Chapter 11 of Mermaid is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Mermaid is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick. “Not entirely. It goes beyond that. It aims at relieving unsuspected pressures. There’s a sort of an analogy in a physical injury, such as a fracture.
Chapter 11 of Mermaid is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 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.
past form of “afford” — be able to spare or give up
From this reading ““I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick.”
plural of “aim” — an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading “It aims at relieving unsuspected pressures.”
an inference that if things agree in some respects they probably agree in others
From this reading “There’s a sort of an analogy in a physical injury, such as a fracture.”
violate or abuse
From this reading “There’s a sort of an analogy in a physical injury, such as a fracture.”
any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
From this reading “There’s a sort of an analogy in a physical injury, such as a fracture.”
plural of “pressure” — the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit)
From this reading “It aims at relieving unsuspected pressures.”
-ing form of “relieve” — provide physical relief, as from pain
From this reading “It aims at relieving unsuspected pressures.”
not suspected or believed likely
From this reading “It aims at relieving unsuspected pressures.”
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 ““I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick.”
In this reading “It aims at relieving unsuspected pressures.”
In this reading ““I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick.”
In this reading “It goes beyond that.”
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 “I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick.
past form of “afford” — be able to spare or give up
From this reading “I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick.
plural of “aim” — an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading It aims at relieving unsuspected pressures.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There’s a sort of an analogy in a physical injury, such as a fracture.
an inference that if things agree in some respects they probably agree in others
From this reading There’s a sort of an analogy in a physical injury, such as a fracture.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There’s a sort of an analogy in a physical injury, such as a fracture.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It aims at relieving unsuspected pressures.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading It goes beyond that.
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading “I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick.
free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits
From this reading “I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick.
someone who is a detective
From this reading “I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading “Not entirely.
violate or abuse
From this reading There’s a sort of an analogy in a physical injury, such as a fracture.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading It goes beyond that.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There’s a sort of an analogy in a physical injury, such as a fracture.
any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
From this reading There’s a sort of an analogy in a physical injury, such as a fracture.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It goes beyond that.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading “I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Not entirely.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick.
involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
From this reading There’s a sort of an analogy in a physical injury, such as a fracture.
plural of “pressure” — the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit)
From this reading It aims at relieving unsuspected pressures.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading “I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick.
-ing form of “relieve” — provide physical relief, as from pain
From this reading It aims at relieving unsuspected pressures.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading There’s a sort of an analogy in a physical injury, such as a fracture.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading There’s a sort of an analogy in a physical injury, such as a fracture.
express a supposition
From this reading “I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It goes beyond that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There’s a sort of an analogy in a physical injury, such as a fracture.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “I suppose the idea is the relief afforded by making a clean breast of things,” hazarded Dick.
not suspected or believed likely
From this reading It aims at relieving unsuspected pressures.
Chapter 11 of Mermaid by Grant M. (Grant Martin) Overton holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 408 sentences of Mermaid, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Mermaid by Grant M. (Grant Martin) Overton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Mermaid by Grant M. (Grant Martin) Overton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4788 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57531 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57531, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 399 minutes of reading across 958 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mermaid section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Mermaid 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 Mermaid, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
