Chapter 14 of Shallow Soil 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 XIV
Chapter 14 of Shallow Soil is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Listen, you mustn't be angry with me because of this! If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right." "What?" "I say, that is all right. But why do you tell me this?"
Chapter 14 of Shallow Soil 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.
feeling or showing anger
From this reading “"Listen, you mustn't be angry with me because of this!”
third-person singular of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."”
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."”
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading “If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."”
many times at short intervals
From this reading “If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."”
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading “If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."”
hear with intention
From this reading “"Listen, you mustn't be angry with me because of this!”
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."”
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 If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
(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 If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
feeling or showing anger
From this reading "Listen, you mustn't be angry with me because of this!
third-person singular of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Listen, you mustn't be angry with me because of this!
for the reason that
From this reading "Listen, you mustn't be angry with me because of this!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But why do you tell me this?"
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading But why do you tell me this?"
many times at short intervals
From this reading If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I say, that is all right.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
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 you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
hear with intention
From this reading "Listen, you mustn't be angry with me because of this!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Listen, you mustn't be angry with me because of this!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Listen, you mustn't be angry with me because of this!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Listen, you mustn't be angry with me because of this!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
and nothing more
From this reading If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
precisely, exactly
From this reading If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
express in words
From this reading "I say, that is all right.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
express in words
From this reading But why do you tell me this?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Listen, you mustn't be angry with me because of this!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading But why do you tell me this?"
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Listen, you mustn't be angry with me because of this!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Listen, you mustn't be angry with me because of this!
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading If you only knew-- Your wife has called on me quite frequently of late; she asks about you and the children--" "That is all right."
Chapter 14 of Shallow Soil by Knut Hamsun 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 14 holds 403 sentences of Shallow Soil, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Shallow Soil by Knut Hamsun 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 14 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.
