Chapter 11 of The breath of slander is here in full — 152 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The breath of slander is here in full — 152 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
UNMIXED MISERY. “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?” “What is it, Clinton? Nothing serious, I hope?” said Norine. “He is not ill?”
Chapter 11 of The breath of slander is here in full — 152 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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 state of being absent
From this reading ““Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?””
wife of President Clinton and later a woman member of the United States Senate (1947-)
From this reading ““Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?””
be a farmer; work as a farmer
From this reading ““Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?””
a state of ill-being due to affliction or misfortune
From this reading “UNMIXED MISERY.”
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading ““Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?””
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading “Nothing serious, I hope?” said Norine.”
not mixed with extraneous elements
From this reading “UNMIXED MISERY.”
under normal conditions
From this reading ““Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?””
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 ““Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?””
In this reading ““Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?””
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 “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
the state of being absent
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
later than; following
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
wife of President Clinton and later a woman member of the United States Senate (1947-)
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
be a farmer; work as a farmer
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading Nothing serious, I hope?” said Norine.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “He is not ill?”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “What is it, Clinton?
a state of ill-being due to affliction or misfortune
From this reading UNMIXED MISERY.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “He is not ill?”
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing serious, I hope?” said Norine.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading Nothing serious, I hope?” said Norine.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
not mixed with extraneous elements
From this reading UNMIXED MISERY.
under normal conditions
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
at the time that
From this reading “Norine,” said Clinton, one day when he had returned to the farm after a more than usually prolonged absence, “what is this I hear about the doctor?”
Chapter 11 of The breath of slander by Ida Reade Allen holds 152 sentences, grouped into 31 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 152 sentences of The breath of slander, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The breath of slander by Ida Reade Allen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 152 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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.
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Yes. All 4688 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76289 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76289, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 390 minutes of reading across 938 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The breath of slander section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of The breath of slander 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 breath of slander, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
