Chapter 10 of The Sky Line of Spruce is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Sky Line of Spruce is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"They _are_ out to-night," he murmured. "No wonder you're excited, Fenris. What is it--some celebration in the forest?" There was no possible explanation. Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
Chapter 10 of The Sky Line of Spruce is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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 joyful occasion for special festivities to mark some happy event
From this reading “What is it--some celebration in the forest?"”
a flock of coots
From this reading “Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.”
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading “There was no possible explanation.”
plural of “forester” — English writer of adventure novels featuring Captain Horatio Hornblower (1899-1966)
From this reading “Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.”
deprived of life; no longer living
From this reading “Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.”
Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
From this reading “Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.”
be teeming, be abuzz
From this reading “Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.”
(politics) a state of disfavor
From this reading “Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.”
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 Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "They _are_ out to-night," he murmured.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
a joyful occasion for special festivities to mark some happy event
From this reading What is it--some celebration in the forest?"
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
a flock of coots
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading "No wonder you're excited, Fenris.
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading There was no possible explanation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No wonder you're excited, Fenris.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading What is it--some celebration in the forest?"
plural of “forester” — English writer of adventure novels featuring Captain Horatio Hornblower (1899-1966)
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They _are_ out to-night," he murmured.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading What is it--some celebration in the forest?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What is it--some celebration in the forest?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading What is it--some celebration in the forest?"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
deprived of life; no longer living
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading "They _are_ out to-night," he murmured.
Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
not any; not one
From this reading "No wonder you're excited, Fenris.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "They _are_ out to-night," he murmured.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading There was no possible explanation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
and nothing more
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading What is it--some celebration in the forest?"
not in physical motion
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
be teeming, be abuzz
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading What is it--some celebration in the forest?"
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no possible explanation.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They _are_ out to-night," he murmured.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They _are_ out to-night," he murmured.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no possible explanation.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What is it--some celebration in the forest?"
(politics) a state of disfavor
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Foresters know that on certain nights the wilderness seems simply to teem with life--scratchings and rustlings in every covert--and on other nights it is still and lifeless as a desert.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading "No wonder you're excited, Fenris.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No wonder you're excited, Fenris.
Chapter 10 of The Sky Line of Spruce by Edison Marshall holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 423 sentences of The Sky Line of Spruce, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Sky Line of Spruce by Edison Marshall exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Sky Line of Spruce by Edison Marshall on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5502 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11402 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11402, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 458 minutes of reading across 1101 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sky Line of Spruce section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Sky Line of Spruce 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 Sky Line of Spruce, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
