Chapter 10 of The Sundial is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Sundial is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Arnold Rent listened to this recital with the air of a man who dreams. More than once he appeared as if desirous of asking a question. Then he changed his mind. By this time it had already reached those who were deeply immersed in cards. As the various rubbers were finished people began to gather by the fireplace and discuss the tragedy.
Chapter 10 of The Sundial is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
English poet and literary critic (1822-1888)
From this reading “Arnold Rent listened to this recital with the air of a man who dreams.”
having or expressing desire for something
From this reading “More than once he appeared as if desirous of asking a question.”
to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading “As the various rubbers were finished people began to gather by the fireplace and discuss the tragedy.”
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading “As the various rubbers were finished people began to gather by the fireplace and discuss the tragedy.”
past form of “immerse” — thrust or throw into
From this reading “By this time it had already reached those who were deeply immersed in cards.”
the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events
From this reading “Arnold Rent listened to this recital with the air of a man who dreams.”
let for money
From this reading “Arnold Rent listened to this recital with the air of a man who dreams.”
plural of “rubber” — an elastic material obtained from the latex sap of trees (especially trees of the genera Hevea and Ficus) that can be vulcanized and finished into a variety of products
From this reading “As the various rubbers were finished people began to gather by the fireplace and discuss the tragedy.”
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 “By this time it had already reached those who were deeply immersed in cards.”
In this reading “As the various rubbers were finished people began to gather by the fireplace and discuss the tragedy.”
In this reading “Arnold Rent listened to this recital with the air of a man who dreams.”
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 Arnold Rent listened to this recital with the air of a man who dreams.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Arnold Rent listened to this recital with the air of a man who dreams.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading By this time it had already reached those who were deeply immersed in cards.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As the various rubbers were finished people began to gather by the fireplace and discuss the tragedy.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading More than once he appeared as if desirous of asking a question.
English poet and literary critic (1822-1888)
From this reading Arnold Rent listened to this recital with the air of a man who dreams.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading More than once he appeared as if desirous of asking a question.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading More than once he appeared as if desirous of asking a question.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading As the various rubbers were finished people began to gather by the fireplace and discuss the tragedy.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By this time it had already reached those who were deeply immersed in cards.
a game played with playing cards
From this reading By this time it had already reached those who were deeply immersed in cards.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading Then he changed his mind.
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading By this time it had already reached those who were deeply immersed in cards.
having or expressing desire for something
From this reading More than once he appeared as if desirous of asking a question.
to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading As the various rubbers were finished people began to gather by the fireplace and discuss the tragedy.
plural of “dream” — a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep
From this reading Arnold Rent listened to this recital with the air of a man who dreams.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading As the various rubbers were finished people began to gather by the fireplace and discuss the tragedy.
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading As the various rubbers were finished people began to gather by the fireplace and discuss the tragedy.
assemble or get together
From this reading As the various rubbers were finished people began to gather by the fireplace and discuss the tragedy.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading By this time it had already reached those who were deeply immersed in cards.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading More than once he appeared as if desirous of asking a question.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then he changed his mind.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading More than once he appeared as if desirous of asking a question.
past form of “immerse” — thrust or throw into
From this reading By this time it had already reached those who were deeply immersed in cards.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading By this time it had already reached those who were deeply immersed in cards.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading By this time it had already reached those who were deeply immersed in cards.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading Arnold Rent listened to this recital with the air of a man who dreams.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Arnold Rent listened to this recital with the air of a man who dreams.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Then he changed his mind.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading More than once he appeared as if desirous of asking a question.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Arnold Rent listened to this recital with the air of a man who dreams.
on one occasion
From this reading More than once he appeared as if desirous of asking a question.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading As the various rubbers were finished people began to gather by the fireplace and discuss the tragedy.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading More than once he appeared as if desirous of asking a question.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading By this time it had already reached those who were deeply immersed in cards.
the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events
From this reading Arnold Rent listened to this recital with the air of a man who dreams.
let for money
From this reading Arnold Rent listened to this recital with the air of a man who dreams.
plural of “rubber” — an elastic material obtained from the latex sap of trees (especially trees of the genera Hevea and Ficus) that can be vulcanized and finished into a variety of products
From this reading As the various rubbers were finished people began to gather by the fireplace and discuss the tragedy.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading More than once he appeared as if desirous of asking a question.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Arnold Rent listened to this recital with the air of a man who dreams.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he changed his mind.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Arnold Rent listened to this recital with the air of a man who dreams.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading By this time it had already reached those who were deeply immersed in cards.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading By this time it had already reached those who were deeply immersed in cards.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Arnold Rent listened to this recital with the air of a man who dreams.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading As the various rubbers were finished people began to gather by the fireplace and discuss the tragedy.
of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity
From this reading As the various rubbers were finished people began to gather by the fireplace and discuss the tragedy.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading By this time it had already reached those who were deeply immersed in cards.
which person or people
From this reading Arnold Rent listened to this recital with the air of a man who dreams.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Arnold Rent listened to this recital with the air of a man who dreams.
Chapter 10 of The Sundial by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of The Sundial, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Sundial by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Sundial by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6094 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55006 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55006, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 507 minutes of reading across 1219 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sundial section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters 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 Sundial, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
