Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh
The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh

Chapter XI · Chapter 11

Chapter 11 of The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By William Makepeace Thackeray • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh
Context Illustration Reading 1/32 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"What! don't you care for a red coat and moustaches?"
I asked.
"I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.
I think it's wicked, positively wicked--My darling Scott--how can you?
And are you going to make a Christmas-book this year?"
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh

Chapter XI · Chapter 11

Chapter 11 of The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"What! don't you care for a red coat and moustaches?"
Line 2
I asked.
/aɪ æskt/
Line 3
"I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.
Line 4
I think it's wicked, positively wicked--My darling Scott--how can you?
Line 5
And are you going to make a Christmas-book this year?"

Learner Dictionary

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.

adore verb US /əˈdɔːr/

love intensely

From this reading “"I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
darling noun US /ˈdɑːrlɪŋ/

a special loved one

From this reading “I think it's wicked, positively wicked--My darling Scott--how can you?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
endure verb US /enˈdjʊr/

put up with something or somebody unpleasant

From this reading “"I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
genius noun US /ˈdʒiːnjəs/

someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality

From this reading “"I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
killing noun US /ˈkɪlɪŋ/

an event that causes someone to die

From this reading “"I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
positively adverb US /ˈpɑːzətɪvli/

extremely

From this reading “I think it's wicked, positively wicked--My darling Scott--how can you?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Scott noun US /skɑːt/

award-winning United States film actor (1928-1999)

From this reading “I think it's wicked, positively wicked--My darling Scott--how can you?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wicked adjective US /ˈwɪkəd/

morally bad in principle or practice

From this reading “I think it's wicked, positively wicked--My darling Scott--how can you?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 58

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "What! don't you care for a red coat and moustaches?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
adoreverbUS /əˈdɔːr/

love intensely

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading "What! don't you care for a red coat and moustaches?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading And are you going to make a Christmas-book this year?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading I asked.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
blueadjectiveUS /bluː/

of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading I think it's wicked, positively wicked--My darling Scott--how can you?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
can't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

Pending verification
carenounUS /ker/

the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something

From this reading "What! don't you care for a red coat and moustaches?"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Christmas-book

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And are you going to make a Christmas-book this year?"

Pending verification
coatnounUS /koʊt/

an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors

From this reading "What! don't you care for a red coat and moustaches?"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
darlingnounUS /ˈdɑːrlɪŋ/

a special loved one

From this reading I think it's wicked, positively wicked--My darling Scott--how can you?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "What! don't you care for a red coat and moustaches?"

Pending verification
endureverbUS /enˈdjʊr/

put up with something or somebody unpleasant

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
exceptprepositionUS /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "What! don't you care for a red coat and moustaches?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
geniusnounUS /ˈdʒiːnjəs/

someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading And are you going to make a Christmas-book this year?"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
how

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I think it's wicked, positively wicked--My darling Scott--how can you?

Pending verification
IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I asked.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
it's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I think it's wicked, positively wicked--My darling Scott--how can you?

Pending verification
killingnounUS /ˈkɪlɪŋ/

an event that causes someone to die

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ladynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading And are you going to make a Christmas-book this year?"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
moustaches

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "What! don't you care for a red coat and moustaches?"

Pending verification
MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I think it's wicked, positively wicked--My darling Scott--how can you?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
positivelyadverbUS /ˈpɑːzətɪvli/

extremely

From this reading I think it's wicked, positively wicked--My darling Scott--how can you?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rednounUS /red/

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

From this reading "What! don't you care for a red coat and moustaches?"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ScottnounUS /skɑːt/

award-winning United States film actor (1928-1999)

From this reading I think it's wicked, positively wicked--My darling Scott--how can you?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading I think it's wicked, positively wicked--My darling Scott--how can you?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading And are you going to make a Christmas-book this year?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Titmarsh

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

Pending verification
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading And are you going to make a Christmas-book this year?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading "What! don't you care for a red coat and moustaches?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wickedadjectiveUS /ˈwɪkəd/

morally bad in principle or practice

From this reading I think it's wicked, positively wicked--My darling Scott--how can you?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
worksnounUS /wɜːrks/

buildings for carrying on industrial labor

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
yearnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading And are you going to make a Christmas-book this year?"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "What! don't you care for a red coat and moustaches?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "I adore genius, Mr. Titmarsh," said the young lady, with a most killing look of her beautiful blue eyes, "and I have every one of your works by heart--all, except the last, which I can't endure.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 11 of The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh by William Makepeace Thackeray holds 163 sentences, grouped into 33 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.

What does chapter 11 of The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh contain?

Chapter 11 holds 163 sentences of The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 11 of The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh by William Makepeace Thackeray exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 163 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.

How do I study chapter 11 of The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh?

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.

Can chapter 11 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh

Common questions about reading The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh by William Makepeace Thackeray on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh?

Yes. All 3765 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2731 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2731, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh take to read?

About 313 minutes of reading across 753 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh section by section

How to work through The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Street
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Birch
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Young
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Friends
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.