Chapter 11 of Louisiana is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Louisiana is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A RUSTY NAIL. On Monday Casey and his men came. Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first. The old man, hearing it, started violently--so violently that he almost upset the coffee at his elbow. He laughed a tremulous sort of laugh.
Chapter 11 of Louisiana is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped
From this reading “The old man, hearing it, started violently--so violently that he almost upset the coffee at his elbow.”
a state in southern United States on the Gulf of Mexico; one of the Confederate states during the American Civil War
From this reading “Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.”
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading “On Monday Casey and his men came.”
attach something somewhere by means of nails
From this reading “A RUSTY NAIL.”
past form of “renovate” — restore to a previous or better condition
From this reading “Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.”
covered with or consisting of rust
From this reading “A RUSTY NAIL.”
(of the voice) quivering as from weakness or fear
From this reading “He laughed a tremulous sort of laugh.”
disturb the balance or stability of
From this reading “The old man, hearing it, started violently--so violently that he almost upset the coffee at his elbow.”
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.
a man who is very old
In this reading “The old man, hearing it, started violently--so violently that he almost upset the coffee at his elbow.”
In this reading “Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.”
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 A RUSTY NAIL.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The old man, hearing it, started violently--so violently that he almost upset the coffee at his elbow.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading On Monday Casey and his men came.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
exhale hard
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading On Monday Casey and his men came.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On Monday Casey and his men came.
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading The old man, hearing it, started violently--so violently that he almost upset the coffee at his elbow.
hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped
From this reading The old man, hearing it, started violently--so violently that he almost upset the coffee at his elbow.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The old man, hearing it, started violently--so violently that he almost upset the coffee at his elbow.
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading The old man, hearing it, started violently--so violently that he almost upset the coffee at his elbow.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading On Monday Casey and his men came.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The old man, hearing it, started violently--so violently that he almost upset the coffee at his elbow.
the sound of laughing
From this reading He laughed a tremulous sort of laugh.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading He laughed a tremulous sort of laugh.
a state in southern United States on the Gulf of Mexico; one of the Confederate states during the American Civil War
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The old man, hearing it, started violently--so violently that he almost upset the coffee at his elbow.
the force of workers available
From this reading On Monday Casey and his men came.
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading On Monday Casey and his men came.
attach something somewhere by means of nails
From this reading A RUSTY NAIL.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old man, hearing it, started violently--so violently that he almost upset the coffee at his elbow.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On Monday Casey and his men came.
past form of “renovate” — restore to a previous or better condition
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
covered with or consisting of rust
From this reading A RUSTY NAIL.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The old man, hearing it, started violently--so violently that he almost upset the coffee at his elbow.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading He laughed a tremulous sort of laugh.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The old man, hearing it, started violently--so violently that he almost upset the coffee at his elbow.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The old man, hearing it, started violently--so violently that he almost upset the coffee at his elbow.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
(of the voice) quivering as from weakness or fear
From this reading He laughed a tremulous sort of laugh.
disturb the balance or stability of
From this reading The old man, hearing it, started violently--so violently that he almost upset the coffee at his elbow.
in a violent manner
From this reading The old man, hearing it, started violently--so violently that he almost upset the coffee at his elbow.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
at the time that
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Louisiana and her father were at breakfast when they struck their first blow at the end of the house which was to be renovated first.
Chapter 11 of Louisiana by Frances Hodgson Burnett holds 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 80 sentences of Louisiana, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Louisiana by Frances Hodgson Burnett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 Louisiana by Frances Hodgson Burnett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2404 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35300 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35300, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 200 minutes of reading across 481 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Louisiana section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Louisiana 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 Louisiana, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
