Chapter 10 of Shallow Soil is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of Shallow Soil is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You do not answer, Hanka?" "Yes," she said absently, "there is something in what you say." She got up suddenly and stood erect staring straight ahead. If she only knew what to do now! Go home?
Chapter 10 of Shallow Soil is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
at or in the front
From this reading “She got up suddenly and stood erect staring straight ahead.”
react verbally
From this reading “"You do not answer, Hanka?"”
construct, build, or erect
From this reading “She got up suddenly and stood erect staring straight ahead.”
where you live at a particular time
From this reading “Go home?”
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading “She got up suddenly and stood erect staring straight ahead.”
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading “She got up suddenly and stood erect staring straight ahead.”
successive (without a break)
From this reading “She got up suddenly and stood erect staring straight ahead.”
happening unexpectedly
From this reading “She got up suddenly and stood erect staring straight ahead.”
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.
in an absentminded or preoccupied manner
From this reading "Yes," she said absently, "there is something in what you say."
at or in the front
From this reading She got up suddenly and stood erect staring straight ahead.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She got up suddenly and stood erect staring straight ahead.
react verbally
From this reading "You do not answer, Hanka?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "You do not answer, Hanka?"
construct, build, or erect
From this reading She got up suddenly and stood erect staring straight ahead.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Go home?
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading She got up suddenly and stood erect staring straight ahead.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You do not answer, Hanka?"
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Go home?
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If she only knew what to do now!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Yes," she said absently, "there is something in what you say."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Yes," she said absently, "there is something in what you say."
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading If she only knew what to do now!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "You do not answer, Hanka?"
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading If she only knew what to do now!
and nothing more
From this reading If she only knew what to do now!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Yes," she said absently, "there is something in what you say."
express in words
From this reading "Yes," she said absently, "there is something in what you say."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Yes," she said absently, "there is something in what you say."
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "Yes," she said absently, "there is something in what you say."
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading She got up suddenly and stood erect staring straight ahead.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading She got up suddenly and stood erect staring straight ahead.
successive (without a break)
From this reading She got up suddenly and stood erect staring straight ahead.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading She got up suddenly and stood erect staring straight ahead.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Yes," she said absently, "there is something in what you say."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If she only knew what to do now!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She got up suddenly and stood erect staring straight ahead.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Yes," she said absently, "there is something in what you say."
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," she said absently, "there is something in what you say."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You do not answer, Hanka?"
Chapter 10 of Shallow Soil by Knut Hamsun holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of Shallow Soil, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of Shallow Soil by Knut Hamsun exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Shallow Soil by Knut Hamsun on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5660 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7537 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7537, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 471 minutes of reading across 1132 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shallow Soil section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Shallow Soil 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 Shallow Soil, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
