Chapter 11 of My Pretty Maid is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of My Pretty Maid is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BEAUTY SHOW. Roma was indeed surprised and angry at granny's summons. She flatly refused to go, declaring: "The insolence of the lower classes is indeed insufferable. Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
Chapter 11 of My Pretty Maid is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
From this reading “Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!”
-ing form of “declare” — state emphatically and authoritatively
From this reading “She flatly refused to go, declaring:”
in an unqualified manner
From this reading “She flatly refused to go, declaring:”
the trait of being rude and impertinent; inclined to take liberties
From this reading “"The insolence of the lower classes is indeed insufferable.”
unbearably arrogant or conceited
From this reading “"The insolence of the lower classes is indeed insufferable.”
yielding material gain or profit
From this reading “Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!”
a member of a people with dark skin and hair who speak Romany and who traditionally live by seasonal work and fortunetelling
From this reading “Roma was indeed surprised and angry at granny's summons.”
a request to be present
From this reading “Roma was indeed surprised and angry at granny's summons.”
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.
the social class lowest in the social hierarchy
In this reading “"The insolence of the lower classes is indeed insufferable.”
In this reading “Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!”
In this reading “Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!”
In this reading “Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!”
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 Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
(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 Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Roma was indeed surprised and angry at granny's summons.
feeling or showing anger
From this reading Roma was indeed surprised and angry at granny's summons.
cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Roma was indeed surprised and angry at granny's summons.
the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading THE BEAUTY SHOW.
plural of “class” — a collection of things sharing a common attribute
From this reading "The insolence of the lower classes is indeed insufferable.
the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
affected with madness or insanity
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
-ing form of “declare” — state emphatically and authoritatively
From this reading She flatly refused to go, declaring:
in an unqualified manner
From this reading She flatly refused to go, declaring:
a young female
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading She flatly refused to go, declaring:
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Roma was indeed surprised and angry at granny's summons.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
plural of “hold” — the act of grasping
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Roma was indeed surprised and angry at granny's summons.
the trait of being rude and impertinent; inclined to take liberties
From this reading "The insolence of the lower classes is indeed insufferable.
unbearably arrogant or conceited
From this reading "The insolence of the lower classes is indeed insufferable.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The insolence of the lower classes is indeed insufferable.
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading "The insolence of the lower classes is indeed insufferable.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "The insolence of the lower classes is indeed insufferable.
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
yielding material gain or profit
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
past form of “refuse” — show unwillingness towards
From this reading She flatly refused to go, declaring:
a member of a people with dark skin and hair who speak Romany and who traditionally live by seasonal work and fortunetelling
From this reading Roma was indeed surprised and angry at granny's summons.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She flatly refused to go, declaring:
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading THE BEAUTY SHOW.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
plural of “sort” — a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
a request to be present
From this reading Roma was indeed surprised and angry at granny's summons.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading Roma was indeed surprised and angry at granny's summons.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BEAUTY SHOW.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She flatly refused to go, declaring:
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Roma was indeed surprised and angry at granny's summons.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
plural of “wish” — a specific feeling of desire
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
in the company of; together with
From this reading Why, I offered that girl a situation much more profitable than the one she holds now, and here that crazy old witch, her grandmother, wishes to annoy me with all sorts of conditions!
Chapter 11 of My Pretty Maid by Alex. McVeigh, Mrs. Miller holds 87 sentences, grouped into 18 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 87 sentences of My Pretty Maid, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of My Pretty Maid by Alex. McVeigh, Mrs. Miller exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 87 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 My Pretty Maid by Alex. McVeigh, Mrs. Miller on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3367 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51996 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51996, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 280 minutes of reading across 674 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through My Pretty Maid section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of My Pretty Maid 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 My Pretty Maid, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
