Chapter 11 of The Sky Line of Spruce is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Sky Line of Spruce is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She got up, then walked to the cavern maw. For a moment she stood peering into the gloom, one hand resting against the portals of stone. The twilight was already deep. It was the supper hour and past; dark night was almost at hand. There could be no further doubt of Ben's absence.
Chapter 11 of The Sky Line of Spruce is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
possessive form of “ben” — a mountain or tall hill
From this reading “There could be no further doubt of Ben's absence.”
A large, vast underground cave, often filled with forgotten ancient treasures.
From this reading “She got up, then walked to the cavern maw.”
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading “For a moment she stood peering into the gloom, one hand resting against the portals of stone.”
informal terms for the mouth
From this reading “She got up, then walked to the cavern maw.”
-ing form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading “For a moment she stood peering into the gloom, one hand resting against the portals of stone.”
plural of “portal” — a grand and imposing entrance (often extended metaphorically)
From this reading “For a moment she stood peering into the gloom, one hand resting against the portals of stone.”
-ing form of “rest” — not move; be in a resting position
From this reading “For a moment she stood peering into the gloom, one hand resting against the portals of stone.”
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading “The twilight was already deep.”
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 For a moment she stood peering into the gloom, one hand resting against the portals of stone.
the state of being absent
From this reading There could be no further doubt of Ben's absence.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading For a moment she stood peering into the gloom, one hand resting against the portals of stone.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It was the supper hour and past; dark night was almost at hand.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading The twilight was already deep.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was the supper hour and past; dark night was almost at hand.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was the supper hour and past; dark night was almost at hand.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There could be no further doubt of Ben's absence.
possessive form of “ben” — a mountain or tall hill
From this reading There could be no further doubt of Ben's absence.
A large, vast underground cave, often filled with forgotten ancient treasures.
From this reading She got up, then walked to the cavern maw.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading There could be no further doubt of Ben's absence.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading It was the supper hour and past; dark night was almost at hand.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading The twilight was already deep.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading There could be no further doubt of Ben's absence.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a moment she stood peering into the gloom, one hand resting against the portals of stone.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading There could be no further doubt of Ben's absence.
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading For a moment she stood peering into the gloom, one hand resting against the portals of stone.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading She got up, then walked to the cavern maw.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading For a moment she stood peering into the gloom, one hand resting against the portals of stone.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading It was the supper hour and past; dark night was almost at hand.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading For a moment she stood peering into the gloom, one hand resting against the portals of stone.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the supper hour and past; dark night was almost at hand.
informal terms for the mouth
From this reading She got up, then walked to the cavern maw.
a particular point in time
From this reading For a moment she stood peering into the gloom, one hand resting against the portals of stone.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It was the supper hour and past; dark night was almost at hand.
not any; not one
From this reading There could be no further doubt of Ben's absence.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For a moment she stood peering into the gloom, one hand resting against the portals of stone.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading For a moment she stood peering into the gloom, one hand resting against the portals of stone.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading It was the supper hour and past; dark night was almost at hand.
-ing form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading For a moment she stood peering into the gloom, one hand resting against the portals of stone.
plural of “portal” — a grand and imposing entrance (often extended metaphorically)
From this reading For a moment she stood peering into the gloom, one hand resting against the portals of stone.
-ing form of “rest” — not move; be in a resting position
From this reading For a moment she stood peering into the gloom, one hand resting against the portals of stone.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She got up, then walked to the cavern maw.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading For a moment she stood peering into the gloom, one hand resting against the portals of stone.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading For a moment she stood peering into the gloom, one hand resting against the portals of stone.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading It was the supper hour and past; dark night was almost at hand.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She got up, then walked to the cavern maw.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading She got up, then walked to the cavern maw.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There could be no further doubt of Ben's absence.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She got up, then walked to the cavern maw.
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading The twilight was already deep.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She got up, then walked to the cavern maw.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading She got up, then walked to the cavern maw.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The twilight was already deep.
Chapter 11 of The Sky Line of Spruce by Edison Marshall holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 11 holds 426 sentences of The Sky Line of Spruce, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Sky Line of Spruce by Edison Marshall exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 11 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.
