Chapter 11 of The Blind Spot is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Blind Spot is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was late when we retired. I could not sleep. The restlessness of the dog held back my slumber. She would growl sullenly, then stir about for a new position; she was never quite still. I could picture her there in the library, behind the curtains, crouched, half resting, half slumbering, always watching.
Chapter 11 of The Blind Spot is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading “I could picture her there in the library, behind the curtains, crouched, half resting, half slumbering, always watching.”
plural of “curtain” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading “I could picture her there in the library, behind the curtains, crouched, half resting, half slumbering, always watching.”
the sound of growling (as made by animals)
From this reading “She would growl sullenly, then stir about for a new position; she was never quite still.”
-ing form of “rest” — not move; be in a resting position
From this reading “I could picture her there in the library, behind the curtains, crouched, half resting, half slumbering, always watching.”
the quality of being ceaselessly moving or active
From this reading “The restlessness of the dog held back my slumber.”
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading “The restlessness of the dog held back my slumber.”
-ing form of “slumber” — be asleep
From this reading “I could picture her there in the library, behind the curtains, crouched, half resting, half slumbering, always watching.”
move an implement through
From this reading “She would growl sullenly, then stir about for a new position; she was never quite still.”
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 She would growl sullenly, then stir about for a new position; she was never quite still.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading She would growl sullenly, then stir about for a new position; she was never quite still.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading I could picture her there in the library, behind the curtains, crouched, half resting, half slumbering, always watching.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The restlessness of the dog held back my slumber.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading I could picture her there in the library, behind the curtains, crouched, half resting, half slumbering, always watching.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I could not sleep.
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading I could picture her there in the library, behind the curtains, crouched, half resting, half slumbering, always watching.
plural of “curtain” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading I could picture her there in the library, behind the curtains, crouched, half resting, half slumbering, always watching.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading The restlessness of the dog held back my slumber.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She would growl sullenly, then stir about for a new position; she was never quite still.
the sound of growling (as made by animals)
From this reading She would growl sullenly, then stir about for a new position; she was never quite still.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading I could picture her there in the library, behind the curtains, crouched, half resting, half slumbering, always watching.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading The restlessness of the dog held back my slumber.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I could picture her there in the library, behind the curtains, crouched, half resting, half slumbering, always watching.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I could not sleep.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I could picture her there in the library, behind the curtains, crouched, half resting, half slumbering, always watching.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was late when we retired.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading It was late when we retired.
a room where books are kept
From this reading I could picture her there in the library, behind the curtains, crouched, half resting, half slumbering, always watching.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The restlessness of the dog held back my slumber.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading She would growl sullenly, then stir about for a new position; she was never quite still.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading She would growl sullenly, then stir about for a new position; she was never quite still.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I could not sleep.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The restlessness of the dog held back my slumber.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading I could picture her there in the library, behind the curtains, crouched, half resting, half slumbering, always watching.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading She would growl sullenly, then stir about for a new position; she was never quite still.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading She would growl sullenly, then stir about for a new position; she was never quite still.
-ing form of “rest” — not move; be in a resting position
From this reading I could picture her there in the library, behind the curtains, crouched, half resting, half slumbering, always watching.
the quality of being ceaselessly moving or active
From this reading The restlessness of the dog held back my slumber.
no longer active in your work or profession
From this reading It was late when we retired.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She would growl sullenly, then stir about for a new position; she was never quite still.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading I could not sleep.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading The restlessness of the dog held back my slumber.
-ing form of “slumber” — be asleep
From this reading I could picture her there in the library, behind the curtains, crouched, half resting, half slumbering, always watching.
not in physical motion
From this reading She would growl sullenly, then stir about for a new position; she was never quite still.
move an implement through
From this reading She would growl sullenly, then stir about for a new position; she was never quite still.
in a sullen manner
From this reading She would growl sullenly, then stir about for a new position; she was never quite still.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The restlessness of the dog held back my slumber.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading She would growl sullenly, then stir about for a new position; she was never quite still.
in or at that place or location
From this reading I could picture her there in the library, behind the curtains, crouched, half resting, half slumbering, always watching.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was late when we retired.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading I could picture her there in the library, behind the curtains, crouched, half resting, half slumbering, always watching.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading It was late when we retired.
at the time that
From this reading It was late when we retired.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading She would growl sullenly, then stir about for a new position; she was never quite still.
Chapter 11 of The Blind Spot by Austin Hall holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 417 sentences of The Blind Spot, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Blind Spot by Austin Hall exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Blind Spot by Austin Hall on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9924 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4920 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4920, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1985 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Blind Spot section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Blind Spot 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 Blind Spot, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
