Through by daylight

Chapter X

Chapter 10 of Through by daylight is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Oliver Optic • Curated US English Learning Edition

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COLONEL WIMPLETON AND SON.

My mother wept as she thought of the past, and dreaded the future.

It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

All else was as nothing to her beside this awful prospect.

My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

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Chapter X Reading 1/24

Through by daylight

Chapter X

Chapter 10 of Through by daylight is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/24 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

COLONEL WIMPLETON AND SON.

Line 2

My mother wept as she thought of the past, and dreaded the future.

/maɪ ˈmʌðər wept æz ʃiː θɔːt ʌv ðə pæst ənd ˈdredɪd ðə ˈfjuːtʃər/

Line 3

It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

Line 4

All else was as nothing to her beside this awful prospect.

Line 5

My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.

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.

besetting verb US /bɪˈsetɪŋ/

inflected form of “beset” — annoy continually or chronically

From this reading “My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.”

comparatively adverb US /kəmˈperətɪvli/

in a relative manner; by comparison to something else

From this reading “It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.”

conqueror noun US /ˈkɑːŋkərər/

someone who is victorious by force of arms

From this reading “My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.”

dreaded adjective US /ˈdredɪd/

causing fear or dread or terror

From this reading “My mother wept as she thought of the past, and dreaded the future.”

exception noun US /ɪkˈsepʃən/

a deliberate act of omission

From this reading “My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.”

intolerable adjective US /ˌɪnˈtɑːlərəbəl/

incapable of being tolerated or endured

From this reading “It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.”

struggled verb US /ˈstrʌɡəld/

past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort

From this reading “My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.”

twenty-four adjective US /ˈtwentifɔːr/

being four more than twenty

From this reading “It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.”

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.

hundred dollars noun + noun counted as “hundred dollar”

In this reading “It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.”

comparatively easy adverb + adjective

In this reading “It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.”

five years noun + noun

In this reading “My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.”

struggled with verb + particle counted as “struggle with”

In this reading “My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.”

for five preposition + noun

In this reading “My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.”

think of verb + particle

keep in mind for attention or consideration

In this reading “It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.”

All words in this reading · 61

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 It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

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 All else was as nothing to her beside this awful prospect.

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading COLONEL WIMPLETON AND SON.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading My mother wept as she thought of the past, and dreaded the future.

awfuladjectiveUS /ˈɑːfəl/

exceptionally bad or displeasing

From this reading All else was as nothing to her beside this awful prospect.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

besettingverbUS /bɪˈsetɪŋ/

inflected form of “beset” — annoy continually or chronically

From this reading My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.

besideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

From this reading All else was as nothing to her beside this awful prospect.

besotting

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

From this reading My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

COLONELnounUS /ˈkɜːrnəl/

a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general

From this reading COLONEL WIMPLETON AND SON.

comparativelyadverbUS /kəmˈperətɪvli/

in a relative manner; by comparison to something else

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

conquerornounUS /ˈkɑːŋkərər/

someone who is victorious by force of arms

From this reading My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.

dollarsnounUS /ˈdɑːlərz/

plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

dreadedadjectiveUS /ˈdredɪd/

causing fear or dread or terror

From this reading My mother wept as she thought of the past, and dreaded the future.

drunkard's

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

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

easyadjectiveUS /ˈiːzi/

posing no difficulty; requiring little effort

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

else

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

From this reading All else was as nothing to her beside this awful prospect.

endureverbUS /enˈdjʊr/

put up with something or somebody unpleasant

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

exceptionnounUS /ɪkˈsepʃən/

a deliberate act of omission

From this reading My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.

fivenounUS /faɪv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one

From this reading My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.

futureadjectiveUS /ˈfjuːtʃər/

yet to be or coming

From this reading My mother wept as she thought of the past, and dreaded the future.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.

hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/

only a very short time before

From this reading My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading All else was as nothing to her beside this awful prospect.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.

hundrednounUS /ˈhʌndrəd/

ten 10s

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

intolerableadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈtɑːlərəbəl/

incapable of being tolerated or endured

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

lossnounUS /lɔːs/

something that is lost

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

miserynounUS /ˈmɪzəri/

a state of ill-being due to affliction or misfortune

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading My mother wept as she thought of the past, and dreaded the future.

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading My mother wept as she thought of the past, and dreaded the future.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading All else was as nothing to her beside this awful prospect.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading My mother wept as she thought of the past, and dreaded the future.

pastnounUS /pæst/

the time that has elapsed

From this reading My mother wept as she thought of the past, and dreaded the future.

prospectnounUS /ˈprɑːspekt/

the possibility of future success

From this reading All else was as nothing to her beside this awful prospect.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading My mother wept as she thought of the past, and dreaded the future.

sinnounUS /sɪn/

estrangement from god

From this reading My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.

SONnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading COLONEL WIMPLETON AND SON.

struggledverbUS /ˈstrʌɡəld/

past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort

From this reading My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading My mother wept as she thought of the past, and dreaded the future.

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading All else was as nothing to her beside this awful prospect.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading My mother wept as she thought of the past, and dreaded the future.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

twenty-fouradjectiveUS /ˈtwentifɔːr/

being four more than twenty

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

weptverbUS /wept/

inflected form of “weep” — shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain

From this reading My mother wept as she thought of the past, and dreaded the future.

wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

WIMPLETON

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

From this reading COLONEL WIMPLETON AND SON.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading It would have been comparatively easy to endure the loss of the twenty-four hundred dollars; but it was intolerable to think of the misery of again being a drunkard’s wife.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading My father had struggled with his besetting and his besotting sin for five years, and with hardly an exception had always been the conqueror.

Chapter 10 of Through by daylight by Oliver Optic holds 124 sentences, grouped into 25 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 Through by daylight contain?

Chapter 10 holds 124 sentences of Through by daylight, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 10 of Through by daylight by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 124 sentences, grouped into 25 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 Through by daylight?

Work through the 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 25 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 Through by daylight

Common questions about reading Through by daylight by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Through by daylight?

Yes. All 3074 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73134 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Through by daylight is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #73134, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Through by daylight take to read?

About 256 minutes of reading across 615 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Through by daylight

Words and structures a reader meets early in Through by daylight, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

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Thoroughly: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Through by daylight; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

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