Chapter 10 of Sylvia's Marriage: A Novel is here in full — 522 sentences across 105 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of Sylvia's Marriage: A Novel is here in full — 522 sentences across 105 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What good would that have done?” he asked, in bewilderment. “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.” “Sylvia! Sylvia!” protested the other. “Surely such things cannot be discussed with innocent young girls!”
Chapter 10 of Sylvia's Marriage: A Novel is here in full — 522 sentences across 105 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/104 · 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.
confusion resulting from failure to understand
From this reading ““What good would that have done?” he asked, in bewilderment.”
-ing form of “choose” — pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading ““She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.””
past form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading ““Surely such things cannot be discussed with innocent young girls!””
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading ““She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.””
free from evil or guilt
From this reading ““Surely such things cannot be discussed with innocent young girls!””
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading “Sylvia!” protested the other.”
past form of “spare” — refrain from harming
From this reading ““She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.””
emotions experienced when not in a state of well-being
From this reading ““She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.””
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 girl or young woman who is unmarried
In this reading ““Surely such things cannot be discussed with innocent young girls!””
In this reading ““What good would that have done?” he asked, in bewilderment.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “What good would that have done?” he asked, in bewilderment.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.”
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.”
confusion resulting from failure to understand
From this reading “What good would that have done?” he asked, in bewilderment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Surely such things cannot be discussed with innocent young girls!”
-ing form of “choose” — pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.”
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.”
past form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading “Surely such things cannot be discussed with innocent young girls!”
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading “What good would that have done?” he asked, in bewilderment.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.”
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading “Surely such things cannot be discussed with innocent young girls!”
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “What good would that have done?” he asked, in bewilderment.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “What good would that have done?” he asked, in bewilderment.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “What good would that have done?” he asked, in bewilderment.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “What good would that have done?” he asked, in bewilderment.
free from evil or guilt
From this reading “Surely such things cannot be discussed with innocent young girls!”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.”
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.”
apprehended with certainty
From this reading “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.”
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.”
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Sylvia!” protested the other.
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading Sylvia!” protested the other.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.”
past form of “spare” — refrain from harming
From this reading “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.”
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “Surely such things cannot be discussed with innocent young girls!”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “Surely such things cannot be discussed with innocent young girls!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Sylvia!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “What good would that have done?” he asked, in bewilderment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.”
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “Surely such things cannot be discussed with innocent young girls!”
emotions experienced when not in a state of well-being
From this reading “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “She could have known what kind of man she was choosing; and she might be spared the dreadful unhappiness that is before her now.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What good would that have done?” he asked, in bewilderment.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Surely such things cannot be discussed with innocent young girls!”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “What good would that have done?” he asked, in bewilderment.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “Surely such things cannot be discussed with innocent young girls!”
Chapter 10 of Sylvia's Marriage: A Novel by Upton Sinclair holds 522 sentences, grouped into 105 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 522 sentences of Sylvia's Marriage: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 105 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of Sylvia's Marriage: A Novel by Upton Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 522 sentences, grouped into 105 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 105 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 105 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 Sylvia's Marriage: A Novel by Upton Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sylvia's Marriage: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Sylvia's Marriage: A Novel 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 Sylvia's Marriage: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
