Chapter 11 of Aleph, the Chaldean is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Aleph, the Chaldean is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative. She looked at him narrowly. He was not an attractive object—what with his poor clothes, his unkempt hair, and his excessive obsequiousness. But he did look shrewd and to a degree reliable. At all events she must try him.
Chapter 11 of Aleph, the Chaldean is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm
From this reading “He was not an attractive object—what with his poor clothes, his unkempt hair, and his excessive obsequiousness.”
beyond normal limits
From this reading “He was not an attractive object—what with his poor clothes, his unkempt hair, and his excessive obsequiousness.”
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.”
in a narrow manner; not allowing for exceptions
From this reading “She looked at him narrowly.”
someone who travels about selling his wares (as on the streets or at carnivals)
From this reading “In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.”
worthy of reliance or trust
From this reading “But he did look shrewd and to a degree reliable.”
marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
From this reading “But he did look shrewd and to a degree reliable.”
not neatly combed
From this reading “He was not an attractive object—what with his poor clothes, his unkempt hair, and his excessive obsequiousness.”
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.
In this reading “He was not an attractive object—what with his poor clothes, his unkempt hair, and his excessive obsequiousness.”
In this reading “At all events she must try him.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “She looked at him narrowly.”
In this reading “In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.”
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 But he did look shrewd and to a degree reliable.
personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
(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 At all events she must try him.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was not an attractive object—what with his poor clothes, his unkempt hair, and his excessive obsequiousness.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She looked at him narrowly.
pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm
From this reading He was not an attractive object—what with his poor clothes, his unkempt hair, and his excessive obsequiousness.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he did look shrewd and to a degree reliable.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
clothing in general
From this reading He was not an attractive object—what with his poor clothes, his unkempt hair, and his excessive obsequiousness.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading But he did look shrewd and to a degree reliable.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading But he did look shrewd and to a degree reliable.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading At all events she must try him.
beyond normal limits
From this reading He was not an attractive object—what with his poor clothes, his unkempt hair, and his excessive obsequiousness.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading He was not an attractive object—what with his poor clothes, his unkempt hair, and his excessive obsequiousness.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was not an attractive object—what with his poor clothes, his unkempt hair, and his excessive obsequiousness.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She looked at him narrowly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was not an attractive object—what with his poor clothes, his unkempt hair, and his excessive obsequiousness.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading But he did look shrewd and to a degree reliable.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked at him narrowly.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
a person who carries a message
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading At all events she must try him.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
in a narrow manner; not allowing for exceptions
From this reading She looked at him narrowly.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was not an attractive object—what with his poor clothes, his unkempt hair, and his excessive obsequiousness.
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading He was not an attractive object—what with his poor clothes, his unkempt hair, and his excessive obsequiousness.
abject or cringing submissiveness
From this reading He was not an attractive object—what with his poor clothes, his unkempt hair, and his excessive obsequiousness.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
someone who travels about selling his wares (as on the streets or at carnivals)
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading He was not an attractive object—what with his poor clothes, his unkempt hair, and his excessive obsequiousness.
worthy of reliance or trust
From this reading But he did look shrewd and to a degree reliable.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She looked at him narrowly.
marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
From this reading But he did look shrewd and to a degree reliable.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But he did look shrewd and to a degree reliable.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading At all events she must try him.
not neatly combed
From this reading He was not an attractive object—what with his poor clothes, his unkempt hair, and his excessive obsequiousness.
precisely as stated
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was not an attractive object—what with his poor clothes, his unkempt hair, and his excessive obsequiousness.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He was not an attractive object—what with his poor clothes, his unkempt hair, and his excessive obsequiousness.
belonging to which person
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
in the company of; together with
From this reading In less than an hour her messenger returned with the very peddler whose acquaintance we made in the first chapter of this narrative.
Chapter 11 of Aleph, the Chaldean by E. F. (Enoch Fitch) Burr holds 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 11 holds 398 sentences of Aleph, the Chaldean, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Aleph, the Chaldean by E. F. (Enoch Fitch) Burr exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 11 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 Aleph, the Chaldean by E. F. (Enoch Fitch) Burr on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5626 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61041 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61041, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 468 minutes of reading across 1126 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Aleph, the Chaldean section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Aleph, the Chaldean 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 Aleph, the Chaldean, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
