Chapter XI of The Coil of Carne, “Where's Jim?,” is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter XI of The Coil of Carne, “Where's Jim?,” is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour. "Hello! Where's old Jim?" he asked. "I d'n know. Yo'd better seek him or he'll be into some mischief.
Chapter XI of The Coil of Carne, “Where's Jim?,” is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
an ancient city state on the north African coast near modern Tunis; founded by Phoenicians; destroyed and rebuilt by Romans; razed by Arabs in 697
From this reading “Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.”
creating or arousing excitement
From this reading “Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.”
an expression of greeting
From this reading “"Hello!”
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading “Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.”
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading “Yo'd better seek him or he'll be into some mischief.”
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading “Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.”
try to get or reach
From this reading “Yo'd better seek him or he'll be into some mischief.”
to a remarkable degree or extent
From this reading “Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.”
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.
be restored
In this reading “Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.”
In this reading “Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.”
In this reading “Yo'd better seek him or he'll be into some mischief.”
In this reading “Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.”
In this reading “Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Where's old Jim?" he asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Yo'd better seek him or he'll be into some mischief.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Yo'd better seek him or he'll be into some mischief.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
an ancient city state on the north African coast near modern Tunis; founded by Phoenicians; destroyed and rebuilt by Romans; razed by Arabs in 697
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I d'n know.
creating or arousing excitement
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yo'd better seek him or he'll be into some mischief.
an expression of greeting
From this reading "Hello!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Yo'd better seek him or he'll be into some mischief.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I d'n know.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Yo'd better seek him or he'll be into some mischief.
a small worthless amount
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I d'n know.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading Yo'd better seek him or he'll be into some mischief.
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Where's old Jim?" he asked.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Yo'd better seek him or he'll be into some mischief.
above and across; more than
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
try to get or reach
From this reading Yo'd better seek him or he'll be into some mischief.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Yo'd better seek him or he'll be into some mischief.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
to a remarkable degree or extent
From this reading Jack, having lived through an unusually exciting time in the neighbourhood of Carthage, came back to himself in the kitchen at Carne and the first thought of Jim he had had for over an hour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Where's old Jim?" he asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yo'd better seek him or he'll be into some mischief.
Chapter 11 of The Coil of Carne by John Oxenham holds 207 sentences, grouped into 42 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 207 sentences of The Coil of Carne, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Coil of Carne by John Oxenham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 207 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 Coil of Carne by John Oxenham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8368 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53819 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53819, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1674 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Coil of Carne section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Coil of Carne 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 Coil of Carne, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
