Chapter 13 of The Coil of Carne is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Coil of Carne is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WHERE'S JACK? With all diffidence I mention a fact. Whether it had any bearing on a later happening I do not know. Mr. Kennet, as we know, indulged occasionally in strong waters. The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.
Chapter 13 of The Coil of Carne is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 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.
relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading “Whether it had any bearing on a later happening I do not know.”
(behavioral attributes) the way a person behaves toward other people
From this reading “The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.”
an event that happens
From this reading “Whether it had any bearing on a later happening I do not know.”
made greater in size or amount or degree
From this reading “The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.”
past form of “indulge” — give free rein to
From this reading “Mr. Kennet, as we know, indulged occasionally in strong waters.”
make reference to
From this reading “With all diffidence I mention a fact.”
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading “Mr. Kennet, as we know, indulged occasionally in strong waters.”
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading “The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.”
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 “With all diffidence I mention a fact.”
In this reading “Mr. Kennet, as we know, indulged occasionally in strong waters.”
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 With all diffidence I mention a fact.
(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 With all diffidence I mention a fact.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Whether it had any bearing on a later happening I do not know.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Mr. Kennet, as we know, indulged occasionally in strong waters.
relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading Whether it had any bearing on a later happening I do not know.
(behavioral attributes) the way a person behaves toward other people
From this reading The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.
lack of self-confidence
From this reading With all diffidence I mention a fact.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Whether it had any bearing on a later happening I do not know.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading With all diffidence I mention a fact.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Whether it had any bearing on a later happening I do not know.
an event that happens
From this reading Whether it had any bearing on a later happening I do not know.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading With all diffidence I mention a fact.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mr. Kennet, as we know, indulged occasionally in strong waters.
made greater in size or amount or degree
From this reading The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.
past form of “indulge” — give free rein to
From this reading Mr. Kennet, as we know, indulged occasionally in strong waters.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Whether it had any bearing on a later happening I do not know.
a small worthless amount
From this reading WHERE'S JACK?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Kennet, as we know, indulged occasionally in strong waters.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Whether it had any bearing on a later happening I do not know.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Whether it had any bearing on a later happening I do not know.
make reference to
From this reading With all diffidence I mention a fact.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Kennet, as we know, indulged occasionally in strong waters.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.
not any; not one
From this reading The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Whether it had any bearing on a later happening I do not know.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading Mr. Kennet, as we know, indulged occasionally in strong waters.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Whether it had any bearing on a later happening I do not know.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.
and nothing more
From this reading The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading Mr. Kennet, as we know, indulged occasionally in strong waters.
a disposition to exhibit uncontrolled anger
From this reading The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.
United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
From this reading Mr. Kennet, as we know, indulged occasionally in strong waters.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Mr. Kennet, as we know, indulged occasionally in strong waters.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHERE'S JACK?
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading Whether it had any bearing on a later happening I do not know.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The result, as a rule, was only an increased surliness of demeanour of which no one took much notice.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With all diffidence I mention a fact.
Chapter 13 of The Coil of Carne by John Oxenham holds 205 sentences, grouped into 41 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 13 holds 205 sentences of The Coil of Carne, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Coil of Carne by John Oxenham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 205 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 13 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.
