Chapter 11 of Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 3 of 3) is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 3 of 3) is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MATTIE'S ANSWER. Sidney Hinchford heard the door open, and knew that the end was come. In a few minutes was to be decided the tenor of his after-life. He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light. "What makes you so thoughtful to-night, Sid?"
Chapter 11 of Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 3 of 3) is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading “He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light.”
recognizable; marked
From this reading “In a few minutes was to be decided the tenor of his after-life.”
death of a person
From this reading “He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light.”
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading “"What makes you so thoughtful to-night, Sid?"”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light.”
English poet (1554-1586)
From this reading “Sidney Hinchford heard the door open, and knew that the end was come.”
the adult male singing voice above baritone
From this reading “In a few minutes was to be decided the tenor of his after-life.”
having intellectual depth
From this reading “"What makes you so thoughtful to-night, Sid?"”
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 “In a few minutes was to be decided the tenor of his after-life.”
In this reading “He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light.”
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 In a few minutes was to be decided the tenor of his after-life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a few minutes was to be decided the tenor of his after-life.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Sidney Hinchford heard the door open, and knew that the end was come.
react verbally
From this reading MATTIE'S ANSWER.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading In a few minutes was to be decided the tenor of his after-life.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light.
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Sidney Hinchford heard the door open, and knew that the end was come.
recognizable; marked
From this reading In a few minutes was to be decided the tenor of his after-life.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Sidney Hinchford heard the door open, and knew that the end was come.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Sidney Hinchford heard the door open, and knew that the end was come.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading In a few minutes was to be decided the tenor of his after-life.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light.
death of a person
From this reading He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Sidney Hinchford heard the door open, and knew that the end was come.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sidney Hinchford heard the door open, and knew that the end was come.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In a few minutes was to be decided the tenor of his after-life.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a few minutes was to be decided the tenor of his after-life.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Sidney Hinchford heard the door open, and knew that the end was come.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading "What makes you so thoughtful to-night, Sid?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MATTIE'S ANSWER.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading In a few minutes was to be decided the tenor of his after-life.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In a few minutes was to be decided the tenor of his after-life.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Sidney Hinchford heard the door open, and knew that the end was come.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What makes you so thoughtful to-night, Sid?"
English poet (1554-1586)
From this reading Sidney Hinchford heard the door open, and knew that the end was come.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "What makes you so thoughtful to-night, Sid?"
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light.
the adult male singing voice above baritone
From this reading In a few minutes was to be decided the tenor of his after-life.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Sidney Hinchford heard the door open, and knew that the end was come.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Sidney Hinchford heard the door open, and knew that the end was come.
having intellectual depth
From this reading "What makes you so thoughtful to-night, Sid?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In a few minutes was to be decided the tenor of his after-life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What makes you so thoughtful to-night, Sid?"
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Sidney Hinchford heard the door open, and knew that the end was come.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What makes you so thoughtful to-night, Sid?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading He did not move, but remained with his hands clasped upon the table--a grave and silent figure in the lamp-light.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What makes you so thoughtful to-night, Sid?"
Chapter 11 of Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 3 of 3) by F. W. (Frederick William) Robinson holds 93 sentences, grouped into 19 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 93 sentences of Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 3 of 3), unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 3 of 3) by F. W. (Frederick William) Robinson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 93 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 3 of 3) by F. W. (Frederick William) Robinson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3141 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35278 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35278, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 261 minutes of reading across 629 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 3 of 3) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 3 of 3) 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 Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 3 of 3), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
