Chapter 11 of Sir Nigel is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Sir Nigel is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“This is surely the Cavalier of the Heavy Heart,” said Manny. “What trouble has he, that he should hang his head?” “Perchance he hath a weak neck,” said the King. “At least he hath no weak voice,” the Prince remarked, as Nigel’s answer to Chandos came to their ears. “By our lady, he booms like a bittern.”
Chapter 11 of Sir Nigel is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
plural of “boom” — a deep prolonged loud noise
From this reading ““By our lady, he booms like a bittern.””
a gallant or courtly gentleman
From this reading ““This is surely the Cavalier of the Heavy Heart,” said Manny.”
be suspended or hanging
From this reading ““What trouble has he, that he should hang his head?””
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading ““Perchance he hath a weak neck,” said the King.”
through chance
From this reading ““Perchance he hath a weak neck,” said the King.”
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading ““At least he hath no weak voice,” the Prince remarked, as Nigel’s answer to Chandos came to their ears.”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading ““This is surely the Cavalier of the Heavy Heart,” said Manny.”
wanting in physical strength
From this reading ““Perchance he hath a weak neck,” said the King.”
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 “Perchance he hath a weak neck,” said the King.
react verbally
From this reading “At least he hath no weak voice,” the Prince remarked, as Nigel’s answer to Chandos came to their ears.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “At least he hath no weak voice,” the Prince remarked, as Nigel’s answer to Chandos came to their ears.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “At least he hath no weak voice,” the Prince remarked, as Nigel’s answer to Chandos came to their ears.
relatively small compact tawny-brown heron with nocturnal habits and a booming cry; found in marshes
From this reading “By our lady, he booms like a bittern.”
plural of “boom” — a deep prolonged loud noise
From this reading “By our lady, he booms like a bittern.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “By our lady, he booms like a bittern.”
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “At least he hath no weak voice,” the Prince remarked, as Nigel’s answer to Chandos came to their ears.
a gallant or courtly gentleman
From this reading “This is surely the Cavalier of the Heavy Heart,” said Manny.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “At least he hath no weak voice,” the Prince remarked, as Nigel’s answer to Chandos came to their ears.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading “At least he hath no weak voice,” the Prince remarked, as Nigel’s answer to Chandos came to their ears.
be suspended or hanging
From this reading “What trouble has he, that he should hang his head?”
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What trouble has he, that he should hang his head?”
an old form of “has”
From this reading “Perchance he hath a weak neck,” said the King.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “What trouble has he, that he should hang his head?”
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading “What trouble has he, that he should hang his head?”
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading “This is surely the Cavalier of the Heavy Heart,” said Manny.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading “This is surely the Cavalier of the Heavy Heart,” said Manny.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “What trouble has he, that he should hang his head?”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “This is surely the Cavalier of the Heavy Heart,” said Manny.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading “Perchance he hath a weak neck,” said the King.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading “By our lady, he booms like a bittern.”
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading “At least he hath no weak voice,” the Prince remarked, as Nigel’s answer to Chandos came to their ears.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “By our lady, he booms like a bittern.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “This is surely the Cavalier of the Heavy Heart,” said Manny.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading “Perchance he hath a weak neck,” said the King.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “At least he hath no weak voice,” the Prince remarked, as Nigel’s answer to Chandos came to their ears.
not any; not one
From this reading “At least he hath no weak voice,” the Prince remarked, as Nigel’s answer to Chandos came to their ears.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “This is surely the Cavalier of the Heavy Heart,” said Manny.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “By our lady, he booms like a bittern.”
through chance
From this reading “Perchance he hath a weak neck,” said the King.
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading “At least he hath no weak voice,” the Prince remarked, as Nigel’s answer to Chandos came to their ears.
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading “At least he hath no weak voice,” the Prince remarked, as Nigel’s answer to Chandos came to their ears.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “This is surely the Cavalier of the Heavy Heart,” said Manny.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “What trouble has he, that he should hang his head?”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “This is surely the Cavalier of the Heavy Heart,” said Manny.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “What trouble has he, that he should hang his head?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “This is surely the Cavalier of the Heavy Heart,” said Manny.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading “At least he hath no weak voice,” the Prince remarked, as Nigel’s answer to Chandos came to their ears.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “This is surely the Cavalier of the Heavy Heart,” said Manny.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “At least he hath no weak voice,” the Prince remarked, as Nigel’s answer to Chandos came to their ears.
a source of difficulty
From this reading “What trouble has he, that he should hang his head?”
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “At least he hath no weak voice,” the Prince remarked, as Nigel’s answer to Chandos came to their ears.
wanting in physical strength
From this reading “Perchance he hath a weak neck,” said the King.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What trouble has he, that he should hang his head?”
Chapter 11 of Sir Nigel by Arthur Conan Doyle holds 168 sentences, grouped into 34 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 168 sentences of Sir Nigel, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Sir Nigel by Arthur Conan Doyle exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 168 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Sir Nigel by Arthur Conan Doyle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6718 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2845 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2845, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 559 minutes of reading across 1344 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sir Nigel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Sir Nigel 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 Sir Nigel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
