Chapter 11 of Dusty Diamonds Cut and Polished is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Dusty Diamonds Cut and Polished is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What! Ned Frog!" he cried, seizing his hand and shaking it with genuine goodwill. "Well, this _is_ good luck. Come along, old boy!" It was pleasant to the desolate man to be thus recognised.
Chapter 11 of Dusty Diamonds Cut and Polished is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
providing no shelter or sustenance
From this reading “It was pleasant to the desolate man to be thus recognised.”
any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping; semiaquatic and terrestrial species
From this reading “Ned Frog!" he cried, seizing his hand and shaking it with genuine goodwill.”
not fake or counterfeit
From this reading “Ned Frog!" he cried, seizing his hand and shaking it with genuine goodwill.”
(accounting) an intangible asset valued according to the advantage or reputation a business has acquired (over and above its tangible assets)
From this reading “Ned Frog!" he cried, seizing his hand and shaking it with genuine goodwill.”
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading “"Well, this _is_ good luck.”
provided with a secure reputation
From this reading “It was pleasant to the desolate man to be thus recognised.”
small stuff that is used for lashing two or more ropes together
From this reading “Ned Frog!" he cried, seizing his hand and shaking it with genuine goodwill.”
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading “Ned Frog!" he cried, seizing his hand and shaking it with genuine goodwill.”
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.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Come along, old boy!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Ned Frog!" he cried, seizing his hand and shaking it with genuine goodwill.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It was pleasant to the desolate man to be thus recognised.
a youthful male person
From this reading Come along, old boy!"
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Come along, old boy!"
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Ned Frog!" he cried, seizing his hand and shaking it with genuine goodwill.
providing no shelter or sustenance
From this reading It was pleasant to the desolate man to be thus recognised.
any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping; semiaquatic and terrestrial species
From this reading Ned Frog!" he cried, seizing his hand and shaking it with genuine goodwill.
not fake or counterfeit
From this reading Ned Frog!" he cried, seizing his hand and shaking it with genuine goodwill.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Well, this _is_ good luck.
(accounting) an intangible asset valued according to the advantage or reputation a business has acquired (over and above its tangible assets)
From this reading Ned Frog!" he cried, seizing his hand and shaking it with genuine goodwill.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Ned Frog!" he cried, seizing his hand and shaking it with genuine goodwill.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Ned Frog!" he cried, seizing his hand and shaking it with genuine goodwill.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Ned Frog!" he cried, seizing his hand and shaking it with genuine goodwill.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Well, this _is_ good luck.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Ned Frog!" he cried, seizing his hand and shaking it with genuine goodwill.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading "Well, this _is_ good luck.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading It was pleasant to the desolate man to be thus recognised.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ned Frog!" he cried, seizing his hand and shaking it with genuine goodwill.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Come along, old boy!"
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading It was pleasant to the desolate man to be thus recognised.
provided with a secure reputation
From this reading It was pleasant to the desolate man to be thus recognised.
small stuff that is used for lashing two or more ropes together
From this reading Ned Frog!" he cried, seizing his hand and shaking it with genuine goodwill.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading Ned Frog!" he cried, seizing his hand and shaking it with genuine goodwill.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was pleasant to the desolate man to be thus recognised.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Well, this _is_ good luck.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading It was pleasant to the desolate man to be thus recognised.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was pleasant to the desolate man to be thus recognised.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was pleasant to the desolate man to be thus recognised.
(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 "Well, this _is_ good luck.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What!
in the company of; together with
From this reading Ned Frog!" he cried, seizing his hand and shaking it with genuine goodwill.
Chapter 11 of Dusty Diamonds Cut and Polished by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne holds 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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 439 sentences of Dusty Diamonds Cut and Polished, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Dusty Diamonds Cut and Polished by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Dusty Diamonds Cut and Polished by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4636 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21729 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21729, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 386 minutes of reading across 928 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dusty Diamonds Cut and Polished section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Dusty Diamonds Cut and Polished 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 Dusty Diamonds Cut and Polished, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
