Chapter 11 of Scientific Sprague is here in full — 403 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 Scientific Sprague is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I can; and I guess I must,” insisted Sprague gently. “And the worst of it is, Dick, I can’t tell you or anybody else the why. It’s just up to me, and I’ve got it to do.” Maxwell’s perturbation had cleared his brain like a bucketing of cold water. “Tell me, Calvin,” he broke out; “is the girl mixed up in it?”
Chapter 11 of Scientific Sprague is here in full — 403 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.
any person at all
From this reading ““And the worst of it is, Dick, I can’t tell you or anybody else the why.”
United States chemist noted for discovering the series of chemical reactions in photosynthesis (1911-)
From this reading ““Tell me, Calvin,” he broke out; “is the girl mixed up in it?””
rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush
From this reading “Maxwell’s perturbation had cleared his brain like a bucketing of cold water.”
past form of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading ““I can; and I guess I must,” insisted Sprague gently.”
possessive form of “maxwell” — a cgs unit of magnetic flux equal to the flux perpendicular to an area of 1 square centimeter in a magnetic field of 1 gauss
consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
From this reading ““Tell me, Calvin,” he broke out; “is the girl mixed up in it?””
an unhappy and worried mental state
From this reading “Maxwell’s perturbation had cleared his brain like a bucketing of cold water.”
the least favorable outcome
From this reading ““And the worst of it is, Dick, I can’t tell you or anybody else the why.”
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.
disparagement of a plan or hope or expectation
In this reading “Maxwell’s perturbation had cleared his brain like a bucketing of cold water.”
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 Maxwell’s perturbation had cleared his brain like a bucketing of cold water.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I can; and I guess I must,” insisted Sprague gently.
any person at all
From this reading “And the worst of it is, Dick, I can’t tell you or anybody else the why.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading Maxwell’s perturbation had cleared his brain like a bucketing of cold water.
lacking funds
From this reading “Tell me, Calvin,” he broke out; “is the girl mixed up in it?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Maxwell’s perturbation had cleared his brain like a bucketing of cold water.
United States chemist noted for discovering the series of chemical reactions in photosynthesis (1911-)
From this reading “Tell me, Calvin,” he broke out; “is the girl mixed up in it?”
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “I can; and I guess I must,” insisted Sprague gently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “And the worst of it is, Dick, I can’t tell you or anybody else the why.
rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush
From this reading Maxwell’s perturbation had cleared his brain like a bucketing of cold water.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading Maxwell’s perturbation had cleared his brain like a bucketing of cold water.
someone who is a detective
From this reading “And the worst of it is, Dick, I can’t tell you or anybody else the why.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading It’s just up to me, and I’ve got it to do.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “And the worst of it is, Dick, I can’t tell you or anybody else the why.
in a gradual manner
From this reading “I can; and I guess I must,” insisted Sprague gently.
a young female
From this reading “Tell me, Calvin,” he broke out; “is the girl mixed up in it?”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading It’s just up to me, and I’ve got it to do.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “I can; and I guess I must,” insisted Sprague gently.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Maxwell’s perturbation had cleared his brain like a bucketing of cold water.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Tell me, Calvin,” he broke out; “is the girl mixed up in it?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Maxwell’s perturbation had cleared his brain like a bucketing of cold water.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I can; and I guess I must,” insisted Sprague gently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s just up to me, and I’ve got it to do.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Tell me, Calvin,” he broke out; “is the girl mixed up in it?”
past form of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading “I can; and I guess I must,” insisted Sprague gently.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “And the worst of it is, Dick, I can’t tell you or anybody else the why.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “And the worst of it is, Dick, I can’t tell you or anybody else the why.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s just up to me, and I’ve got it to do.”
and nothing more
From this reading It’s just up to me, and I’ve got it to do.”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Maxwell’s perturbation had cleared his brain like a bucketing of cold water.
possessive form of “maxwell” — a cgs unit of magnetic flux equal to the flux perpendicular to an area of 1 square centimeter in a magnetic field of 1 gauss
From this reading Maxwell’s perturbation had cleared his brain like a bucketing of cold water.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It’s just up to me, and I’ve got it to do.”
consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
From this reading “Tell me, Calvin,” he broke out; “is the girl mixed up in it?”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “I can; and I guess I must,” insisted Sprague gently.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “And the worst of it is, Dick, I can’t tell you or anybody else the why.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “And the worst of it is, Dick, I can’t tell you or anybody else the why.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Tell me, Calvin,” he broke out; “is the girl mixed up in it?”
an unhappy and worried mental state
From this reading Maxwell’s perturbation had cleared his brain like a bucketing of cold water.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I can; and I guess I must,” insisted Sprague gently.
express in words
From this reading “And the worst of it is, Dick, I can’t tell you or anybody else the why.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “And the worst of it is, Dick, I can’t tell you or anybody else the why.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It’s just up to me, and I’ve got it to do.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It’s just up to me, and I’ve got it to do.”
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading Maxwell’s perturbation had cleared his brain like a bucketing of cold water.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “And the worst of it is, Dick, I can’t tell you or anybody else the why.
the least favorable outcome
From this reading “And the worst of it is, Dick, I can’t tell you or anybody else the why.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “And the worst of it is, Dick, I can’t tell you or anybody else the why.
Chapter 11 of Scientific Sprague by Francis Lynde holds 403 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 403 sentences of Scientific Sprague, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Scientific Sprague by Francis Lynde exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 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 Scientific Sprague by Francis Lynde on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Scientific Sprague section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Scientific Sprague 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 Scientific Sprague, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
