Chapter 11 of Hitting the line is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Hitting the line is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MONTY IS BORED Monty’s day was as follows. He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour. At seven or thereabouts he arose. Chapel was at seven-thirty. Attendance was compulsory.
Chapter 11 of Hitting the line is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
the act of being present (at a meeting or event etc.)
From this reading “Attendance was compulsory.”
tired of the world
From this reading “MONTY IS BORED Monty’s day was as follows.”
past form of “claim” — assert or affirm strongly; state to be true or existing
From this reading “He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.”
required by rule
From this reading “Attendance was compulsory.”
a half of an hour
From this reading “He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.”
any admirable quality or attribute
From this reading “He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.”
inflected form of “prop” — support by placing against something solid or rigid
From this reading “He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.”
near that time or date
From this reading “At seven or thereabouts he arose.”
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 “At seven or thereabouts he arose.”
In this reading “He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.”
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 He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
inflected form of “arise” — come into existence; take on form or shape
From this reading At seven or thereabouts he arose.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading MONTY IS BORED Monty’s day was as follows.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At seven or thereabouts he arose.
the act of being present (at a meeting or event etc.)
From this reading Attendance was compulsory.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
tired of the world
From this reading MONTY IS BORED Monty’s day was as follows.
a place of worship that has its own altar
From this reading Chapel was at seven-thirty.
past form of “claim” — assert or affirm strongly; state to be true or existing
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
required by rule
From this reading Attendance was compulsory.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading MONTY IS BORED Monty’s day was as follows.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
third-person singular of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading MONTY IS BORED Monty’s day was as follows.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
an established custom
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
a half of an hour
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading MONTY IS BORED Monty’s day was as follows.
any admirable quality or attribute
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MONTY IS BORED Monty’s day was as follows.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MONTY IS BORED Monty’s day was as follows.
not any; not one
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
inflected form of “prop” — support by placing against something solid or rigid
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading At seven or thereabouts he arose.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Chapel was at seven-thirty.
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
near that time or date
From this reading At seven or thereabouts he arose.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading MONTY IS BORED Monty’s day was as follows.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He awoke early, which was a habit of his and for which he claimed no special merit, and, propped up in bed, studied for a half-hour or, occasionally, an hour.
Chapter 11 of Hitting the line by Ralph Henry Barbour holds 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 160 sentences of Hitting the line, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Hitting the line by Ralph Henry Barbour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Hitting the line by Ralph Henry Barbour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5669 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71181 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #71181, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 472 minutes of reading across 1134 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Hitting the line section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Hitting the line 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 Hitting the line, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
