Chapter 11 of Alf's Button is here in full — 338 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Alf's Button is here in full — 338 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones. "I think it's your plain duty to call at once." The Vicar of Denmore sighed, and laid down his paper on the breakfast-table. "But, my dear," he protested mildly, "we know nothing of the new people at the Manor. We don't even know if they have taken possession.
Chapter 11 of Alf's Button is here in full — 338 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/67 · 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.
plural of “davy” — English chemist who was a pioneer in electrochemistry and who used it to isolate elements sodium and potassium and barium and boron and calcium and magnesium and chlorine (1778-1829)
From this reading “THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.”
Roman Emperor and nephew of Constantine; he restored paganism as the official religion of the Roman Empire and destroyed Christian temples but his decision was reversed after his death (331?-363)
From this reading “THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.”
the mansion of a lord or wealthy person
From this reading “"But, my dear," he protested mildly, "we know nothing of the new people at the Manor.”
to a moderate degree
From this reading “"But, my dear," he protested mildly, "we know nothing of the new people at the Manor.”
angered at something unjust or wrong
From this reading “THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.”
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading “"But, my dear," he protested mildly, "we know nothing of the new people at the Manor.”
plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.”
a Roman Catholic priest who acts for another higher-ranking clergyman
From this reading “THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.”
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 “We don't even know if they have taken possession.”
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “"I think it's your plain duty to call at once."”
In this reading “"I think it's your plain duty to call at once."”
In this reading “THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.”
In this reading “THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Vicar of Denmore sighed, and laid down his paper on the breakfast-table.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I think it's your plain duty to call at once."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Vicar of Denmore sighed, and laid down his paper on the breakfast-table.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But, my dear," he protested mildly, "we know nothing of the new people at the Manor.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "I think it's your plain duty to call at once."
plural of “davy” — English chemist who was a pioneer in electrochemistry and who used it to isolate elements sodium and potassium and barium and boron and calcium and magnesium and chlorine (1778-1829)
From this reading THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.
dearly loved
From this reading "But, my dear," he protested mildly, "we know nothing of the new people at the Manor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Vicar of Denmore sighed, and laid down his paper on the breakfast-table.
characterized by great determination
From this reading THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We don't even know if they have taken possession.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The Vicar of Denmore sighed, and laid down his paper on the breakfast-table.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading "I think it's your plain duty to call at once."
divisible by two
From this reading We don't even know if they have taken possession.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading We don't even know if they have taken possession.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "But, my dear," he protested mildly, "we know nothing of the new people at the Manor.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Vicar of Denmore sighed, and laid down his paper on the breakfast-table.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I think it's your plain duty to call at once."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading We don't even know if they have taken possession.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I think it's your plain duty to call at once."
Roman Emperor and nephew of Constantine; he restored paganism as the official religion of the Roman Empire and destroyed Christian temples but his decision was reversed after his death (331?-363)
From this reading THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "But, my dear," he protested mildly, "we know nothing of the new people at the Manor.
set down according to a plan
From this reading The Vicar of Denmore sighed, and laid down his paper on the breakfast-table.
the mansion of a lord or wealthy person
From this reading "But, my dear," he protested mildly, "we know nothing of the new people at the Manor.
to a moderate degree
From this reading "But, my dear," he protested mildly, "we know nothing of the new people at the Manor.
used to form the superlative
From this reading THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "But, my dear," he protested mildly, "we know nothing of the new people at the Manor.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading "But, my dear," he protested mildly, "we know nothing of the new people at the Manor.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "But, my dear," he protested mildly, "we know nothing of the new people at the Manor.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Vicar of Denmore sighed, and laid down his paper on the breakfast-table.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The Vicar of Denmore sighed, and laid down his paper on the breakfast-table.
on one occasion
From this reading "I think it's your plain duty to call at once."
angered at something unjust or wrong
From this reading THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading The Vicar of Denmore sighed, and laid down his paper on the breakfast-table.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading "But, my dear," he protested mildly, "we know nothing of the new people at the Manor.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading "I think it's your plain duty to call at once."
the act of having and controlling property
From this reading We don't even know if they have taken possession.
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading "But, my dear," he protested mildly, "we know nothing of the new people at the Manor.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading The Vicar of Denmore sighed, and laid down his paper on the breakfast-table.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading We don't even know if they have taken possession.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading We don't even know if they have taken possession.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I think it's your plain duty to call at once."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I think it's your plain duty to call at once."
plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice
From this reading THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.
a Roman Catholic priest who acts for another higher-ranking clergyman
From this reading The Vicar of Denmore sighed, and laid down his paper on the breakfast-table.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "But, my dear," he protested mildly, "we know nothing of the new people at the Manor.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading THE VICAR'S WIFE OUTRAGED "Well, Julian," said Mrs. Davies in her most determined tones.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I think it's your plain duty to call at once."
Chapter 11 of Alf's Button by W. A. (William Aubrey) Darlington holds 338 sentences, grouped into 68 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 338 sentences of Alf's Button, unabridged, divided into 68 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Alf's Button by W. A. (William Aubrey) Darlington exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 338 sentences, grouped into 68 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 68 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 68 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 Alf's Button by W. A. (William Aubrey) Darlington on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4980 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59775 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59775, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 415 minutes of reading across 996 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Alf's Button section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Alf's Button 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 Alf's Button, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
