Chapter 10 of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost is here in full — 32 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter 10 of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost is here in full — 32 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WHAT ESPY SAID ABOUT IT. “Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY. “What shall I do? what _shall_ I do?” Mrs. Alden asked herself again and again as, in great perturbation of spirit, she awaited Espy’s return. “How angry and distressed he’ll be, poor boy!”
Chapter 10 of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost is here in full — 32 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/6 · 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.
a positive feeling of liking
From this reading ““Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.”
expected hopefully
From this reading “Mrs. Alden asked herself again and again as, in great perturbation of spirit, she awaited Espy’s return.”
keep in mind or convey as a conviction or view
From this reading ““Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.”
facing or experiencing financial trouble or difficulty
From this reading ““How angry and distressed he’ll be, poor boy!””
an old form of “do”, used with “thou”
From this reading ““Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.”
catch sight of
From this reading “WHAT ESPY SAID ABOUT IT.”
an unhappy and worried mental state
From this reading “Mrs. Alden asked herself again and again as, in great perturbation of spirit, she awaited Espy’s return.”
(botany) the usually underground organ that lacks buds or leaves or nodes; absorbs water and mineral salts; usually it anchors the plant to the ground
From this reading ““Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.”
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.
In this reading ““Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.”
a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States
In this reading ““How angry and distressed he’ll be, poor boy!””
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 WHAT ESPY SAID ABOUT IT.
a positive feeling of liking
From this reading “Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.
anew
From this reading Mrs. Alden asked herself again and again as, in great perturbation of spirit, she awaited Espy’s return.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Alden asked herself again and again as, in great perturbation of spirit, she awaited Espy’s return.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mrs. Alden asked herself again and again as, in great perturbation of spirit, she awaited Espy’s return.
feeling or showing anger
From this reading “How angry and distressed he’ll be, poor boy!”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Mrs. Alden asked herself again and again as, in great perturbation of spirit, she awaited Espy’s return.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Mrs. Alden asked herself again and again as, in great perturbation of spirit, she awaited Espy’s return.
expected hopefully
From this reading Mrs. Alden asked herself again and again as, in great perturbation of spirit, she awaited Espy’s return.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “How angry and distressed he’ll be, poor boy!”
a youthful male person
From this reading “How angry and distressed he’ll be, poor boy!”
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading “Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.
keep in mind or convey as a conviction or view
From this reading “Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.
facing or experiencing financial trouble or difficulty
From this reading “How angry and distressed he’ll be, poor boy!”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What shall I do? what _shall_ I do?”
an old form of “do”, used with “thou”
From this reading “Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading “Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.
catch sight of
From this reading WHAT ESPY SAID ABOUT IT.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Alden asked herself again and again as, in great perturbation of spirit, she awaited Espy’s return.
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading “Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Mrs. Alden asked herself again and again as, in great perturbation of spirit, she awaited Espy’s return.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How angry and distressed he’ll be, poor boy!”
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Mrs. Alden asked herself again and again as, in great perturbation of spirit, she awaited Espy’s return.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How angry and distressed he’ll be, poor boy!”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “What shall I do? what _shall_ I do?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mrs. Alden asked herself again and again as, in great perturbation of spirit, she awaited Espy’s return.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading WHAT ESPY SAID ABOUT IT.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Alden asked herself again and again as, in great perturbation of spirit, she awaited Espy’s return.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mrs. Alden asked herself again and again as, in great perturbation of spirit, she awaited Espy’s return.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.
an unhappy and worried mental state
From this reading Mrs. Alden asked herself again and again as, in great perturbation of spirit, she awaited Espy’s return.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “How angry and distressed he’ll be, poor boy!”
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Mrs. Alden asked herself again and again as, in great perturbation of spirit, she awaited Espy’s return.
(botany) the usually underground organ that lacks buds or leaves or nodes; absorbs water and mineral salts; usually it anchors the plant to the ground
From this reading “Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading WHAT ESPY SAID ABOUT IT.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “What shall I do? what _shall_ I do?”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mrs. Alden asked herself again and again as, in great perturbation of spirit, she awaited Espy’s return.
English poet and friend of Wordsworth and Coleridge (1774-1843)
From this reading “Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading Mrs. Alden asked herself again and again as, in great perturbation of spirit, she awaited Espy’s return.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading “Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading “Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Dost thou deem It such an easy task from the fond breast To root affection out?”--SOUTHEY.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading WHAT ESPY SAID ABOUT IT.
Chapter 10 of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost by Martha Finley holds 32 sentences, grouped into 7 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 32 sentences of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost by Martha Finley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 32 sentences, grouped into 7 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 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 7 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 Signing the Contract, and What It Cost by Martha Finley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4162 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48249 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48249, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 346 minutes of reading across 833 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Signing the Contract, and What It Cost section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost 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 Signing the Contract, and What It Cost, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
