Chapter 11 of The Ransom of Red Chief is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Ransom of Red Chief is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
An arc light faintly shone upon Lorison’s face. An illumination from within also pervaded it. The girl saw the rapt, ascetic look; it was the face either of Sir Galahad or Sir Fool. “Quite starlike,” she said, “is this unapproachable angel. Really too high to be grasped.”
Chapter 11 of The Ransom of Red Chief is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
electrical conduction through a gas in an applied electric field
From this reading “An arc light faintly shone upon Lorison’s face.”
pertaining to or characteristic of an ascetic or the practice of rigorous self-discipline
From this reading “The girl saw the rapt, ascetic look; it was the face either of Sir Galahad or Sir Fool.”
(Arthurian legend) the most virtuous knight of the Round Table; was able to see the Holy Grail
From this reading “The girl saw the rapt, ascetic look; it was the face either of Sir Galahad or Sir Fool.”
a condition of spiritual awareness; divine illumination
From this reading “An illumination from within also pervaded it.”
past form of “pervade” — spread or diffuse through
From this reading “An illumination from within also pervaded it.”
feeling great rapture or delight
From this reading “The girl saw the rapt, ascetic look; it was the face either of Sir Galahad or Sir Fool.”
resembling a star
From this reading ““Quite starlike,” she said, “is this unapproachable angel.”
discouraging intimacies; reserved
From this reading ““Quite starlike,” she said, “is this unapproachable angel.”
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.
in addition
From this reading An illumination from within also pervaded it.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An arc light faintly shone upon Lorison’s face.
spiritual being attendant upon God
From this reading “Quite starlike,” she said, “is this unapproachable angel.
electrical conduction through a gas in an applied electric field
From this reading An arc light faintly shone upon Lorison’s face.
pertaining to or characteristic of an ascetic or the practice of rigorous self-discipline
From this reading The girl saw the rapt, ascetic look; it was the face either of Sir Galahad or Sir Fool.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Really too high to be grasped.”
one or the other of two
From this reading The girl saw the rapt, ascetic look; it was the face either of Sir Galahad or Sir Fool.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading An arc light faintly shone upon Lorison’s face.
to a faint degree or weakly perceived
From this reading An arc light faintly shone upon Lorison’s face.
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading The girl saw the rapt, ascetic look; it was the face either of Sir Galahad or Sir Fool.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading An illumination from within also pervaded it.
(Arthurian legend) the most virtuous knight of the Round Table; was able to see the Holy Grail
From this reading The girl saw the rapt, ascetic look; it was the face either of Sir Galahad or Sir Fool.
a young female
From this reading The girl saw the rapt, ascetic look; it was the face either of Sir Galahad or Sir Fool.
past form of “grasp” — hold firmly
From this reading Really too high to be grasped.”
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Really too high to be grasped.”
a condition of spiritual awareness; divine illumination
From this reading An illumination from within also pervaded it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Quite starlike,” she said, “is this unapproachable angel.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading An illumination from within also pervaded it.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading An arc light faintly shone upon Lorison’s face.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The girl saw the rapt, ascetic look; it was the face either of Sir Galahad or Sir Fool.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An arc light faintly shone upon Lorison’s face.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The girl saw the rapt, ascetic look; it was the face either of Sir Galahad or Sir Fool.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The girl saw the rapt, ascetic look; it was the face either of Sir Galahad or Sir Fool.
past form of “pervade” — spread or diffuse through
From this reading An illumination from within also pervaded it.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading “Quite starlike,” she said, “is this unapproachable angel.
feeling great rapture or delight
From this reading The girl saw the rapt, ascetic look; it was the face either of Sir Galahad or Sir Fool.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading Really too high to be grasped.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Quite starlike,” she said, “is this unapproachable angel.
cut with a saw
From this reading The girl saw the rapt, ascetic look; it was the face either of Sir Galahad or Sir Fool.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Quite starlike,” she said, “is this unapproachable angel.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading An arc light faintly shone upon Lorison’s face.
term of address for a man
From this reading The girl saw the rapt, ascetic look; it was the face either of Sir Galahad or Sir Fool.
resembling a star
From this reading “Quite starlike,” she said, “is this unapproachable angel.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The girl saw the rapt, ascetic look; it was the face either of Sir Galahad or Sir Fool.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Quite starlike,” she said, “is this unapproachable angel.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Really too high to be grasped.”
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Really too high to be grasped.”
discouraging intimacies; reserved
From this reading “Quite starlike,” she said, “is this unapproachable angel.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading An arc light faintly shone upon Lorison’s face.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The girl saw the rapt, ascetic look; it was the face either of Sir Galahad or Sir Fool.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading An illumination from within also pervaded it.
Chapter 11 of The Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of The Ransom of Red Chief, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in The Ransom of Red Chief, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
