Chapter 10 of The Inheritors is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Inheritors is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Deuced queer," Soane muttered. He began to scribble with a pencil. From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected. Very late Soane finished his leader. He looked up as he wrote the last word.
Chapter 10 of The Inheritors is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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.
of surpassing excellence
From this reading “From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.”
a person who rules or guides or inspires others
From this reading “Very late Soane finished his leader.”
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “"Deuced queer," Soane muttered.”
a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood
From this reading “He began to scribble with a pencil.”
sharply exact or accurate or delimited
From this reading “From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “"Deuced queer," Soane muttered.”
write down quickly without much attention to detail
From this reading “He began to scribble with a pencil.”
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading “From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.”
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 He began to scribble with a pencil.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He looked up as he wrote the last word.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He began to scribble with a pencil.
of surpassing excellence
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading "Deuced queer," Soane muttered.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading Very late Soane finished his leader.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He began to scribble with a pencil.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
immediately past
From this reading He looked up as he wrote the last word.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading Very late Soane finished his leader.
a person who rules or guides or inspires others
From this reading Very late Soane finished his leader.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked up as he wrote the last word.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading "Deuced queer," Soane muttered.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood
From this reading He began to scribble with a pencil.
sharply exact or accurate or delimited
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading "Deuced queer," Soane muttered.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
write down quickly without much attention to detail
From this reading He began to scribble with a pencil.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Deuced queer," Soane muttered.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
a special situation
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He began to scribble with a pencil.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He looked up as he wrote the last word.
precisely as stated
From this reading Very late Soane finished his leader.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading From the tone of his voice I knew that he had reached the precise stage at which something brilliant--the real thing of its kind--might be expected.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He began to scribble with a pencil.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading He looked up as he wrote the last word.
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading He looked up as he wrote the last word.
Chapter 10 of The Inheritors by Joseph Conrad holds 376 sentences, grouped into 76 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 376 sentences of The Inheritors, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Inheritors by Joseph Conrad exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 376 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 Inheritors by Joseph Conrad on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4413 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14888 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14888, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 367 minutes of reading across 883 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Inheritors section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Inheritors 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 Inheritors, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
