Little Sally Waters

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of Little Sally Waters is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Ethel Calvert Phillips • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Little Sally Waters

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

His whistle sounded loud and shrill, slowly, house by house, he drew near, and at last with a smile and a tap on Sally’s head, he put a letter into her hands and bade her give it to her mother before she lost it.

This was an old joke between the postman and Sally that never failed to make them both laugh.

‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’

‘Mother,’ she called, climbing the stairs, ‘Mother, here is a letter for you.’

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XI Reading 1/32

Little Sally Waters Ethel Calvert Phillips

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of Little Sally Waters is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him. His whistle sounded loud and shrill, slowly, house by house, he drew near, and at last with a smile and a tap on Sally’s head, he put a letter into her hands and bade her give it to her mother before she lost it. This was an old joke between the postman and Sally that never failed to make them both laugh. ‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’ ‘Mother,’ she called, climbing the stairs, ‘Mother, here is a letter for you.’

Little Sally Waters

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of Little Sally Waters 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

Line 1

LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

Line 2

/hɪz ˈwɪsəl ˈsaʊndɪd laʊd ənd ʃrɪl ˈsloʊli haʊs baɪ haʊs hiː druː nɪr ənd æt læst wɪð ə smaɪl ənd ə tæp ɑːn ˈsæliz hed hiː pʊt ə ˈletər ˈɪntuː hɜːr hændz ənd beɪd hɜːr ɡɪv ɪt tuː hɜːr ˈmʌðər bɪˈfɔːr ʃiː lɔːst ɪt/

Line 3

This was an old joke between the postman and Sally that never failed to make them both laugh.

/ðɪs wɑːz æn oʊld dʒoʊk bɪˈtwiːn ðə ˈpoʊstmən ənd ˈsæli ðæt ˈnevər feɪld tuː meɪk ðem boʊθ læf/

Line 4

‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’

/dʒʌst æz ɪf aɪ wʊd luːz ə ˈletər θɔːt ˈsæli tuː hərˈself æz ʃiː went ˈɪntuː ðə haʊs wen aɪ æm ˈɔːlmoʊst sɪks jɪrz oʊld/

Line 5

‘Mother,’ she called, climbing the stairs, ‘Mother, here is a letter for you.’

/ˈmʌðər ʃiː kɔːld ˈklaɪmɪŋ ðə sterz ˈmʌðər hiːr ɪz ə ˈletər fɔːr juː/

Learner Dictionary

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.

climbing noun US /ˈklaɪmɪŋ/

an event that involves rising to a higher point (as in altitude or temperature or intensity etc.)

From this reading “‘Mother,’ she called, climbing the stairs, ‘Mother, here is a letter for you.’”

doorstep noun US /ˈdɔːrstep/

the sill of a door; a horizontal piece of wood or stone that forms the bottom of a doorway and offers support when passing through a doorway

From this reading “LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.”

postman noun US /ˈpoʊstmən/

a man who delivers the mail

From this reading “LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.”

Sally noun US /ˈsæli/

witty remark

From this reading “LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.”

Sally's noun US /ˈsæliz/

possessive form of “sally” — witty remark

shrill adjective US /ʃrɪl/

having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones

From this reading “His whistle sounded loud and shrill, slowly, house by house, he drew near, and at last with a smile and a tap on Sally’s head, he put a letter into her hands and bade her give it to her mother before she lost it.”

tap verb US /tæp/

cut a female screw thread with a tap

whistle verb US /ˈwɪsəl/

make whistling sounds

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

six years noun + noun

In this reading “‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’”

on the doorstep preposition + article + noun counted as “on … doorstep”

In this reading “LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.”

whistle sounded verb + noun counted as “whistle sound”

In this reading “His whistle sounded loud and shrill, slowly, house by house, he drew near, and at last with a smile and a tap on Sally’s head, he put a letter into her hands and bade her give it to her mother before she lost it.”

tap on verb + particle

went into verb + particle counted as “go into”

to come or go into

In this reading “‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’”

into the house preposition + article + noun counted as “into … house”

In this reading “‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’”

LITTLE RED adjective + noun

In this reading “LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.”

stood on verb + particle

In this reading “LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.”

All words in this reading · 82

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading His whistle sounded loud and shrill, slowly, house by house, he drew near, and at last with a smile and a tap on Sally’s head, he put a letter into her hands and bade her give it to her mother before she lost it.

almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading ‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading ‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading This was an old joke between the postman and Sally that never failed to make them both laugh.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading ‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

badenounUS /beɪd/

a Chadic language spoken in northern Nigeria

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading This was an old joke between the postman and Sally that never failed to make them both laugh.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading This was an old joke between the postman and Sally that never failed to make them both laugh.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

calledverbUS /kɔːld/

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading ‘Mother,’ she called, climbing the stairs, ‘Mother, here is a letter for you.’

climbingnounUS /ˈklaɪmɪŋ/

an event that involves rising to a higher point (as in altitude or temperature or intensity etc.)

From this reading ‘Mother,’ she called, climbing the stairs, ‘Mother, here is a letter for you.’

comingnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋ/

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

From this reading LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

doorstepnounUS /ˈdɔːrstep/

the sill of a door; a horizontal piece of wood or stone that forms the bottom of a doorway and offers support when passing through a doorway

From this reading LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

drewnounUS /druː/

United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)

failedverbUS /feɪld/

past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone

From this reading This was an old joke between the postman and Sally that never failed to make them both laugh.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading ‘Mother,’ she called, climbing the stairs, ‘Mother, here is a letter for you.’

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading ‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading ‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading ‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading ‘Mother,’ she called, climbing the stairs, ‘Mother, here is a letter for you.’

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

jokenounUS /dʒoʊk/

a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter

From this reading This was an old joke between the postman and Sally that never failed to make them both laugh.

JustadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading ‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

laughnounUS /læf/

the sound of laughing

From this reading This was an old joke between the postman and Sally that never failed to make them both laugh.

letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

LITTLEadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

loseverbUS /luːz/

fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense

From this reading ‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’

lostadjectiveUS /lɔːst/

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

loudadjectiveUS /laʊd/

characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading This was an old joke between the postman and Sally that never failed to make them both laugh.

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

nearadverbUS /nɪr/

near in time or place or relationship

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading This was an old joke between the postman and Sally that never failed to make them both laugh.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading This was an old joke between the postman and Sally that never failed to make them both laugh.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

postmannounUS /ˈpoʊstmən/

a man who delivers the mail

From this reading LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

putverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

REDnounUS /red/

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

From this reading LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

RIDINGHOOD'S

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

SallynounUS /ˈsæli/

witty remark

From this reading LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

Sally'snounUS /ˈsæliz/

possessive form of “sally” — witty remark

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

shrilladjectiveUS /ʃrɪl/

having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones

SISTERnounUS /ˈsɪstər/

a female person who has the same parents as another person

From this reading LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

sixnounUS /sɪks/

the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one

From this reading ‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’

slowlyadverbUS /ˈsloʊli/

without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)

smileverbUS /smaɪl/

change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure

soundedverbUS /ˈsaʊndɪd/

past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way

stairsnounUS /sterz/

a flight of stairs or a flight of steps

From this reading ‘Mother,’ she called, climbing the stairs, ‘Mother, here is a letter for you.’

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

streetnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

tapverbUS /tæp/

cut a female screw thread with a tap

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading This was an old joke between the postman and Sally that never failed to make them both laugh.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading This was an old joke between the postman and Sally that never failed to make them both laugh.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This was an old joke between the postman and Sally that never failed to make them both laugh.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading ‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

waitingnounUS /ˈweɪtɪŋ/

the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)

From this reading LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD’S SISTER The postman was coming up the street and Sally stood on the doorstep waiting for him.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading ‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading ‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’

whistleverbUS /ˈwɪsəl/

make whistling sounds

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading ‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading ‘Just as if I would lose a letter,’ thought Sally to herself as she went into the house, ‘when I am almost six years old.’

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading ‘Mother,’ she called, climbing the stairs, ‘Mother, here is a letter for you.’

Chapter 11 of Little Sally Waters by Ethel Calvert Phillips 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.

What does chapter 11 of Little Sally Waters contain?

Chapter 11 holds 160 sentences of Little Sally Waters, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 11 of Little Sally Waters by Ethel Calvert Phillips 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.

How do I study chapter 11 of Little Sally Waters?

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.

Can chapter 11 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Little Sally Waters

Common questions about reading Little Sally Waters by Ethel Calvert Phillips on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Little Sally Waters?

Yes. All 1507 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #74022 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Little Sally Waters is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #74022, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Little Sally Waters take to read?

About 125 minutes of reading across 302 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Little Sally Waters section by section

How to work through Little Sally Waters section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 12 chapters of Little Sally Waters to begin.
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Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Little Sally Waters

Words and structures a reader meets early in Little Sally Waters, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Lived: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Sally Waters; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Little: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Sally Waters; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Named: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Sally Waters; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sally: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Sally Waters; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XI

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