Chapter 10 of The informer is here in full — 337 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The informer is here in full — 337 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire. Nobody addressed him. He saluted nobody. Biddy Burke was sitting on the other side of the fire, on a stool, smoking a cigarette. Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.
Chapter 10 of The informer is here in full — 337 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/67 · 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.
adult female chicken
From this reading “At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire.”
British statesman famous for his oratory; pleaded the cause of the American colonists in British Parliament and defended the parliamentary system (1729-1797)
From this reading “At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire.”
possessive form of “burke” — British statesman famous for his oratory; pleaded the cause of the American colonists in British Parliament and defended the parliamentary system (1729-1797)
darkened by clouds
From this reading “Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.”
being roughly between 45 and 65 years old
From this reading “Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.”
past form of “salute” — propose a toast to
From this reading “He saluted nobody.”
a simple seat without a back or arms
From this reading “Biddy Burke was sitting on the other side of the fire, on a stool, smoking a cigarette.”
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading “Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.”
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 “At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire.”
In this reading “Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.”
In this reading “Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.”
In this reading “Biddy Burke was sitting on the other side of the fire, on a stool, smoking a cigarette.”
In this reading “Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.”
In this reading “Biddy Burke was sitting on the other side of the fire, on a stool, smoking a cigarette.”
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 Biddy Burke was sitting on the other side of the fire, on a stool, smoking a cigarette.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading Nobody addressed him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire.
adult female chicken
From this reading At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.
British statesman famous for his oratory; pleaded the cause of the American colonists in British Parliament and defended the parliamentary system (1729-1797)
From this reading Biddy Burke was sitting on the other side of the fire, on a stool, smoking a cigarette.
possessive form of “burke” — British statesman famous for his oratory; pleaded the cause of the American colonists in British Parliament and defended the parliamentary system (1729-1797)
From this reading At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire.
plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.
finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading Biddy Burke was sitting on the other side of the fire, on a stool, smoking a cigarette.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire.
start firing a weapon
From this reading At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He saluted nobody.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Nobody addressed him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire.
darkened by clouds
From this reading Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.
being roughly between 45 and 65 years old
From this reading Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire.
no person; not anyone
From this reading Nobody addressed him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Biddy Burke was sitting on the other side of the fire, on a stool, smoking a cigarette.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Biddy Burke was sitting on the other side of the fire, on a stool, smoking a cigarette.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Biddy Burke was sitting on the other side of the fire, on a stool, smoking a cigarette.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.
unhealthy looking
From this reading Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.
past form of “salute” — propose a toast to
From this reading He saluted nobody.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Biddy Burke was sitting on the other side of the fire, on a stool, smoking a cigarette.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Biddy Burke was sitting on the other side of the fire, on a stool, smoking a cigarette.
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading Biddy Burke was sitting on the other side of the fire, on a stool, smoking a cigarette.
a simple seat without a back or arms
From this reading Biddy Burke was sitting on the other side of the fire, on a stool, smoking a cigarette.
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At fifteen minutes to one, Bartly Mulholland entered Biddy Burke’s kitchen and sat by the fire.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Biddy Burke was sitting on the other side of the fire, on a stool, smoking a cigarette.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Biddy Burke was a middle-aged woman with a lowering expression in her black eyes, with puffed-out, sallow cheeks and a swollen throat.
Chapter 10 of The informer by Liam O'Flaherty holds 337 sentences, grouped into 68 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 337 sentences of The informer, unabridged, divided into 68 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The informer by Liam O'Flaherty exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 337 sentences, grouped into 68 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 68 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 68 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.
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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.
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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 informer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
