Chapter 11 of Hidden Country is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Hidden Country is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Putting it that way, of course—” “That’s right. Now I’m going to help make your bed.” Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle. “Good night,” came Betty’s voice from the canoe. “Good night.”
Chapter 11 of Hidden Country is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading “Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.”
plural of “branch” — a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading “Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.”
stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading “Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.”
small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle
From this reading ““Good night,” came Betty’s voice from the canoe.”
A large, vast underground cave, often filled with forgotten ancient treasures.
From this reading “Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading “Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.”
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading “Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.”
hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter
From this reading ““Putting it that way, of course—” “That’s right.”
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 “Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.”
institute, enact, or establish
In this reading “Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.”
as might be expected
In this reading ““Putting it that way, of course—” “That’s right.”
a conventional expression of farewell
In this reading ““Good night,” came Betty’s voice from the canoe.”
melt, break, or become otherwise unusable
In this reading “Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.”
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 Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Now I’m going to help make your bed.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Good night,” came Betty’s voice from the canoe.
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.
plural of “branch” — a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Good night,” came Betty’s voice from the canoe.
stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.
small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle
From this reading “Good night,” came Betty’s voice from the canoe.
A large, vast underground cave, often filled with forgotten ancient treasures.
From this reading Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “Putting it that way, of course—” “That’s right.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “Good night,” came Betty’s voice from the canoe.
the act of departing
From this reading Now I’m going to help make your bed.”
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Good night,” came Betty’s voice from the canoe.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading Now I’m going to help make your bed.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now I’m going to help make your bed.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Putting it that way, of course—” “That’s right.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.
engage in
From this reading Now I’m going to help make your bed.”
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “Good night,” came Betty’s voice from the canoe.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now I’m going to help make your bed.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Putting it that way, of course—” “That’s right.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.
by chance
From this reading Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.
hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter
From this reading “Putting it that way, of course—” “That’s right.
precisely, exactly
From this reading “Putting it that way, of course—” “That’s right.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Putting it that way, of course—” “That’s right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Putting it that way, of course—” “That’s right.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now I’m going to help make your bed.”
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Fifteen minutes later, perhaps, I lay down upon a pile of branches near the mouth of the cavern and blew out the candle.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “Good night,” came Betty’s voice from the canoe.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “Putting it that way, of course—” “That’s right.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Now I’m going to help make your bed.”
Chapter 11 of Hidden Country by Henry Oyen holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 414 sentences of Hidden Country, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Hidden Country by Henry Oyen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Hidden Country by Henry Oyen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5771 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66215 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66215, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 480 minutes of reading across 1155 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Hidden Country section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Hidden Country 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 Hidden Country, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
