Chapter 10 of The Vast Abyss is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Vast Abyss is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Ay, what about the pears? You wouldn't come down in the dark and keep watch." "Wouldn't I!" cried Tom excitedly. "Besides, we might ketch him, and him fly at you." "I wish he would," said Tom.
Chapter 10 of The Vast Abyss is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading “"Besides, we might ketch him, and him fly at you."”
with excitement; in an excited manner
From this reading “"Wouldn't I!" cried Tom excitedly.”
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading “"Besides, we might ketch him, and him fly at you."”
a sailing vessel with two masts; the mizzen is forward of the rudderpost
From this reading “"Besides, we might ketch him, and him fly at you."”
plural of “pear” — sweet juicy gritty-textured fruit available in many varieties
From this reading “"Ay, what about the pears?”
male cat
From this reading “"Wouldn't I!" cried Tom excitedly.”
look attentively
From this reading “You wouldn't come down in the dark and keep watch."”
hope for; have a wish
From this reading “"I wish he would," said Tom.”
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.
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading “You wouldn't come down in the dark and keep watch."”
In this reading “You wouldn't come down in the dark and keep watch."”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Ay, what about the pears?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You wouldn't come down in the dark and keep watch."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Besides, we might ketch him, and him fly at you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ay, what about the pears?
in addition to; as well as
From this reading "Besides, we might ketch him, and him fly at you."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading You wouldn't come down in the dark and keep watch."
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Wouldn't I!" cried Tom excitedly.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading You wouldn't come down in the dark and keep watch."
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading You wouldn't come down in the dark and keep watch."
with excitement; in an excited manner
From this reading "Wouldn't I!" cried Tom excitedly.
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading "Besides, we might ketch him, and him fly at you."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I wish he would," said Tom.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Besides, we might ketch him, and him fly at you."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Wouldn't I!" cried Tom excitedly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading You wouldn't come down in the dark and keep watch."
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading You wouldn't come down in the dark and keep watch."
a sailing vessel with two masts; the mizzen is forward of the rudderpost
From this reading "Besides, we might ketch him, and him fly at you."
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "Besides, we might ketch him, and him fly at you."
plural of “pear” — sweet juicy gritty-textured fruit available in many varieties
From this reading "Ay, what about the pears?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I wish he would," said Tom.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Ay, what about the pears?
male cat
From this reading "Wouldn't I!" cried Tom excitedly.
look attentively
From this reading You wouldn't come down in the dark and keep watch."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Besides, we might ketch him, and him fly at you."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Ay, what about the pears?
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "I wish he would," said Tom.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "I wish he would," said Tom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You wouldn't come down in the dark and keep watch."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You wouldn't come down in the dark and keep watch."
Chapter 10 of The Vast Abyss by George Manville Fenn holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 415 sentences of The Vast Abyss, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Vast Abyss by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Vast Abyss by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7667 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30106 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30106, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1534 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Vast Abyss section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Vast Abyss 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 Vast Abyss, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
