Chapter 11 of The Barrier: A Novel is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Barrier: A Novel is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street. "It's four days since you were at the house," she reminded him. "Is there really any advantage in my coming often?" he asked her. "I don't know," she answered plaintively. "But Judith has very little to do.
Chapter 11 of The Barrier: A Novel is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
the quality of having a superior or more favorable position
From this reading “"Is there really any advantage in my coming often?" he asked her.”
the 2nd letter of the Hebrew alphabet
From this reading “AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.”
a single distinct event
From this reading “AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.”
Jewish heroine in one of the books of the Apocrypha; she saved her people by decapitating the Assyrian general Holofernes
From this reading “"But Judith has very little to do.”
the exchange of goods for an agreed sum of money
From this reading “AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.”
move about in a confused manner
From this reading “AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.”
in a plaintive manner
From this reading “"I don't know," she answered plaintively.”
past form of “remind” — put in the mind of someone
From this reading “"It's four days since you were at the house," she reminded him.”
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 “"It's four days since you were at the house," she reminded him.”
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 AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.
the quality of having a superior or more favorable position
From this reading "Is there really any advantage in my coming often?" he asked her.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "I don't know," she answered plaintively.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Is there really any advantage in my coming often?" he asked her.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Is there really any advantage in my coming often?" he asked her.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.
the 2nd letter of the Hebrew alphabet
From this reading AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But Judith has very little to do.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "Is there really any advantage in my coming often?" he asked her.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading "It's four days since you were at the house," she reminded him.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "But Judith has very little to do.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know," she answered plaintively.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading "It's four days since you were at the house," she reminded him.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "But Judith has very little to do.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Is there really any advantage in my coming often?" he asked her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "It's four days since you were at the house," she reminded him.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "It's four days since you were at the house," she reminded him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't know," she answered plaintively.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Is there really any advantage in my coming often?" he asked her.
a single distinct event
From this reading AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is there really any advantage in my coming often?" he asked her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's four days since you were at the house," she reminded him.
Jewish heroine in one of the books of the Apocrypha; she saved her people by decapitating the Assyrian general Holofernes
From this reading "But Judith has very little to do.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know," she answered plaintively.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "But Judith has very little to do.
the exchange of goods for an agreed sum of money
From this reading AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.
move about in a confused manner
From this reading AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Is there really any advantage in my coming often?" he asked her.
many times at short intervals
From this reading "Is there really any advantage in my coming often?" he asked her.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.
in a plaintive manner
From this reading "I don't know," she answered plaintively.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "Is there really any advantage in my coming often?" he asked her.
past form of “remind” — put in the mind of someone
From this reading "It's four days since you were at the house," she reminded him.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading "It's four days since you were at the house," she reminded him.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Is there really any advantage in my coming often?" he asked her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "But Judith has very little to do.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.
precisely as stated
From this reading "But Judith has very little to do.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "It's four days since you were at the house," she reminded him.
at the time that
From this reading AN INCIDENT AT THE MILL On a morning when Beth took her turn at marketing she met Mather on the street.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "It's four days since you were at the house," she reminded him.
Chapter 11 of The Barrier: A Novel by Allen French holds 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 232 sentences of The Barrier: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Barrier: A Novel by Allen French exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 The Barrier: A Novel by Allen French on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6781 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41890 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41890, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 565 minutes of reading across 1357 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Barrier: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of The Barrier: A Novel 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 The Barrier: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
