Chapter 10 of The Unspeakable Perk is here in full — 405 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 Unspeakable Perk is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The eyes opened. The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it. He tried to rise, but the hands that pressed him back were firm and quick. “Lie still!” bade their owner. A thin film of color mounted to his cheeks.
Chapter 10 of The Unspeakable Perk is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 Chadic language spoken in northern Nigeria
From this reading ““Lie still!” bade their owner.”
something that interests you because it is important or affects you
From this reading “The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.”
a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement
From this reading “A thin film of color mounted to his cheeks.”
assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support
From this reading “A thin film of color mounted to his cheeks.”
(law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business
From this reading ““Lie still!” bade their owner.”
an incidental benefit awarded for certain types of employment (especially if it is regarded as a right)
From this reading “The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.”
toned down
From this reading “The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.”
defying expression or description
From this reading “The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.”
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 The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He tried to rise, but the hands that pressed him back were firm and quick.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He tried to rise, but the hands that pressed him back were firm and quick.
a Chadic language spoken in northern Nigeria
From this reading “Lie still!” bade their owner.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading A thin film of color mounted to his cheeks.
a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
From this reading A thin film of color mounted to his cheeks.
something that interests you because it is important or affects you
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
divisible by two
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The eyes opened.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement
From this reading A thin film of color mounted to his cheeks.
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading He tried to rise, but the hands that pressed him back were firm and quick.
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He tried to rise, but the hands that pressed him back were firm and quick.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A thin film of color mounted to his cheeks.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
immediately past
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading “Lie still!” bade their owner.
the quality of being good looking and attractive
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support
From this reading A thin film of color mounted to his cheeks.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A thin film of color mounted to his cheeks.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
and nothing more
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading The eyes opened.
(law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business
From this reading “Lie still!” bade their owner.
an incidental benefit awarded for certain types of employment (especially if it is regarded as a right)
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
compacted by ironing
From this reading He tried to rise, but the hands that pressed him back were firm and quick.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading He tried to rise, but the hands that pressed him back were firm and quick.
move upward
From this reading He tried to rise, but the hands that pressed him back were firm and quick.
cut with a saw
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
toned down
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
not in physical motion
From this reading “Lie still!” bade their owner.
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He tried to rise, but the hands that pressed him back were firm and quick.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The eyes opened.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading “Lie still!” bade their owner.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading A thin film of color mounted to his cheeks.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading He tried to rise, but the hands that pressed him back were firm and quick.
defying expression or description
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He tried to rise, but the hands that pressed him back were firm and quick.
at the time that
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
belonging to which person
From this reading The Unspeakable Perk gazed up into the faces above him, but saw only one, a face whose tender concern softened it to a loveliness greater even than when he had last seen it.
Chapter 10 of The Unspeakable Perk by Samuel Hopkins Adams holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 405 sentences of The Unspeakable Perk, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Unspeakable Perk by Samuel Hopkins Adams exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 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 Unspeakable Perk by Samuel Hopkins Adams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4121 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5009 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5009, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 343 minutes of reading across 825 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Unspeakable Perk section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Unspeakable Perk 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 Unspeakable Perk, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
