Chapter 11 of The Blue Germ is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Blue Germ is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE RESURRECTION For some moments none of us spoke. Alice recovered herself first. "What is the matter with him?" she gasped. I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man. He seemed a little surprised at our behaviour.
Chapter 11 of The Blue Germ is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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 action or reaction of something (as a machine or substance) under specified circumstances
From this reading “He seemed a little surprised at our behaviour.”
without good sense or judgment
From this reading “I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “"What is the matter with him?" she gasped.”
(followed by “of”) lacking capacity or ability
From this reading “I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.”
freed from illness or injury
From this reading “Alice recovered herself first.”
(New Testament) the rising of Christ on the third day after the Crucifixion
From this reading “THE RESURRECTION For some moments none of us spoke.”
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading “I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.”
meant or adapted for an occasion or use
From this reading “I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.”
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.
a man who is very old
In this reading “I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.”
In this reading “THE RESURRECTION For some moments none of us spoke.”
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 I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alice recovered herself first.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.
the action or reaction of something (as a machine or substance) under specified circumstances
From this reading He seemed a little surprised at our behaviour.
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Alice recovered herself first.
without good sense or judgment
From this reading I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE RESURRECTION For some moments none of us spoke.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading "What is the matter with him?" she gasped.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He seemed a little surprised at our behaviour.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Alice recovered herself first.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "What is the matter with him?" she gasped.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.
(followed by “of”) lacking capacity or ability
From this reading I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is the matter with him?" she gasped.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He seemed a little surprised at our behaviour.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "What is the matter with him?" she gasped.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading THE RESURRECTION For some moments none of us spoke.
not one, and not any
From this reading THE RESURRECTION For some moments none of us spoke.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE RESURRECTION For some moments none of us spoke.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading He seemed a little surprised at our behaviour.
freed from illness or injury
From this reading Alice recovered herself first.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.
(New Testament) the rising of Christ on the third day after the Crucifixion
From this reading THE RESURRECTION For some moments none of us spoke.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He seemed a little surprised at our behaviour.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What is the matter with him?" she gasped.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading THE RESURRECTION For some moments none of us spoke.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading THE RESURRECTION For some moments none of us spoke.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.
meant or adapted for an occasion or use
From this reading I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading He seemed a little surprised at our behaviour.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE RESURRECTION For some moments none of us spoke.
unable to express yourself clearly or fluently
From this reading I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading THE RESURRECTION For some moments none of us spoke.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was incapable of finding a suitable reply, and stood, tongue-tied, staring foolishly at the old man.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is the matter with him?" she gasped.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "What is the matter with him?" she gasped.
Chapter 11 of The Blue Germ by Maurice Nicoll holds 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 190 sentences of The Blue Germ, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Blue Germ by Maurice Nicoll exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Blue Germ by Maurice Nicoll on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4405 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26852 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26852, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 367 minutes of reading across 881 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Blue Germ section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Blue Germ 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 Blue Germ, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
