Chapter 10 of The Empty Sack is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Empty Sack is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"So you can do it and get away with it." This was Teddy’s reflection as he left the bank on that Thursday afternoon. He had spent an infernal day, but it was over, and over safely. Of the missing twenty dollars he had neither heard a word nor caught a sign of anxiety. Mr. Brunt had been methodical and taciturn as usual.
Chapter 10 of The Empty Sack is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
main force of a blow etc
From this reading “Mr. Brunt had been methodical and taciturn as usual.”
characteristic of or resembling Hell
From this reading “He had spent an infernal day, but it was over, and over safely.”
characterized by method and orderliness
From this reading “Mr. Brunt had been methodical and taciturn as usual.”
not able to be found
From this reading “Of the missing twenty dollars he had neither heard a word nor caught a sign of anxiety.”
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading “This was Teddy’s reflection as he left the bank on that Thursday afternoon.”
habitually reserved and uncommunicative
From this reading “Mr. Brunt had been methodical and taciturn as usual.”
possessive form of “teddy” — plaything consisting of a child's toy bear (usually plush and stuffed with soft materials)
the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day
From this reading “This was Teddy’s reflection as he left the bank on that Thursday afternoon.”
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 “Of the missing twenty dollars he had neither heard a word nor caught a sign of anxiety.”
run away from confinement
In this reading “"So you can do it and get away with it."”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Of the missing twenty dollars he had neither heard a word nor caught a sign of anxiety.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading This was Teddy’s reflection as he left the bank on that Thursday afternoon.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He had spent an infernal day, but it was over, and over safely.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "So you can do it and get away with it."
(psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic
From this reading Of the missing twenty dollars he had neither heard a word nor caught a sign of anxiety.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading This was Teddy’s reflection as he left the bank on that Thursday afternoon.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "So you can do it and get away with it."
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading This was Teddy’s reflection as he left the bank on that Thursday afternoon.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Mr. Brunt had been methodical and taciturn as usual.
main force of a blow etc
From this reading Mr. Brunt had been methodical and taciturn as usual.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He had spent an infernal day, but it was over, and over safely.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "So you can do it and get away with it."
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Of the missing twenty dollars he had neither heard a word nor caught a sign of anxiety.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading He had spent an infernal day, but it was over, and over safely.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "So you can do it and get away with it."
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading Of the missing twenty dollars he had neither heard a word nor caught a sign of anxiety.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "So you can do it and get away with it."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had spent an infernal day, but it was over, and over safely.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading This was Teddy’s reflection as he left the bank on that Thursday afternoon.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Of the missing twenty dollars he had neither heard a word nor caught a sign of anxiety.
characteristic of or resembling Hell
From this reading He had spent an infernal day, but it was over, and over safely.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "So you can do it and get away with it."
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading This was Teddy’s reflection as he left the bank on that Thursday afternoon.
characterized by method and orderliness
From this reading Mr. Brunt had been methodical and taciturn as usual.
not able to be found
From this reading Of the missing twenty dollars he had neither heard a word nor caught a sign of anxiety.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Brunt had been methodical and taciturn as usual.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading Of the missing twenty dollars he had neither heard a word nor caught a sign of anxiety.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Of the missing twenty dollars he had neither heard a word nor caught a sign of anxiety.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Of the missing twenty dollars he had neither heard a word nor caught a sign of anxiety.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading This was Teddy’s reflection as he left the bank on that Thursday afternoon.
above and across; more than
From this reading He had spent an infernal day, but it was over, and over safely.
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading This was Teddy’s reflection as he left the bank on that Thursday afternoon.
with safety; in a safe manner
From this reading He had spent an infernal day, but it was over, and over safely.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading Of the missing twenty dollars he had neither heard a word nor caught a sign of anxiety.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So you can do it and get away with it."
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading He had spent an infernal day, but it was over, and over safely.
habitually reserved and uncommunicative
From this reading Mr. Brunt had been methodical and taciturn as usual.
possessive form of “teddy” — plaything consisting of a child's toy bear (usually plush and stuffed with soft materials)
From this reading This was Teddy’s reflection as he left the bank on that Thursday afternoon.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading This was Teddy’s reflection as he left the bank on that Thursday afternoon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading This was Teddy’s reflection as he left the bank on that Thursday afternoon.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was Teddy’s reflection as he left the bank on that Thursday afternoon.
the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day
From this reading This was Teddy’s reflection as he left the bank on that Thursday afternoon.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading Of the missing twenty dollars he had neither heard a word nor caught a sign of anxiety.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading Mr. Brunt had been methodical and taciturn as usual.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This was Teddy’s reflection as he left the bank on that Thursday afternoon.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "So you can do it and get away with it."
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Of the missing twenty dollars he had neither heard a word nor caught a sign of anxiety.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "So you can do it and get away with it."
Chapter 10 of The Empty Sack by Basil King holds 212 sentences, grouped into 43 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 212 sentences of The Empty Sack, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Empty Sack by Basil King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 212 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 The Empty Sack by Basil King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7013 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37412 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37412, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 584 minutes of reading across 1403 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Empty Sack section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Empty Sack 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 The Empty Sack, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
