Chapter 11 of The Bishop's Apron is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Bishop's Apron is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He stopped, feeling that the words were not coming as he wished. He wanted to be kind, and there were a few useful things he thought Bertram ought to know. But he could not properly order what was in his mind. Bertram felt the intention and presently answered less bitterly: “Why do you take the trouble to say all this?”
Chapter 11 of The Bishop's Apron is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
with bitterness; in a resentful manner
From this reading “Bertram felt the intention and presently answered less bitterly:”
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading “Bertram felt the intention and presently answered less bitterly:”
in the near future
From this reading “Bertram felt the intention and presently answered less bitterly:”
in the right manner; correctly; suitably
From this reading “But he could not properly order what was in his mind.”
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading “He stopped, feeling that the words were not coming as he wished.”
a source of difficulty
From this reading ““Why do you take the trouble to say all this?””
being of use or service
From this reading “He wanted to be kind, and there were a few useful things he thought Bertram ought to know.”
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading “He stopped, feeling that the words were not coming as he wished.”
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 “He wanted to be kind, and there were a few useful things he thought Bertram ought to know.”
In this reading ““Why do you take the trouble to say all this?””
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 He wanted to be kind, and there were a few useful things he thought Bertram ought to know.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “Why do you take the trouble to say all this?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He wanted to be kind, and there were a few useful things he thought Bertram ought to know.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading Bertram felt the intention and presently answered less bitterly:
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He stopped, feeling that the words were not coming as he wished.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He wanted to be kind, and there were a few useful things he thought Bertram ought to know.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He wanted to be kind, and there were a few useful things he thought Bertram ought to know.
with bitterness; in a resentful manner
From this reading Bertram felt the intention and presently answered less bitterly:
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he could not properly order what was in his mind.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading He stopped, feeling that the words were not coming as he wished.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But he could not properly order what was in his mind.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Why do you take the trouble to say all this?”
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading He stopped, feeling that the words were not coming as he wished.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Bertram felt the intention and presently answered less bitterly:
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading He wanted to be kind, and there were a few useful things he thought Bertram ought to know.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stopped, feeling that the words were not coming as he wished.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But he could not properly order what was in his mind.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But he could not properly order what was in his mind.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading Bertram felt the intention and presently answered less bitterly:
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading He wanted to be kind, and there were a few useful things he thought Bertram ought to know.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He wanted to be kind, and there were a few useful things he thought Bertram ought to know.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading Bertram felt the intention and presently answered less bitterly:
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading But he could not properly order what was in his mind.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He stopped, feeling that the words were not coming as he wished.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading But he could not properly order what was in his mind.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading He wanted to be kind, and there were a few useful things he thought Bertram ought to know.
in the near future
From this reading Bertram felt the intention and presently answered less bitterly:
in the right manner; correctly; suitably
From this reading But he could not properly order what was in his mind.
express in words
From this reading “Why do you take the trouble to say all this?”
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading He stopped, feeling that the words were not coming as he wished.
carry out
From this reading “Why do you take the trouble to say all this?”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He stopped, feeling that the words were not coming as he wished.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He stopped, feeling that the words were not coming as he wished.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He wanted to be kind, and there were a few useful things he thought Bertram ought to know.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading He wanted to be kind, and there were a few useful things he thought Bertram ought to know.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Why do you take the trouble to say all this?”
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He wanted to be kind, and there were a few useful things he thought Bertram ought to know.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He wanted to be kind, and there were a few useful things he thought Bertram ought to know.
a source of difficulty
From this reading “Why do you take the trouble to say all this?”
being of use or service
From this reading He wanted to be kind, and there were a few useful things he thought Bertram ought to know.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading He wanted to be kind, and there were a few useful things he thought Bertram ought to know.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But he could not properly order what was in his mind.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He stopped, feeling that the words were not coming as he wished.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But he could not properly order what was in his mind.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why do you take the trouble to say all this?”
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading He stopped, feeling that the words were not coming as he wished.
the words that are spoken
From this reading He stopped, feeling that the words were not coming as he wished.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Why do you take the trouble to say all this?”
Chapter 11 of The Bishop's Apron by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 424 sentences of The Bishop's Apron, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Bishop's Apron by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Bishop's Apron by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4707 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47523 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #47523, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 392 minutes of reading across 942 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bishop's Apron section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Bishop's Apron 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 Bishop's Apron, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
