Plane and Plank

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of Plane and Plank is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Oliver Optic • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

IN WHICH PHIL TAKES HIS FATHER TO HIS NEW HOME.

My father!

I had found him; but the finding of him in such a miserable, degraded, besotted being as he who was before me seemed to be the greatest mishap, the most overwhelming misfortune, that could possibly have overtaken me.

He was the first white man I had ever seen really intoxicated.

I was mortified and disheartened as I looked at his pale, thin face, and regarded his trembling limbs.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XI Reading 1/33

Plane and Plank

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of Plane and Plank is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/33 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

IN WHICH PHIL TAKES HIS FATHER TO HIS NEW HOME.

Line 2

My father!

/maɪ ˈfɑːðər/

Line 3

/aɪ hæd faʊnd hɪm bʌt ðə ˈfaɪndɪŋ ʌv hɪm ɪn sʌtʃ ə ˈmɪzərəbəl dɪˈɡreɪdəd bɪˈsɔːtɪd ˈbiːɪŋ æz hiː huː wɑːz bɪˈfɔːr miː siːmd tuː biː ðə ˈɡreɪtəst ˈmɪshæp ðə moʊst ˌoʊvərˈwelmɪŋ mɪˈsfɔːrtʃən ðæt kʊd ˈpɑːsəbli hæv ˈoʊvərteɪkən miː/

Line 4

He was the first white man I had ever seen really intoxicated.

/hiː wɑːz ðə fɜːrst waɪt mæn aɪ hæd ˈevər siːn ˈrɪli ɪnˈtɑːksəkeɪtɪd/

Line 5

I was mortified and disheartened as I looked at his pale, thin face, and regarded his trembling limbs.

/aɪ wɑːz ˈmɔːrtəfaɪd ənd dɪsˈhɑːrtənd æz aɪ lʊkt æt hɪz peɪl θɪn feɪs ənd rɪˈɡɑːrdɪd hɪz ˈtrembəlɪŋ lɪmz/

Learner Dictionary

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.

besotted adjective US /bɪˈsɔːtɪd/

very drunk

From this reading “I had found him; but the finding of him in such a miserable, degraded, besotted being as he who was before me seemed to be the greatest mishap, the most overwhelming misfortune, that could possibly have overtaken me.”

degraded adjective US /dɪˈɡreɪdəd/

unrestrained by convention or morality

disheartened adjective US /dɪsˈhɑːrtənd/

made less hopeful or enthusiastic

From this reading “I was mortified and disheartened as I looked at his pale, thin face, and regarded his trembling limbs.”

intoxicated adjective US /ɪnˈtɑːksəkeɪtɪd/

stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)

From this reading “He was the first white man I had ever seen really intoxicated.”

mishap noun US /ˈmɪshæp/

an unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate

mortified adjective US /ˈmɔːrtəfaɪd/

suffering from tissue death

From this reading “I was mortified and disheartened as I looked at his pale, thin face, and regarded his trembling limbs.”

overtaken verb US /ˈoʊvərteɪkən/

inflected form of “overtake” — catch up with and possibly overtake

overwhelming adjective US /ˌoʊvərˈwelmɪŋ/

so strong as to be irresistible

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

trembling limbs noun + noun counted as “trembling limb”

In this reading “I was mortified and disheartened as I looked at his pale, thin face, and regarded his trembling limbs.”

looked at verb + particle counted as “look at”

take into consideration for exemplifying purposes

In this reading “I was mortified and disheartened as I looked at his pale, thin face, and regarded his trembling limbs.”

white man noun + noun

a man who is White

In this reading “He was the first white man I had ever seen really intoxicated.”

thin face adjective + noun

In this reading “I was mortified and disheartened as I looked at his pale, thin face, and regarded his trembling limbs.”

NEW HOME adjective + noun

In this reading “IN WHICH PHIL TAKES HIS FATHER TO HIS NEW HOME.”

All words in this reading · 60

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading I had found him; but the finding of him in such a miserable, degraded, besotted being as he who was before me seemed to be the greatest mishap, the most overwhelming misfortune, that could possibly have overtaken me.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading I was mortified and disheartened as I looked at his pale, thin face, and regarded his trembling limbs.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading I was mortified and disheartened as I looked at his pale, thin face, and regarded his trembling limbs.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

besottedadjectiveUS /bɪˈsɔːtɪd/

very drunk

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

degradedadjectiveUS /dɪˈɡreɪdəd/

unrestrained by convention or morality

disheartenedadjectiveUS /dɪsˈhɑːrtənd/

made less hopeful or enthusiastic

From this reading I was mortified and disheartened as I looked at his pale, thin face, and regarded his trembling limbs.

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading He was the first white man I had ever seen really intoxicated.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading I was mortified and disheartened as I looked at his pale, thin face, and regarded his trembling limbs.

FATHERnounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading IN WHICH PHIL TAKES HIS FATHER TO HIS NEW HOME.

findingnounUS /ˈfaɪndɪŋ/

the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading He was the first white man I had ever seen really intoxicated.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

greatestadjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪtəst/

highest in quality

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

HISdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading IN WHICH PHIL TAKES HIS FATHER TO HIS NEW HOME.

HOMEnounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading IN WHICH PHIL TAKES HIS FATHER TO HIS NEW HOME.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading IN WHICH PHIL TAKES HIS FATHER TO HIS NEW HOME.

intoxicatedadjectiveUS /ɪnˈtɑːksəkeɪtɪd/

stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)

From this reading He was the first white man I had ever seen really intoxicated.

limbsnounUS /lɪmz/

plural of “limb” — one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper

From this reading I was mortified and disheartened as I looked at his pale, thin face, and regarded his trembling limbs.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading I was mortified and disheartened as I looked at his pale, thin face, and regarded his trembling limbs.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading He was the first white man I had ever seen really intoxicated.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

miserableadjectiveUS /ˈmɪzərəbəl/

very unhappy; full of misery

misfortunenounUS /mɪˈsfɔːrtʃən/

unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate event

mishapnounUS /ˈmɪshæp/

an unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate

mortifiedadjectiveUS /ˈmɔːrtəfaɪd/

suffering from tissue death

From this reading I was mortified and disheartened as I looked at his pale, thin face, and regarded his trembling limbs.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading My father!

NEWadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading IN WHICH PHIL TAKES HIS FATHER TO HIS NEW HOME.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

overtakenverbUS /ˈoʊvərteɪkən/

inflected form of “overtake” — catch up with and possibly overtake

overwhelmingadjectiveUS /ˌoʊvərˈwelmɪŋ/

so strong as to be irresistible

paleadjectiveUS /peɪl/

very light colored; highly diluted with white

From this reading I was mortified and disheartened as I looked at his pale, thin face, and regarded his trembling limbs.

PHIL

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading IN WHICH PHIL TAKES HIS FATHER TO HIS NEW HOME.

possiblyadverbUS /ˈpɑːsəbli/

by chance

reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading He was the first white man I had ever seen really intoxicated.

regardedverbUS /rɪˈɡɑːrdɪd/

past form of “regard” — deem to be

From this reading I was mortified and disheartened as I looked at his pale, thin face, and regarded his trembling limbs.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading He was the first white man I had ever seen really intoxicated.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

TAKESnounUS /teɪks/

plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property

From this reading IN WHICH PHIL TAKES HIS FATHER TO HIS NEW HOME.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

thinadjectiveUS /θɪn/

Having little thickness or extent.

From this reading I was mortified and disheartened as I looked at his pale, thin face, and regarded his trembling limbs.

TOparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading IN WHICH PHIL TAKES HIS FATHER TO HIS NEW HOME.

tremblingnounUS /ˈtrembəlɪŋ/

a shaky motion

From this reading I was mortified and disheartened as I looked at his pale, thin face, and regarded his trembling limbs.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

WHICHpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading IN WHICH PHIL TAKES HIS FATHER TO HIS NEW HOME.

whitenounUS /waɪt/

a Caucasian

From this reading He was the first white man I had ever seen really intoxicated.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

Chapter 11 of Plane and Plank by Oliver Optic holds 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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.

What does chapter 11 of Plane and Plank contain?

Chapter 11 holds 165 sentences of Plane and Plank, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 11 of Plane and Plank by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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.

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Work through the 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 33 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.

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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.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #44950, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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Chapter XI

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