Chapter 11 of Muslin is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Muslin is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'Dead?' 'Yes, dead; what's the use of living when I know that I shall be an old maid? We shall all be old maids. What's the use of being pretty, either, when Violet, though she be but a bag of bones, has got the Marquis? I have been out two seasons now, and nothing has come of all the trying.
Chapter 11 of Muslin is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading “What's the use of being pretty, either, when Violet, though she be but a bag of bones, has got the Marquis?”
(used in the plural) a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in rhythm with the dance
From this reading “What's the use of being pretty, either, when Violet, though she be but a bag of bones, has got the Marquis?”
a female domestic
From this reading “'Yes, dead; what's the use of living when I know that I shall be an old maid?”
plural of “maid” — a female domestic
From this reading “We shall all be old maids.”
humorist who wrote about the imaginary life of cockroaches (1878-1937)
From this reading “What's the use of being pretty, either, when Violet, though she be but a bag of bones, has got the Marquis?”
plural of “season” — a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading “I have been out two seasons now, and nothing has come of all the trying.”
hard to endure
From this reading “I have been out two seasons now, and nothing has come of all the trying.”
any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading “What's the use of being pretty, either, when Violet, though she be but a bag of bones, has got the Marquis?”
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 What's the use of being pretty, either, when Violet, though she be but a bag of bones, has got the Marquis?
(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 We shall all be old maids.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading 'Yes, dead; what's the use of living when I know that I shall be an old maid?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I have been out two seasons now, and nothing has come of all the trying.
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading What's the use of being pretty, either, when Violet, though she be but a bag of bones, has got the Marquis?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading 'Yes, dead; what's the use of living when I know that I shall be an old maid?
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I have been out two seasons now, and nothing has come of all the trying.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading What's the use of being pretty, either, when Violet, though she be but a bag of bones, has got the Marquis?
(used in the plural) a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in rhythm with the dance
From this reading What's the use of being pretty, either, when Violet, though she be but a bag of bones, has got the Marquis?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading What's the use of being pretty, either, when Violet, though she be but a bag of bones, has got the Marquis?
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I have been out two seasons now, and nothing has come of all the trying.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading 'Dead?'
one or the other of two
From this reading What's the use of being pretty, either, when Violet, though she be but a bag of bones, has got the Marquis?
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading What's the use of being pretty, either, when Violet, though she be but a bag of bones, has got the Marquis?
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What's the use of being pretty, either, when Violet, though she be but a bag of bones, has got the Marquis?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have been out two seasons now, and nothing has come of all the trying.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'Yes, dead; what's the use of living when I know that I shall be an old maid?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading 'Yes, dead; what's the use of living when I know that I shall be an old maid?
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading 'Yes, dead; what's the use of living when I know that I shall be an old maid?
a female domestic
From this reading 'Yes, dead; what's the use of living when I know that I shall be an old maid?
plural of “maid” — a female domestic
From this reading We shall all be old maids.
humorist who wrote about the imaginary life of cockroaches (1878-1937)
From this reading What's the use of being pretty, either, when Violet, though she be but a bag of bones, has got the Marquis?
not one thing; not anything
From this reading I have been out two seasons now, and nothing has come of all the trying.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I have been out two seasons now, and nothing has come of all the trying.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 'Yes, dead; what's the use of living when I know that I shall be an old maid?
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading 'Yes, dead; what's the use of living when I know that I shall be an old maid?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I have been out two seasons now, and nothing has come of all the trying.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading What's the use of being pretty, either, when Violet, though she be but a bag of bones, has got the Marquis?
plural of “season” — a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading I have been out two seasons now, and nothing has come of all the trying.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading 'Yes, dead; what's the use of living when I know that I shall be an old maid?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading What's the use of being pretty, either, when Violet, though she be but a bag of bones, has got the Marquis?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading 'Yes, dead; what's the use of living when I know that I shall be an old maid?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'Yes, dead; what's the use of living when I know that I shall be an old maid?
in spite of the fact that
From this reading What's the use of being pretty, either, when Violet, though she be but a bag of bones, has got the Marquis?
hard to endure
From this reading I have been out two seasons now, and nothing has come of all the trying.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading I have been out two seasons now, and nothing has come of all the trying.
the act of using
From this reading 'Yes, dead; what's the use of living when I know that I shall be an old maid?
any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading What's the use of being pretty, either, when Violet, though she be but a bag of bones, has got the Marquis?
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We shall all be old maids.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Yes, dead; what's the use of living when I know that I shall be an old maid?
at the time that
From this reading 'Yes, dead; what's the use of living when I know that I shall be an old maid?
an affirmative
From this reading 'Yes, dead; what's the use of living when I know that I shall be an old maid?
Chapter 11 of Muslin by George Moore holds 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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 449 sentences of Muslin, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Muslin by George Moore exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Muslin by George Moore on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5069 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14659 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14659, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 422 minutes of reading across 1014 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Muslin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Muslin 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 Muslin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
