Chapter 11 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920 is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920 is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What's this I hear about Anne's being hard up?" he said. "Living in a nasty flat, and going out to dinner in the cars?" And he wouldn't listen to an explanation. "She must take more; she must be made to take more." I had one of my most unfortunate inspirations.
Chapter 11 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920 is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
possessive form of “anne” — Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading “"What's this I hear about Anne's being hard up?" he said.”
plural of “car” — a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading “"Living in a nasty flat, and going out to dinner in the cars?"”
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading “And he wouldn't listen to an explanation.”
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading “"Living in a nasty flat, and going out to dinner in the cars?"”
plural of “inspiration” — arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity
From this reading “I had one of my most unfortunate inspirations.”
hear with intention
From this reading “And he wouldn't listen to an explanation.”
offensive or even (of persons) malicious
From this reading “"Living in a nasty flat, and going out to dinner in the cars?"”
not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune
From this reading “I had one of my most unfortunate inspirations.”
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 "Living in a nasty flat, and going out to dinner in the cars?"
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "What's this I hear about Anne's being hard up?" he said.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading And he wouldn't listen to an explanation.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Living in a nasty flat, and going out to dinner in the cars?"
possessive form of “anne” — Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading "What's this I hear about Anne's being hard up?" he said.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "She must take more; she must be made to take more."
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading "What's this I hear about Anne's being hard up?" he said.
plural of “car” — a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading "Living in a nasty flat, and going out to dinner in the cars?"
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading "Living in a nasty flat, and going out to dinner in the cars?"
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading And he wouldn't listen to an explanation.
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading "Living in a nasty flat, and going out to dinner in the cars?"
the act of departing
From this reading "Living in a nasty flat, and going out to dinner in the cars?"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had one of my most unfortunate inspirations.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading "What's this I hear about Anne's being hard up?" he said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What's this I hear about Anne's being hard up?" he said.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "What's this I hear about Anne's being hard up?" he said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "What's this I hear about Anne's being hard up?" he said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Living in a nasty flat, and going out to dinner in the cars?"
plural of “inspiration” — arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity
From this reading I had one of my most unfortunate inspirations.
hear with intention
From this reading And he wouldn't listen to an explanation.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading "Living in a nasty flat, and going out to dinner in the cars?"
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "She must take more; she must be made to take more."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "She must take more; she must be made to take more."
used to form the superlative
From this reading I had one of my most unfortunate inspirations.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "She must take more; she must be made to take more."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I had one of my most unfortunate inspirations.
offensive or even (of persons) malicious
From this reading "Living in a nasty flat, and going out to dinner in the cars?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I had one of my most unfortunate inspirations.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I had one of my most unfortunate inspirations.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Living in a nasty flat, and going out to dinner in the cars?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "What's this I hear about Anne's being hard up?" he said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "She must take more; she must be made to take more."
carry out
From this reading "She must take more; she must be made to take more."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Living in a nasty flat, and going out to dinner in the cars?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "What's this I hear about Anne's being hard up?" he said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Living in a nasty flat, and going out to dinner in the cars?"
not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune
From this reading I had one of my most unfortunate inspirations.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "What's this I hear about Anne's being hard up?" he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's this I hear about Anne's being hard up?" he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And he wouldn't listen to an explanation.
Chapter 11 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920 by Society of Arts and Sciences (U.S.) [Editor] holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920 by Society of Arts and Sciences (U.S.) [Editor] exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920 by Society of Arts and Sciences (U.S.) [Editor] on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8990 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11721 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11721, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1798 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920 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 O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
