Chapter 10 of The King of the Mountains is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The King of the Mountains is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Tre! quatro! cinque!" growled Giacomo. The fifth was Tambouris. His head split under the blow like a fresh nut struck by a stone. The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook. My friends were a fine sight in their horrible work.
Chapter 10 of The King of the Mountains is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
plural of “brain” — that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading “The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.”
a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading “The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading “"Tre! quatro! cinque!" growled Giacomo.”
a quantity of liquor equal to one fifth of a United States gallon
From this reading “The fifth was Tambouris.”
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading “"Tre! quatro! cinque!" growled Giacomo.”
usually large hard-shelled seed
From this reading “His head split under the blow like a fresh nut struck by a stone.”
separate into parts or portions
From this reading “His head split under the blow like a fresh nut struck by a stone.”
plural of “throw” — the act of throwing (propelling something with a rapid movement of the arm and wrist)
From this reading “The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.”
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 “The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.”
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 His head split under the blow like a fresh nut struck by a stone.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.
exhale hard
From this reading His head split under the blow like a fresh nut struck by a stone.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.
plural of “brain” — that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.
a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading His head split under the blow like a fresh nut struck by a stone.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading "Tre! quatro! cinque!" growled Giacomo.
clothing in general
From this reading The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.
a quantity of liquor equal to one fifth of a United States gallon
From this reading The fifth was Tambouris.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading My friends were a fine sight in their horrible work.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading His head split under the blow like a fresh nut struck by a stone.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading My friends were a fine sight in their horrible work.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Tre! quatro! cinque!" growled Giacomo.
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading "Tre! quatro! cinque!" growled Giacomo.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading His head split under the blow like a fresh nut struck by a stone.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His head split under the blow like a fresh nut struck by a stone.
provoking horror
From this reading My friends were a fine sight in their horrible work.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading His head split under the blow like a fresh nut struck by a stone.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My friends were a fine sight in their horrible work.
usually large hard-shelled seed
From this reading His head split under the blow like a fresh nut struck by a stone.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Tre! quatro! cinque!" growled Giacomo.
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading My friends were a fine sight in their horrible work.
separate into parts or portions
From this reading His head split under the blow like a fresh nut struck by a stone.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading His head split under the blow like a fresh nut struck by a stone.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading His head split under the blow like a fresh nut struck by a stone.
doomed to extinction
From this reading The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The fifth was Tambouris.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The fifth was Tambouris.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading My friends were a fine sight in their horrible work.
plural of “throw” — the act of throwing (propelling something with a rapid movement of the arm and wrist)
From this reading The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Tre! quatro! cinque!" growled Giacomo.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading His head split under the blow like a fresh nut struck by a stone.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The fifth was Tambouris.
a working woman who takes in washing
From this reading The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The brains were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading My friends were a fine sight in their horrible work.
Chapter 10 of The King of the Mountains by Edmond About holds 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 436 sentences of The King of the Mountains, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The King of the Mountains by Edmond About exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 King of the Mountains by Edmond About on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4360 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42096 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42096, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 363 minutes of reading across 872 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The King of the Mountains section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The King of the Mountains 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 King of the Mountains, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
