Chapter 10 of The Secret of the Sundial is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Secret of the Sundial is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Secret Compartment “Well, blow me down!” Madge exclaimed, relapsing into comic-strip slang as she always did when greatly excited. “A spring panel!” Cara had rushed to her side and was staring wide-eyed at the secret compartment revealed in the desk. “There’s something inside!” she cried.
Chapter 10 of The Secret of the Sundial is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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 space into which an area is subdivided
From this reading “The Secret Compartment “Well, blow me down!””
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “Cara had rushed to her side and was staring wide-eyed at the secret compartment revealed in the desk.”
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading “Madge exclaimed, relapsing into comic-strip slang as she always did when greatly excited.”
sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something
From this reading ““A spring panel!””
a failure to maintain a higher state
From this reading “Madge exclaimed, relapsing into comic-strip slang as she always did when greatly excited.”
past form of “reveal” — make visible
From this reading “Cara had rushed to her side and was staring wide-eyed at the secret compartment revealed in the desk.”
use slang or vulgar language
From this reading “Madge exclaimed, relapsing into comic-strip slang as she always did when greatly excited.”
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading “Cara had rushed to her side and was staring wide-eyed at the secret compartment revealed in the desk.”
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 “Madge exclaimed, relapsing into comic-strip slang as she always did when greatly excited.”
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 “A spring panel!”
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Madge exclaimed, relapsing into comic-strip slang as she always did when greatly excited.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Cara had rushed to her side and was staring wide-eyed at the secret compartment revealed in the desk.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Madge exclaimed, relapsing into comic-strip slang as she always did when greatly excited.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Cara had rushed to her side and was staring wide-eyed at the secret compartment revealed in the desk.
exhale hard
From this reading The Secret Compartment “Well, blow me down!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cara had rushed to her side and was staring wide-eyed at the secret compartment revealed in the desk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Madge exclaimed, relapsing into comic-strip slang as she always did when greatly excited.
a space into which an area is subdivided
From this reading The Secret Compartment “Well, blow me down!”
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “There’s something inside!” she cried.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading Cara had rushed to her side and was staring wide-eyed at the secret compartment revealed in the desk.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Madge exclaimed, relapsing into comic-strip slang as she always did when greatly excited.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The Secret Compartment “Well, blow me down!”
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading Madge exclaimed, relapsing into comic-strip slang as she always did when greatly excited.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading Madge exclaimed, relapsing into comic-strip slang as she always did when greatly excited.
to an extraordinary extent or degree
From this reading Madge exclaimed, relapsing into comic-strip slang as she always did when greatly excited.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Cara had rushed to her side and was staring wide-eyed at the secret compartment revealed in the desk.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Cara had rushed to her side and was staring wide-eyed at the secret compartment revealed in the desk.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Cara had rushed to her side and was staring wide-eyed at the secret compartment revealed in the desk.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading “There’s something inside!” she cried.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Madge exclaimed, relapsing into comic-strip slang as she always did when greatly excited.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Madge exclaimed, relapsing into comic-strip slang as she always did when greatly excited.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The Secret Compartment “Well, blow me down!”
sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something
From this reading “A spring panel!”
a failure to maintain a higher state
From this reading Madge exclaimed, relapsing into comic-strip slang as she always did when greatly excited.
past form of “reveal” — make visible
From this reading Cara had rushed to her side and was staring wide-eyed at the secret compartment revealed in the desk.
done under pressure
From this reading Cara had rushed to her side and was staring wide-eyed at the secret compartment revealed in the desk.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading The Secret Compartment “Well, blow me down!”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Madge exclaimed, relapsing into comic-strip slang as she always did when greatly excited.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Cara had rushed to her side and was staring wide-eyed at the secret compartment revealed in the desk.
use slang or vulgar language
From this reading Madge exclaimed, relapsing into comic-strip slang as she always did when greatly excited.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “There’s something inside!” she cried.
the season of growth
From this reading “A spring panel!”
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading Cara had rushed to her side and was staring wide-eyed at the secret compartment revealed in the desk.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Secret Compartment “Well, blow me down!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “There’s something inside!” she cried.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Cara had rushed to her side and was staring wide-eyed at the secret compartment revealed in the desk.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Cara had rushed to her side and was staring wide-eyed at the secret compartment revealed in the desk.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading The Secret Compartment “Well, blow me down!”
at the time that
From this reading Madge exclaimed, relapsing into comic-strip slang as she always did when greatly excited.
exhibiting childlike simplicity and credulity
From this reading Cara had rushed to her side and was staring wide-eyed at the secret compartment revealed in the desk.
Chapter 10 of The Secret of the Sundial by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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 131 sentences of The Secret of the Sundial, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Secret of the Sundial by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 Secret of the Sundial by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1899 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40041 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40041, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 158 minutes of reading across 380 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret of the Sundial section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Secret of the Sundial 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 Secret of the Sundial, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
