Chapter 10 of Sandburrs is here in full — 22 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of Sandburrs is here in full — 22 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Hamilton Finnerty embarked for England. The beautiful Isabelle Imogene McSween had been plunging on raiment in Paree. The wedding was to be pulled off in two weeks at St. Paul's, London. It was to be a corker; for the McSweens were hot potatoes and rolled high. Nor were the Finnerties listed under the head of Has-beens.
Chapter 10 of Sandburrs is here in full — 22 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/4 · 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.
(dated slang) a remarkable or excellent thing or person
From this reading “It was to be a corker; for the McSweens were hot potatoes and rolled high.”
past form of “embark” — go on board
From this reading “Hamilton Finnerty embarked for England.”
Irish mathematician (1806-1865)
From this reading “Hamilton Finnerty embarked for England.”
plural of “has-been” — someone who is no longer popular
From this reading “Nor were the Finnerties listed under the head of Has-beens.”
on a list
From this reading “Nor were the Finnerties listed under the head of Has-beens.”
possessive form of “paul” — United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading “The wedding was to be pulled off in two weeks at St. Paul's, London.”
-ing form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading “The beautiful Isabelle Imogene McSween had been plunging on raiment in Paree.”
plural of “potato” — an edible tuber native to South America; a staple food of Ireland
From this reading “It was to be a corker; for the McSweens were hot potatoes and rolled high.”
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.
a difficult situation
In this reading “It was to be a corker; for the McSweens were hot potatoes and rolled high.”
pull or pull out sharply
In this reading “The wedding was to be pulled off in two weeks at St. Paul's, London.”
In this reading “The wedding was to be pulled off in two weeks at St. Paul's, London.”
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 It was to be a corker; for the McSweens were hot potatoes and rolled high.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was to be a corker; for the McSweens were hot potatoes and rolled high.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The wedding was to be pulled off in two weeks at St. Paul's, London.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The wedding was to be pulled off in two weeks at St. Paul's, London.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading The beautiful Isabelle Imogene McSween had been plunging on raiment in Paree.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The beautiful Isabelle Imogene McSween had been plunging on raiment in Paree.
(dated slang) a remarkable or excellent thing or person
From this reading It was to be a corker; for the McSweens were hot potatoes and rolled high.
past form of “embark” — go on board
From this reading Hamilton Finnerty embarked for England.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading Hamilton Finnerty embarked for England.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nor were the Finnerties listed under the head of Has-beens.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hamilton Finnerty embarked for England.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Hamilton Finnerty embarked for England.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The beautiful Isabelle Imogene McSween had been plunging on raiment in Paree.
Irish mathematician (1806-1865)
From this reading Hamilton Finnerty embarked for England.
plural of “has-been” — someone who is no longer popular
From this reading Nor were the Finnerties listed under the head of Has-beens.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Nor were the Finnerties listed under the head of Has-beens.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading It was to be a corker; for the McSweens were hot potatoes and rolled high.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading It was to be a corker; for the McSweens were hot potatoes and rolled high.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The beautiful Isabelle Imogene McSween had been plunging on raiment in Paree.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The beautiful Isabelle Imogene McSween had been plunging on raiment in Paree.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The beautiful Isabelle Imogene McSween had been plunging on raiment in Paree.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was to be a corker; for the McSweens were hot potatoes and rolled high.
on a list
From this reading Nor were the Finnerties listed under the head of Has-beens.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading The wedding was to be pulled off in two weeks at St. Paul's, London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The beautiful Isabelle Imogene McSween had been plunging on raiment in Paree.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was to be a corker; for the McSweens were hot potatoes and rolled high.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Nor were the Finnerties listed under the head of Has-beens.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Nor were the Finnerties listed under the head of Has-beens.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The wedding was to be pulled off in two weeks at St. Paul's, London.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The beautiful Isabelle Imogene McSween had been plunging on raiment in Paree.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The beautiful Isabelle Imogene McSween had been plunging on raiment in Paree.
possessive form of “paul” — United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading The wedding was to be pulled off in two weeks at St. Paul's, London.
-ing form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading The beautiful Isabelle Imogene McSween had been plunging on raiment in Paree.
plural of “potato” — an edible tuber native to South America; a staple food of Ireland
From this reading It was to be a corker; for the McSweens were hot potatoes and rolled high.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading The wedding was to be pulled off in two weeks at St. Paul's, London.
especially fine or decorative clothing
From this reading The beautiful Isabelle Imogene McSween had been plunging on raiment in Paree.
especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward
From this reading It was to be a corker; for the McSweens were hot potatoes and rolled high.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The wedding was to be pulled off in two weeks at St. Paul's, London.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The beautiful Isabelle Imogene McSween had been plunging on raiment in Paree.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The wedding was to be pulled off in two weeks at St. Paul's, London.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The wedding was to be pulled off in two weeks at St. Paul's, London.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Nor were the Finnerties listed under the head of Has-beens.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The wedding was to be pulled off in two weeks at St. Paul's, London.
the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed
From this reading The wedding was to be pulled off in two weeks at St. Paul's, London.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading The wedding was to be pulled off in two weeks at St. Paul's, London.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It was to be a corker; for the McSweens were hot potatoes and rolled high.
Chapter 10 of Sandburrs by Alfred Henry Lewis holds 22 sentences, grouped into 5 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 22 sentences of Sandburrs, unabridged, divided into 5 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of Sandburrs by Alfred Henry Lewis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 22 sentences, grouped into 5 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 5 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 5 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 Sandburrs by Alfred Henry Lewis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5260 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51981 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51981, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 438 minutes of reading across 1052 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sandburrs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Sandburrs 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 Sandburrs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
