Chapter 11 of Manhattan Transfer is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Manhattan Transfer is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“No it’s Nicky Schatz.” A sharpfaced woman with henna hair opened the door. She had on a fur coat over frilly lace underclothes. “Howsa boy?” “Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?”
Chapter 11 of Manhattan Transfer is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading “She had on a fur coat over frilly lace underclothes.”
informal terms for a (young) woman
From this reading ““Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?””
having decorative ruffles or frills
From this reading “She had on a fur coat over frilly lace underclothes.”
the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
From this reading “She had on a fur coat over frilly lace underclothes.”
a reddish brown dye used especially on hair
From this reading “A sharpfaced woman with henna hair opened the door.”
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading ““Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?””
spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading “She had on a fur coat over frilly lace underclothes.”
increase in size, magnitude, number, or intensity
From this reading ““Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?””
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 coat made of fur
In this reading “She had on a fur coat over frilly lace underclothes.”
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 sharpfaced woman with henna hair opened the door.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?”
a youthful male person
From this reading “Howsa boy?”
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading “Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?”
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading She had on a fur coat over frilly lace underclothes.
informal terms for a (young) woman
From this reading “Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?”
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading “Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?”
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading A sharpfaced woman with henna hair opened the door.
having decorative ruffles or frills
From this reading She had on a fur coat over frilly lace underclothes.
the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
From this reading She had on a fur coat over frilly lace underclothes.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had on a fur coat over frilly lace underclothes.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading A sharpfaced woman with henna hair opened the door.
a reddish brown dye used especially on hair
From this reading A sharpfaced woman with henna hair opened the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Howsa boy?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No it’s Nicky Schatz.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?”
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading “Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?”
spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading She had on a fur coat over frilly lace underclothes.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No it’s Nicky Schatz.”
not any; not one
From this reading “No it’s Nicky Schatz.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She had on a fur coat over frilly lace underclothes.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading A sharpfaced woman with henna hair opened the door.
above and across; more than
From this reading She had on a fur coat over frilly lace underclothes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No it’s Nicky Schatz.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A sharpfaced woman with henna hair opened the door.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had on a fur coat over frilly lace underclothes.
increase in size, magnitude, number, or intensity
From this reading “Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A sharpfaced woman with henna hair opened the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?”
make or emit a high sound
From this reading “Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?”
undergarment worn next to the skin and under the outer garments
From this reading She had on a fur coat over frilly lace underclothes.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?”
at the time that
From this reading “Jeze a swell dame caught me when I was tidying up a little job and whatjer tink she done?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading A sharpfaced woman with henna hair opened the door.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading A sharpfaced woman with henna hair opened the door.
Chapter 11 of Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 430 sentences of Manhattan Transfer, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Manhattan Transfer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Manhattan Transfer 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 Manhattan Transfer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
