Chapter 11 of Shirley is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Shirley is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FIELDHEAD. Yet Caroline refused tamely to succumb. She had native strength in her girl's heart, and she used it. Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied. Miss Helstone was in this position.
Chapter 11 of Shirley is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
of or relating to the life and times of kings Charles I or Charles II of England
From this reading “Yet Caroline refused tamely to succumb.”
someone to whom private matters are confided
From this reading “Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.”
someone who has supervisory duties at a summer camp
From this reading “Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.”
possessive form of “girl” — a young female
From this reading “She had native strength in her girl's heart, and she used it.”
characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin
From this reading “She had native strength in her girl's heart, and she used it.”
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading “Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.”
consent reluctantly
From this reading “Yet Caroline refused tamely to succumb.”
someone who sees an event and reports what happened
From this reading “Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.”
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.
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.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She had native strength in her girl's heart, and she used it.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.
of or relating to the life and times of kings Charles I or Charles II of England
From this reading Yet Caroline refused tamely to succumb.
someone to whom private matters are confided
From this reading Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.
someone who has supervisory duties at a summer camp
From this reading Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FIELDHEAD.
possessive form of “girl” — a young female
From this reading She had native strength in her girl's heart, and she used it.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had native strength in her girl's heart, and she used it.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading She had native strength in her girl's heart, and she used it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Miss Helstone was in this position.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She had native strength in her girl's heart, and she used it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She had native strength in her girl's heart, and she used it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She had native strength in her girl's heart, and she used it.
the force of workers available
From this reading Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Miss Helstone was in this position.
characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin
From this reading She had native strength in her girl's heart, and she used it.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading Miss Helstone was in this position.
past form of “refuse” — show unwillingness towards
From this reading Yet Caroline refused tamely to succumb.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had native strength in her girl's heart, and she used it.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.
the property of being physically or mentally strong
From this reading She had native strength in her girl's heart, and she used it.
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.
consent reluctantly
From this reading Yet Caroline refused tamely to succumb.
in a tame manner
From this reading Yet Caroline refused tamely to succumb.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Miss Helstone was in this position.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Yet Caroline refused tamely to succumb.
without careful prior deliberation or counsel
From this reading Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading She had native strength in her girl's heart, and she used it.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Miss Helstone was in this position.
at the time that
From this reading Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.
someone who sees an event and reports what happened
From this reading Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Men and women never struggle so hard as when they struggle alone, without witness, counsellor, or confidant, unencouraged, unadvised, and unpitied.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet Caroline refused tamely to succumb.
Chapter 11 of Shirley by Charlotte Brontë holds 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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 439 sentences of Shirley, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Shirley by Charlotte Brontë exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Shirley by Charlotte Brontë on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 14226 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30486 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30486, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2846 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shirley section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of Shirley 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 Shirley, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
