
in a confused mass
From this reading “As he spoke, he absently touched the tangled chains and bolts with his foot.”
plural of “trap” — a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading “"I don't know anything about traps," said Anthony.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "I don't know anything about traps," said Anthony.
in an absentminded or preoccupied manner
From this reading As he spoke, he absently touched the tangled chains and bolts with his foot.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As he spoke, he absently touched the tangled chains and bolts with his foot.
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading "I don't know anything about traps," said Anthony.
any thing at all
From this reading "I don't know anything about traps," said Anthony.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As he spoke, he absently touched the tangled chains and bolts with his foot.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The vague campaign that he had outlined on those restless nights in the train would be useless here, he had decided.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading He was wondering how he had best introduce himself.
plural of “bolt” — a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading As he spoke, he absently touched the tangled chains and bolts with his foot.
a race between candidates for elective office
From this reading The vague campaign that he had outlined on those restless nights in the train would be useless here, he had decided.
metal shackles; for hands or legs
From this reading As he spoke, he absently touched the tangled chains and bolts with his foot.
recognizable; marked
From this reading The vague campaign that he had outlined on those restless nights in the train would be useless here, he had decided.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Don't do that!" screamed Miss Mix.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know anything about traps," said Anthony.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading As he spoke, he absently touched the tangled chains and bolts with his foot.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He was wondering how he had best introduce himself.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was wondering how he had best introduce himself.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading The vague campaign that he had outlined on those restless nights in the train would be useless here, he had decided.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He was wondering how he had best introduce himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As he spoke, he absently touched the tangled chains and bolts with his foot.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was wondering how he had best introduce himself.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't know anything about traps," said Anthony.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The vague campaign that he had outlined on those restless nights in the train would be useless here, he had decided.
cause to come to know personally
From this reading He was wondering how he had best introduce himself.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know anything about traps," said Anthony.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Don't do that!" screamed Miss Mix.
mix together different elements
From this reading "Don't do that!" screamed Miss Mix.
Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
From this reading The vague campaign that he had outlined on those restless nights in the train would be useless here, he had decided.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The vague campaign that he had outlined on those restless nights in the train would be useless here, he had decided.
showing clearly the outline or profile or boundary
From this reading The vague campaign that he had outlined on those restless nights in the train would be useless here, he had decided.
worried and uneasy
From this reading The vague campaign that he had outlined on those restless nights in the train would be useless here, he had decided.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I don't know anything about traps," said Anthony.
past form of “scream” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Don't do that!" screamed Miss Mix.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading As he spoke, he absently touched the tangled chains and bolts with his foot.
in a confused mass
From this reading As he spoke, he absently touched the tangled chains and bolts with his foot.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The vague campaign that he had outlined on those restless nights in the train would be useless here, he had decided.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The vague campaign that he had outlined on those restless nights in the train would be useless here, he had decided.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading The vague campaign that he had outlined on those restless nights in the train would be useless here, he had decided.
having come into contact
From this reading As he spoke, he absently touched the tangled chains and bolts with his foot.
create by training and teaching
From this reading The vague campaign that he had outlined on those restless nights in the train would be useless here, he had decided.
plural of “trap” — a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading "I don't know anything about traps," said Anthony.
having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully
From this reading The vague campaign that he had outlined on those restless nights in the train would be useless here, he had decided.
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading The vague campaign that he had outlined on those restless nights in the train would be useless here, he had decided.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was wondering how he had best introduce himself.
in the company of; together with
From this reading As he spoke, he absently touched the tangled chains and bolts with his foot.
showing curiosity
From this reading He was wondering how he had best introduce himself.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The vague campaign that he had outlined on those restless nights in the train would be useless here, he had decided.
Chapter 10 of Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby by Kathleen Thompson Norris holds 392 sentences, grouped into 79 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 392 sentences of Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby by Kathleen Thompson Norris exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 392 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby by Kathleen Thompson Norris on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6931 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4348 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4348, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 577 minutes of reading across 1387 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby 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 Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
