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The Copperhead
The Copperhead

Chapter X

Chapter 10 of The Copperhead is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Copperhead
Context Illustration Reading 1/23 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE FIRE That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.
You can tell it's him because he's had all his front teeth pulled out.”
I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.
Miss, you ain't half makin' out a supper!”
But this bravado could not maintain itself.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Copperhead

Chapter X

Chapter 10 of The Copperhead is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/23 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE FIREThat was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.
Line 2
You can tell it's him because he's had all his front teeth pulled out.”
Line 3
I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.
Line 4
Miss, you ain't half makin' out a supper!”
Line 5
But this bravado could not maintain itself.
/bʌt ðɪs brəˈvɑːdoʊ kʊd nɑːt meɪnˈteɪn ˌɪtˈself/

Learner Dictionary

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.

agitated adjective US /ˈædʒəteɪtɪd/

troubled emotionally and usually deeply

From this reading “THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.”

bravado noun US /brəˈvɑːdoʊ/

a swaggering show of courage

From this reading “But this bravado could not maintain itself.”

hollered verb US /ˈhɑːlərd/

past form of “holler” — shout out

From this reading “THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.”

maintain verb US /meɪnˈteɪn/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading “But this bravado could not maintain itself.”

makin noun US /ˈmækɪn/

battles in World War II in the Pacific (November 1943); United States Marines took the islands from the Japanese after bitter fighting

From this reading ““Miss, you ain't half makin' out a supper!””

owl noun US /aʊl/

nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes

From this reading ““I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.”

slice noun US /slaɪs/

a share of something

From this reading ““I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.”

tranquillity noun US /træŋˈkwɪlɪti/

an untroubled state; free from disturbances

From this reading ““I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

front teeth noun + noun

In this reading ““You can tell it's him because he's had all his front teeth pulled out.””

supper table noun + noun

In this reading “THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.”

pulled out verb + adjective counted as “pull out”

move out or away

In this reading ““You can tell it's him because he's had all his front teeth pulled out.””

in the woods preposition + article + noun counted as “in … woods”

In this reading ““I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.”

All words in this reading · 67

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

Abner

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

agitatedadjectiveUS /ˈædʒəteɪtɪd/

troubled emotionally and usually deeply

From this reading THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.

ain't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Miss, you ain't half makin' out a supper!”

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 “You can tell it's him because he's had all his front teeth pulled out.”

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading “You can tell it's him because he's had all his front teeth pulled out.”

bornadjectiveUS /bɔːrn/

brought into existence

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

bravadonounUS /brəˈvɑːdoʊ/

a swaggering show of courage

From this reading But this bravado could not maintain itself.

breadnounUS /bred/

food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

breakingnounUS /ˈbreɪkɪŋ/

the act of breaking something

From this reading THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But this bravado could not maintain itself.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading “You can tell it's him because he's had all his front teeth pulled out.”

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading But this bravado could not maintain itself.

fallenadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːlən/

having dropped by the force of gravity

From this reading THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.

FIREverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

From this reading THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.

frontnounUS /frʌnt/

the side that is forward or prominent

From this reading “You can tell it's him because he's had all his front teeth pulled out.”

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.

halfadjectiveUS /hæf/

consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity

From this reading “Miss, you ain't half makin' out a supper!”

he's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “You can tell it's him because he's had all his front teeth pulled out.”

helpingnounUS /ˈhelpɪŋ/

an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading “You can tell it's him because he's had all his front teeth pulled out.”

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading “You can tell it's him because he's had all his front teeth pulled out.”

holleredverbUS /ˈhɑːlərd/

past form of “holler” — shout out

From this reading THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

it's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “You can tell it's him because he's had all his front teeth pulled out.”

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading But this bravado could not maintain itself.

Janey

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.

maintainverbUS /meɪnˈteɪn/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading But this bravado could not maintain itself.

makinnounUS /ˈmækɪn/

battles in World War II in the Pacific (November 1943); United States Marines took the islands from the Japanese after bitter fighting

From this reading “Miss, you ain't half makin' out a supper!”

MissverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading “Miss, you ain't half makin' out a supper!”

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading But this bravado could not maintain itself.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading “You can tell it's him because he's had all his front teeth pulled out.”

owlnounUS /aʊl/

nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

pulledverbUS /pʊld/

past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling

From this reading “You can tell it's him because he's had all his front teeth pulled out.”

remarkedverbUS /rɪˈmɑːrkt/

past form of “remark” — make mention of

From this reading THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.

repliedverbUS /rɪˈplaɪd/

inflected form of “reply” — react verbally

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

Rosellenoun

East Indian sparsely prickly annual herb or perennial subshrub widely cultivated for its fleshy calyxes used in tarts and jelly and for its bast fiber

From this reading THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.

showverbUS /ʃoʊ/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

silencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.

skeert

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

slicenounUS /slaɪs/

a share of something

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

suppernounUS /ˈsʌpər/

a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime

From this reading THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.

tablenounUS /ˈteɪbəl/

a set of data arranged in rows and columns

From this reading THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.

teethnounUS /tiːθ/

the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal

From this reading “You can tell it's him because he's had all his front teeth pulled out.”

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading “You can tell it's him because he's had all his front teeth pulled out.”

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading But this bravado could not maintain itself.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

tranquillitynounUS /træŋˈkwɪlɪti/

an untroubled state; free from disturbances

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

Upman

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.

wasn't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.

Wilcox

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE FIRE “That was Roselle Upman that hollered,” remarked Janey Wilcox, breaking the agitated silence which had fallen upon the supper table.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

woodsnounUS /wʊdz/

the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area

From this reading “I wasn't born in the woods to be skeert by an owl!” replied Abner, with a great show of tranquillity, helping himself to another slice of bread.

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “You can tell it's him because he's had all his front teeth pulled out.”

Chapter 10 of The Copperhead by Harold Frederic holds 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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.

What does chapter 10 of The Copperhead contain?

Chapter 10 holds 115 sentences of The Copperhead, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 10 of The Copperhead by Harold Frederic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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.

How do I study chapter 10 of The Copperhead?

Work through the 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 23 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.

Can chapter 10 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Copperhead

Common questions about reading The Copperhead by Harold Frederic on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Copperhead?

Yes. All 1833 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46124 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Copperhead is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #46124, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Copperhead take to read?

About 152 minutes of reading across 367 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Copperhead section by section

How to work through The Copperhead section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Copperhead to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Copperhead

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Copperhead, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Harold
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Copperhead; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Frederic
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Copperhead; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Valley
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Copperhead; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lawton
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Copperhead; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.