Chapter 11 of Of High Descent is here in full — 402 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 Of High Descent is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Harry clutched the table-cloth that hung into his lap. "I? Last night?" he faltered. "Yes; didn't I speak plainly? Where were you last night?
Chapter 11 of Of High Descent is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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 “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading “Harry clutched the table-cloth that hung into his lap.”
past form of “falter” — be unsure or weak
From this reading “Last night?" he faltered.”
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading “Harry clutched the table-cloth that hung into his lap.”
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading “Harry clutched the table-cloth that hung into his lap.”
lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another
From this reading “Harry clutched the table-cloth that hung into his lap.”
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “"Yes; didn't I speak plainly?”
express in speech
From this reading “"Yes; didn't I speak plainly?”
an affirmative
From this reading “"Yes; didn't I speak plainly?”
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 “Last night?" he faltered.”
In this reading “"Yes; didn't I speak plainly?”
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.
past form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading Harry clutched the table-cloth that hung into his lap.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes; didn't I speak plainly?
past form of “falter” — be unsure or weak
From this reading Last night?" he faltered.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading Harry clutched the table-cloth that hung into his lap.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Last night?" he faltered.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Harry clutched the table-cloth that hung into his lap.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading Harry clutched the table-cloth that hung into his lap.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I?
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Harry clutched the table-cloth that hung into his lap.
lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another
From this reading Harry clutched the table-cloth that hung into his lap.
immediately past
From this reading Last night?" he faltered.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Last night?" he faltered.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading "Yes; didn't I speak plainly?
express in speech
From this reading "Yes; didn't I speak plainly?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Harry clutched the table-cloth that hung into his lap.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Harry clutched the table-cloth that hung into his lap.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Harry clutched the table-cloth that hung into his lap.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Where were you last night?
in or at the place that
From this reading Where were you last night?
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes; didn't I speak plainly?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Where were you last night?
Chapter 11 of Of High Descent by George Manville Fenn holds 402 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 402 sentences of Of High Descent, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Of High Descent by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 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 Of High Descent by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10632 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34246 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34246, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2127 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Of High Descent section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Of High Descent 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 Of High Descent, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
