Chapter 11 of Blanche: A Story for Girls is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Blanche: A Story for Girls is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE TALL OLD GENTLEMAN. "Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded. There stood a tall, rather bent, grey-haired old gentleman. Miss Halliday stared at him dubiously, but Mrs Burgess started forward. "Good gracious!" she exclaimed.
Chapter 11 of Blanche: A Story for Girls is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
English writer of satirical novels (1917-1993)
From this reading “Miss Halliday stared at him dubiously, but Mrs Burgess started forward.”
exhale abruptly, as when one has a chest cold or congestion
From this reading “"Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.”
in a questionable and dubious manner
From this reading “Miss Halliday stared at him dubiously, but Mrs Burgess started forward.”
characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit
From this reading “"Good gracious!" she exclaimed.”
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading “"Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.”
do one's shopping
From this reading “"Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.”
plural of “ward” — a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another
From this reading “"Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.”
an old word meaning “from where”
From this reading “"Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.”
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 “THE TALL OLD GENTLEMAN.”
In this reading “Miss Halliday stared at him dubiously, but Mrs Burgess started forward.”
In this reading “Miss Halliday stared at him dubiously, but Mrs Burgess started forward.”
In this reading “"Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.”
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 "Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.
the utterance of a sound similar to clearing the throat; intended to get attention, express hesitancy, fill a pause, hide embarrassment, warn a friend, etc.
From this reading "Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Miss Halliday stared at him dubiously, but Mrs Burgess started forward.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading "Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading There stood a tall, rather bent, grey-haired old gentleman.
English writer of satirical novels (1917-1993)
From this reading Miss Halliday stared at him dubiously, but Mrs Burgess started forward.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Miss Halliday stared at him dubiously, but Mrs Burgess started forward.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.
exhale abruptly, as when one has a chest cold or congestion
From this reading "Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading "Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading "Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.
in a questionable and dubious manner
From this reading Miss Halliday stared at him dubiously, but Mrs Burgess started forward.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Good gracious!" she exclaimed.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading "Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Miss Halliday stared at him dubiously, but Mrs Burgess started forward.
a man of refinement
From this reading THE TALL OLD GENTLEMAN.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Good gracious!" she exclaimed.
characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit
From this reading "Good gracious!" she exclaimed.
showing characteristics of age, especially having grey or white hair
From this reading There stood a tall, rather bent, grey-haired old gentleman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Miss Halliday stared at him dubiously, but Mrs Burgess started forward.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Miss Halliday stared at him dubiously, but Mrs Burgess started forward.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Miss Halliday stared at him dubiously, but Mrs Burgess started forward.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Miss Halliday stared at him dubiously, but Mrs Burgess started forward.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading THE TALL OLD GENTLEMAN.
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading "Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.
on the contrary
From this reading There stood a tall, rather bent, grey-haired old gentleman.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Good gracious!" she exclaimed.
do one's shopping
From this reading "Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading "Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading "Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Miss Halliday stared at him dubiously, but Mrs Burgess started forward.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Miss Halliday stared at him dubiously, but Mrs Burgess started forward.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading There stood a tall, rather bent, grey-haired old gentleman.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading THE TALL OLD GENTLEMAN.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TALL OLD GENTLEMAN.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There stood a tall, rather bent, grey-haired old gentleman.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading "Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.
plural of “ward” — a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another
From this reading "Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.
an old word meaning “from where”
From this reading "Ahem!" followed by a slight cough, drew the attention of the three in the shop wards the door, whence the sound proceeded.
Chapter 11 of Blanche: A Story for Girls by Mrs. Molesworth holds 392 sentences, grouped into 79 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 392 sentences of Blanche: A Story for Girls, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Blanche: A Story for Girls by Mrs. Molesworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 392 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Blanche: A Story for Girls by Mrs. Molesworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4804 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43125 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43125, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 400 minutes of reading across 961 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Blanche: A Story for Girls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Blanche: A Story for Girls 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 Blanche: A Story for Girls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
