Chapter 11 of The best short stories of 1915, and is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The best short stories of 1915, and is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I don't think we'll cultivate this afternoon, Frank," his father commenced slowly. "Why--" The boy started to speak but stopped. He saw the frightened grayness return to his mother's face. His father, too, seemed restless. He crossed and recrossed his knees nervously.
Chapter 11 of The best short stories of 1915, and is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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.
past form of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “"I don't think we'll cultivate this afternoon, Frank," his father commenced slowly.”
placed crosswise
From this reading “He crossed and recrossed his knees nervously.”
foster the growth of
From this reading “"I don't think we'll cultivate this afternoon, Frank," his father commenced slowly.”
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading “"I don't think we'll cultivate this afternoon, Frank," his father commenced slowly.”
made afraid
From this reading “He saw the frightened grayness return to his mother's face.”
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “He saw the frightened grayness return to his mother's face.”
in an anxiously nervous manner
From this reading “He crossed and recrossed his knees nervously.”
worried and uneasy
From this reading “His father, too, seemed restless.”
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.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading "I don't think we'll cultivate this afternoon, Frank," his father commenced slowly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He crossed and recrossed his knees nervously.
a youthful male person
From this reading "Why--" The boy started to speak but stopped.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Why--" The boy started to speak but stopped.
past form of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "I don't think we'll cultivate this afternoon, Frank," his father commenced slowly.
placed crosswise
From this reading He crossed and recrossed his knees nervously.
foster the growth of
From this reading "I don't think we'll cultivate this afternoon, Frank," his father commenced slowly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't think we'll cultivate this afternoon, Frank," his father commenced slowly.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading He saw the frightened grayness return to his mother's face.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "I don't think we'll cultivate this afternoon, Frank," his father commenced slowly.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading "I don't think we'll cultivate this afternoon, Frank," his father commenced slowly.
made afraid
From this reading He saw the frightened grayness return to his mother's face.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading He saw the frightened grayness return to his mother's face.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He saw the frightened grayness return to his mother's face.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "I don't think we'll cultivate this afternoon, Frank," his father commenced slowly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't think we'll cultivate this afternoon, Frank," his father commenced slowly.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading He crossed and recrossed his knees nervously.
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading He saw the frightened grayness return to his mother's face.
in an anxiously nervous manner
From this reading He crossed and recrossed his knees nervously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He crossed and recrossed his knees nervously.
worried and uneasy
From this reading His father, too, seemed restless.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading He saw the frightened grayness return to his mother's face.
cut with a saw
From this reading He saw the frightened grayness return to his mother's face.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading His father, too, seemed restless.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading "I don't think we'll cultivate this afternoon, Frank," his father commenced slowly.
express in speech
From this reading "Why--" The boy started to speak but stopped.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Why--" The boy started to speak but stopped.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading "Why--" The boy started to speak but stopped.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Why--" The boy started to speak but stopped.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I don't think we'll cultivate this afternoon, Frank," his father commenced slowly.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "I don't think we'll cultivate this afternoon, Frank," his father commenced slowly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Why--" The boy started to speak but stopped.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading His father, too, seemed restless.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't think we'll cultivate this afternoon, Frank," his father commenced slowly.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why--" The boy started to speak but stopped.
Chapter 11 of The best short stories of 1915, and by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien holds 379 sentences, grouped into 76 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 379 sentences of The best short stories of 1915, and, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The best short stories of 1915, and by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 379 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 best short stories of 1915, and by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 12288 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20303 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20303, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2458 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The best short stories of 1915, and section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The best short stories of 1915, and 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 best short stories of 1915, and, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
