Chapter 10 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter X
Chapter 10 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The hand thrust him down forcibly into the Morris chair and released him. The clock on the mantle ticked loudly. George glanced at it, and at Mary. She was leaning against the table, unable to conceal her trembling. He became unpleasantly aware of the feeling of his brother's fingers on his hand.
Chapter 10 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
possessive form of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading “He became unpleasantly aware of the feeling of his brother's fingers on his hand.”
in a forcible manner
From this reading “The hand thrust him down forcibly into the Morris chair and released him.”
with relatively high volume
From this reading “The clock on the mantle ticked loudly.”
the cloak as a symbol of authority
From this reading “The clock on the mantle ticked loudly.”
United States suffragist in Wyoming (1814-1902)
From this reading “The hand thrust him down forcibly into the Morris chair and released him.”
past form of “release” — release, as from one's grip
From this reading “The hand thrust him down forcibly into the Morris chair and released him.”
past form of “tick” — make a clicking or ticking sound
From this reading “The clock on the mantle ticked loudly.”
in an unpleasant manner
From this reading “He became unpleasantly aware of the feeling of his brother's fingers on his hand.”
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.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading She was leaning against the table, unable to conceal her trembling.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The hand thrust him down forcibly into the Morris chair and released him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading George glanced at it, and at Mary.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading He became unpleasantly aware of the feeling of his brother's fingers on his hand.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading He became unpleasantly aware of the feeling of his brother's fingers on his hand.
possessive form of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading He became unpleasantly aware of the feeling of his brother's fingers on his hand.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading The hand thrust him down forcibly into the Morris chair and released him.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading The clock on the mantle ticked loudly.
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading She was leaning against the table, unable to conceal her trembling.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The hand thrust him down forcibly into the Morris chair and released him.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading He became unpleasantly aware of the feeling of his brother's fingers on his hand.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading He became unpleasantly aware of the feeling of his brother's fingers on his hand.
in a forcible manner
From this reading The hand thrust him down forcibly into the Morris chair and released him.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading George glanced at it, and at Mary.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading George glanced at it, and at Mary.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The hand thrust him down forcibly into the Morris chair and released him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He became unpleasantly aware of the feeling of his brother's fingers on his hand.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She was leaning against the table, unable to conceal her trembling.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The hand thrust him down forcibly into the Morris chair and released him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He became unpleasantly aware of the feeling of his brother's fingers on his hand.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The hand thrust him down forcibly into the Morris chair and released him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading George glanced at it, and at Mary.
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading She was leaning against the table, unable to conceal her trembling.
with relatively high volume
From this reading The clock on the mantle ticked loudly.
the cloak as a symbol of authority
From this reading The clock on the mantle ticked loudly.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading George glanced at it, and at Mary.
United States suffragist in Wyoming (1814-1902)
From this reading The hand thrust him down forcibly into the Morris chair and released him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He became unpleasantly aware of the feeling of his brother's fingers on his hand.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The clock on the mantle ticked loudly.
past form of “release” — release, as from one's grip
From this reading The hand thrust him down forcibly into the Morris chair and released him.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was leaning against the table, unable to conceal her trembling.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading She was leaning against the table, unable to conceal her trembling.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The hand thrust him down forcibly into the Morris chair and released him.
push forcefully
From this reading The hand thrust him down forcibly into the Morris chair and released him.
past form of “tick” — make a clicking or ticking sound
From this reading The clock on the mantle ticked loudly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She was leaning against the table, unable to conceal her trembling.
a shaky motion
From this reading She was leaning against the table, unable to conceal her trembling.
(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how
From this reading She was leaning against the table, unable to conceal her trembling.
in an unpleasant manner
From this reading He became unpleasantly aware of the feeling of his brother's fingers on his hand.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was leaning against the table, unable to conceal her trembling.
Chapter 10 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories by Jack London holds 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 220 sentences of When God Laughs, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories by Jack London exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 When God Laughs, and Other Stories by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3846 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2545 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2545, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 320 minutes of reading across 770 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through When God Laughs, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of When God Laughs, and Other Stories 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 When God Laughs, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
