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The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2)
The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2)

Chapter X

Chapter 10 of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2) is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By James Payn • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2)
Context Illustration Reading 1/21 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
TWO POETS.
‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.
‘Of all what?’ returned William Henry indifferently.
‘Here are pipes, by the way; will you smoke a little tobacco?’
‘There it is again,’ cried Talbot; ‘I say once more, what is the meaning of it?
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2)

Chapter X

Chapter 10 of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2) is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
TWO POETS.
/tuː ˈpoʊəts/
Line 2
‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.
Line 3
‘Of all what?’ returned William Henry indifferently.
Line 4
‘Here are pipes, by the way; will you smoke a little tobacco?’
/hiːr ɑːr paɪps baɪ ðə weɪ wɪl juː smoʊk ə ˈlɪtəl təˈbækoʊ/
Line 5
‘There it is again,’ cried Talbot; ‘I say once more, what is the meaning of it?
/ðer ɪt ɪz əˈɡen kraɪd ˈtælbət aɪ seɪ wʌns mɔːr wʌt ɪz ðə ˈmiːnɪŋ ʌv ɪt/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Henry noun US /ˈhenri/

a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second

From this reading “‘Of all what?’ returned William Henry indifferently.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
indifferently adverb US /ˌɪnˈdɪfrəntli/

with indifference; in an indifferent manner

From this reading “‘Of all what?’ returned William Henry indifferently.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
meaning noun US /ˈmiːnɪŋ/

the message that is intended or expressed or signified

From this reading “‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pipes noun US /paɪps/

plural of “pipe” — a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco

From this reading “‘Here are pipes, by the way; will you smoke a little tobacco?’”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
poets noun US /ˈpoʊəts/

plural of “poet” — a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)

From this reading “TWO POETS.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
smoke noun US /smoʊk/

a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas

From this reading “‘Here are pipes, by the way; will you smoke a little tobacco?’”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Talbot noun US /ˈtælbət/

English inventor and pioneer in photography who published the first book illustrated with photographs (1800-1877)

From this reading “‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tobacco noun US /təˈbækoʊ/

leaves of the tobacco plant dried and prepared for smoking or ingestion

From this reading “‘Here are pipes, by the way; will you smoke a little tobacco?’”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

once more adverb + adjective

anew

In this reading “‘There it is again,’ cried Talbot; ‘I say once more, what is the meaning of it?”

110,081 times in 426,211 chapters
on earth preposition + noun

used with question words to convey surprise

In this reading “‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.”

37,948 times in 426,211 chapters
by the way preposition + article + noun counted as “by … way”

introducing a different topic

In this reading “‘Here are pipes, by the way; will you smoke a little tobacco?’”

28,320 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 50

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading ‘Here are pipes, by the way; will you smoke a little tobacco?’

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading ‘There it is again,’ cried Talbot; ‘I say once more, what is the meaning of it?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

Velmora curated lexicon
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading ‘Here are pipes, by the way; will you smoke a little tobacco?’

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading ‘Here are pipes, by the way; will you smoke a little tobacco?’

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
criedverbUS /kraɪd/

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading ‘There it is again,’ cried Talbot; ‘I say once more, what is the meaning of it?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
earthnounUS /ɜːrθ/

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
friendnounUS /frend/

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HenrynounUS /ˈhenri/

a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second

From this reading ‘Of all what?’ returned William Henry indifferently.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading ‘Here are pipes, by the way; will you smoke a little tobacco?’

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading ‘There it is again,’ cried Talbot; ‘I say once more, what is the meaning of it?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
indifferentlyadverbUS /ˌɪnˈdɪfrəntli/

with indifference; in an indifferent manner

From this reading ‘Of all what?’ returned William Henry indifferently.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading ‘There it is again,’ cried Talbot; ‘I say once more, what is the meaning of it?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading ‘Here are pipes, by the way; will you smoke a little tobacco?’

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
meaningnounUS /ˈmiːnɪŋ/

the message that is intended or expressed or signified

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading ‘There it is again,’ cried Talbot; ‘I say once more, what is the meaning of it?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading ‘There it is again,’ cried Talbot; ‘I say once more, what is the meaning of it?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pipesnounUS /paɪps/

plural of “pipe” — a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco

From this reading ‘Here are pipes, by the way; will you smoke a little tobacco?’

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
POETSnounUS /ˈpoʊəts/

plural of “poet” — a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)

From this reading TWO POETS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
putverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
questionverbUS /ˈkwestʃən/

challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Reginald

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

Pending verification
returnedverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrnd/

past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading ‘Of all what?’ returned William Henry indifferently.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading ‘There it is again,’ cried Talbot; ‘I say once more, what is the meaning of it?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
smokenounUS /smoʊk/

a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas

From this reading ‘Here are pipes, by the way; will you smoke a little tobacco?’

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TalbotnounUS /ˈtælbət/

English inventor and pioneer in photography who published the first book illustrated with photographs (1800-1877)

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading ‘There it is again,’ cried Talbot; ‘I say once more, what is the meaning of it?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
tobacconounUS /təˈbækoʊ/

leaves of the tobacco plant dried and prepared for smoking or ingestion

From this reading ‘Here are pipes, by the way; will you smoke a little tobacco?’

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
togetheradverbUS /təˈɡeðər/

in contact with each other or in proximity

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TWOnounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading TWO POETS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading ‘Here are pipes, by the way; will you smoke a little tobacco?’

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WHATpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading ‘WHAT on earth is the meaning of all this?’ was the first question that Reginald Talbot put to his friend, when they found themselves alone together.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading ‘Here are pipes, by the way; will you smoke a little tobacco?’

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
William

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading ‘Of all what?’ returned William Henry indifferently.

Pending verification
youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading ‘Here are pipes, by the way; will you smoke a little tobacco?’

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 10 of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2) by James Payn holds 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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.

What does chapter 10 of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2) contain?

Chapter 10 holds 105 sentences of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2), unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 10 of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2) by James Payn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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.

How do I study chapter 10 of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2)?

Work through the 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 21 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.

Can chapter 10 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2)

Common questions about reading The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2) by James Payn on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2)?

Yes. All 2136 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47964 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2) is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #47964, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2) take to read?

About 178 minutes of reading across 428 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2) section by section

How to work through The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2) to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2)

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Obvious
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Print
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Punctuation
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Errors
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.