Chapter 10 of The Prodigal Judge is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Prodigal Judge is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Hannibal!” the judge's voice and manner were rather stern. “Hannibal, a man rode by here last night on a big bay horse. He said he was looking for a boy about ten years old--a boy with a bundle and rifle.” There was an awful pause. Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.
Chapter 10 of The Prodigal Judge is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading “He said he was looking for a boy about ten years old--a boy with a bundle and rifle.””
general who commanded the Carthaginian army in the second Punic War; crossed the Alps and defeated the Romans but was recalled to defend Carthage and was defeated (247-182 BC)
From this reading ““Hannibal!” the judge's voice and manner were rather stern.”
possessive form of “judge” — a public official authorized to decide questions brought before a court of justice
From this reading ““Hannibal!” the judge's voice and manner were rather stern.”
plural of “rib” — support resembling the rib of an animal
From this reading “Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.”
steal goods; take as spoils
From this reading “He said he was looking for a boy about ten years old--a boy with a bundle and rifle.””
of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
From this reading ““Hannibal!” the judge's voice and manner were rather stern.”
very great or intense
From this reading “Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.”
plural of “thump” — a heavy dull sound (as made by impact of heavy objects)
From this reading “Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.”
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 “Hannibal, a man rode by here last night on a big bay horse.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He said he was looking for a boy about ten years old--a boy with a bundle and rifle.”
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There was an awful pause.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Hannibal!” the judge's voice and manner were rather stern.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading There was an awful pause.
an indentation of a shoreline larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf
From this reading “Hannibal, a man rode by here last night on a big bay horse.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Hannibal, a man rode by here last night on a big bay horse.
a youthful male person
From this reading He said he was looking for a boy about ten years old--a boy with a bundle and rifle.”
of short duration or distance
From this reading Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.
a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading He said he was looking for a boy about ten years old--a boy with a bundle and rifle.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “Hannibal, a man rode by here last night on a big bay horse.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He said he was looking for a boy about ten years old--a boy with a bundle and rifle.”
general who commanded the Carthaginian army in the second Punic War; crossed the Alps and defeated the Romans but was recalled to defend Carthage and was defeated (247-182 BC)
From this reading “Hannibal!” the judge's voice and manner were rather stern.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He said he was looking for a boy about ten years old--a boy with a bundle and rifle.”
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “Hannibal, a man rode by here last night on a big bay horse.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading “Hannibal, a man rode by here last night on a big bay horse.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.
possessive form of “judge” — a public official authorized to decide questions brought before a court of justice
From this reading “Hannibal!” the judge's voice and manner were rather stern.
immediately past
From this reading “Hannibal, a man rode by here last night on a big bay horse.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading He said he was looking for a boy about ten years old--a boy with a bundle and rifle.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Hannibal, a man rode by here last night on a big bay horse.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “Hannibal!” the judge's voice and manner were rather stern.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “Hannibal, a man rode by here last night on a big bay horse.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading He said he was looking for a boy about ten years old--a boy with a bundle and rifle.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Hannibal, a man rode by here last night on a big bay horse.
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading There was an awful pause.
on the contrary
From this reading “Hannibal!” the judge's voice and manner were rather stern.
plural of “rib” — support resembling the rib of an animal
From this reading Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.
steal goods; take as spoils
From this reading He said he was looking for a boy about ten years old--a boy with a bundle and rifle.”
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading “Hannibal, a man rode by here last night on a big bay horse.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He said he was looking for a boy about ten years old--a boy with a bundle and rifle.”
of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
From this reading “Hannibal!” the judge's voice and manner were rather stern.
not in physical motion
From this reading Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading He said he was looking for a boy about ten years old--a boy with a bundle and rifle.”
very great or intense
From this reading Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Hannibal!” the judge's voice and manner were rather stern.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was an awful pause.
plural of “thump” — a heavy dull sound (as made by impact of heavy objects)
From this reading Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Hannibal's heart stood still for a brief instant, then it began to beat with terrific thumps against his ribs.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “Hannibal!” the judge's voice and manner were rather stern.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He said he was looking for a boy about ten years old--a boy with a bundle and rifle.”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Hannibal!” the judge's voice and manner were rather stern.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He said he was looking for a boy about ten years old--a boy with a bundle and rifle.”
a late time of life
From this reading He said he was looking for a boy about ten years old--a boy with a bundle and rifle.”
Chapter 10 of The Prodigal Judge by Vaughan Kester holds 266 sentences, grouped into 54 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 266 sentences of The Prodigal Judge, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Prodigal Judge by Vaughan Kester exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 266 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 Prodigal Judge by Vaughan Kester on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7145 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5129 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5129, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 595 minutes of reading across 1429 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Prodigal Judge section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Prodigal Judge 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 Prodigal Judge, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
