Chapter 11 of Melomaniacs is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Melomaniacs is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Chardon looked up. "Yes," he assented, "he was very, very old--too old for such a beautiful young wife." She started. "Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior! He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
Chapter 11 of Melomaniacs is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work
From this reading “He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.”
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading “He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.”
the event of something being raised upward
From this reading “"Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!”
older; higher in rank; longer in length of tenure or service
From this reading “"Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!”
possessive form of “singer” — a person who sings
From this reading “He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.”
to a small degree or extent
From this reading “"Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!”
refrain from harming
From this reading “He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.”
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading “"Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!”
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 “"Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!”
In this reading “"Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!”
seek information from
In this reading “Chardon looked up.”
In this reading “"Yes," he assented, "he was very, very old--too old for such a beautiful young wife."”
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 "Yes," he assented, "he was very, very old--too old for such a beautiful young wife."
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes," he assented, "he was very, very old--too old for such a beautiful young wife."
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading "Yes," he assented, "he was very, very old--too old for such a beautiful young wife."
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Chardon looked up.
a woman singer having a contralto voice
From this reading "Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!
temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work
From this reading He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Yes," he assented, "he was very, very old--too old for such a beautiful young wife."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Yes," he assented, "he was very, very old--too old for such a beautiful young wife."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Chardon looked up.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading "Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!
joined in matrimony
From this reading He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Yes," he assented, "he was very, very old--too old for such a beautiful young wife."
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
the event of something being raised upward
From this reading "Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!
older; higher in rank; longer in length of tenure or service
From this reading "Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She started.
possessive form of “singer” — a person who sings
From this reading He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading "Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!
refrain from harming
From this reading He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
be standing; be upright
From this reading He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading She started.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "Yes," he assented, "he was very, very old--too old for such a beautiful young wife."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading "Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "Yes," he assented, "he was very, very old--too old for such a beautiful young wife."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Chardon looked up.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Yes," he assented, "he was very, very old--too old for such a beautiful young wife."
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Yes," he assented, "he was very, very old--too old for such a beautiful young wife."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "Yes," he assented, "he was very, very old--too old for such a beautiful young wife."
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading He married me to spare me the peril and fatigue of a singer's life; few women can stand them--I least of all.
a late time of life
From this reading "Not too old, M. Chardon," she said, slightly raising her contralto voice: "What if he was thirty years my senior!
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," he assented, "he was very, very old--too old for such a beautiful young wife."
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "Yes," he assented, "he was very, very old--too old for such a beautiful young wife."
Chapter 11 of Melomaniacs by James Huneker holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 405 sentences of Melomaniacs, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Melomaniacs by James Huneker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Melomaniacs by James Huneker on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5286 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29751 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29751, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 440 minutes of reading across 1058 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Melomaniacs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Melomaniacs 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 Melomaniacs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
