Chapter 11 of The blue wall is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 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 wall is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LES TROIS FOLIES I was born on the Isle of Wight. My father was a seafaring man. He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar. Where he met my mother I never knew. He was Scotch and she was an Irish beauty, I can tell you.
Chapter 11 of The blue wall is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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 second largest continent; located to the south of Europe and bordered to the west by the South Atlantic and to the east by the Indian Ocean
From this reading “He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.”
two-masted sailing vessel square-rigged on the foremast and fore-and-aft rigged on the mainmast
From this reading “He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.”
a small island
From this reading “LES TROIS FOLIES I was born on the Isle of Wight.”
plural of “le” — a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)
From this reading “LES TROIS FOLIES I was born on the Isle of Wight.”
a republic on the island of Madagascar; achieved independence from France in 1960
From this reading “He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.”
a slight surface cut (especially a notch that is made to keep a tally)
From this reading “He was Scotch and she was an Irish beauty, I can tell you.”
the longest river in England; flows eastward through London to the North Sea
From this reading “He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.”
a human being; “wight” is an archaic term
From this reading “LES TROIS FOLIES I was born on the Isle of Wight.”
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 My father was a seafaring man.
the second largest continent; located to the south of Europe and bordered to the west by the South Atlantic and to the east by the Indian Ocean
From this reading He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He was Scotch and she was an Irish beauty, I can tell you.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.
the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading He was Scotch and she was an Irish beauty, I can tell you.
brought into existence
From this reading LES TROIS FOLIES I was born on the Isle of Wight.
two-masted sailing vessel square-rigged on the foremast and fore-and-aft rigged on the mainmast
From this reading He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.
the people of Great Britain
From this reading He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading He was Scotch and she was an Irish beauty, I can tell you.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading My father was a seafaring man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LES TROIS FOLIES I was born on the Isle of Wight.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading LES TROIS FOLIES I was born on the Isle of Wight.
people of Ireland or of Irish extraction
From this reading He was Scotch and she was an Irish beauty, I can tell you.
a small island
From this reading LES TROIS FOLIES I was born on the Isle of Wight.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Where he met my mother I never knew.
plural of “le” — a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)
From this reading LES TROIS FOLIES I was born on the Isle of Wight.
a republic on the island of Madagascar; achieved independence from France in 1960
From this reading He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading My father was a seafaring man.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading Where he met my mother I never knew.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Where he met my mother I never knew.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My father was a seafaring man.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Where he met my mother I never knew.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading LES TROIS FOLIES I was born on the Isle of Wight.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading LES TROIS FOLIES I was born on the Isle of Wight.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.
having an owner; often used in combination
From this reading He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.
past form of “sail” — traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.
a slight surface cut (especially a notch that is made to keep a tally)
From this reading He was Scotch and she was an Irish beauty, I can tell you.
the work of a sailor
From this reading My father was a seafaring man.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was Scotch and she was an Irish beauty, I can tell you.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.
the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.
express in words
From this reading He was Scotch and she was an Irish beauty, I can tell you.
the longest river in England; flows eastward through London to the North Sea
From this reading He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading LES TROIS FOLIES I was born on the Isle of Wight.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LES TROIS FOLIES I was born on the Isle of Wight.
a tube in which a body fluid circulates
From this reading He owned his own vessel--a brigantine as sailed from the Thames to British South Africa and sometimes around the Hope to Madagascar.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading LES TROIS FOLIES I was born on the Isle of Wight.
in or at the place that
From this reading Where he met my mother I never knew.
a human being; “wight” is an archaic term
From this reading LES TROIS FOLIES I was born on the Isle of Wight.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading He was Scotch and she was an Irish beauty, I can tell you.
Chapter 11 of The blue wall by Richard Washburn Child holds 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 162 sentences of The blue wall, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The blue wall by Richard Washburn Child exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 wall by Richard Washburn Child on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5300 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24451 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24451, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 441 minutes of reading across 1060 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The blue wall section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The blue wall 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 wall, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
