Chapter 11 of The Crooked House is here in full — 34 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Crooked House is here in full — 34 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. BOLSOVER "My God!" exclaimed the manager, "what an appalling business!" "It is," the inspector agreed shortly. "She was to have appeared at my theater, too," said the manager ruefully. "I understand that you found Layton sneaking about the house?"
Chapter 11 of The Crooked House is here in full — 34 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/6 · 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.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading “"It is," the inspector agreed shortly.”
an experience that appalls
From this reading “BOLSOVER "My God!" exclaimed the manager, "what an appalling business!"”
a high ranking police officer
From this reading “"It is," the inspector agreed shortly.”
someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading “BOLSOVER "My God!" exclaimed the manager, "what an appalling business!"”
in a rueful manner
From this reading “"She was to have appeared at my theater, too," said the manager ruefully.”
for a short time
From this reading “"It is," the inspector agreed shortly.”
not openly expressed
From this reading “"I understand that you found Layton sneaking about the house?"”
a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented
From this reading “"She was to have appeared at my theater, too," said the manager ruefully.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "I understand that you found Layton sneaking about the house?"
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading "It is," the inspector agreed shortly.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading BOLSOVER "My God!" exclaimed the manager, "what an appalling business!"
an experience that appalls
From this reading BOLSOVER "My God!" exclaimed the manager, "what an appalling business!"
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "She was to have appeared at my theater, too," said the manager ruefully.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "She was to have appeared at my theater, too," said the manager ruefully.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BOLSOVER "My God!" exclaimed the manager, "what an appalling business!"
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading BOLSOVER "My God!" exclaimed the manager, "what an appalling business!"
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading BOLSOVER "My God!" exclaimed the manager, "what an appalling business!"
set up or found
From this reading "I understand that you found Layton sneaking about the house?"
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading BOLSOVER "My God!" exclaimed the manager, "what an appalling business!"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "She was to have appeared at my theater, too," said the manager ruefully.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "I understand that you found Layton sneaking about the house?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I understand that you found Layton sneaking about the house?"
a high ranking police officer
From this reading "It is," the inspector agreed shortly.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is," the inspector agreed shortly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is," the inspector agreed shortly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I understand that you found Layton sneaking about the house?"
someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading BOLSOVER "My God!" exclaimed the manager, "what an appalling business!"
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading BOLSOVER "My God!" exclaimed the manager, "what an appalling business!"
in a rueful manner
From this reading "She was to have appeared at my theater, too," said the manager ruefully.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "She was to have appeared at my theater, too," said the manager ruefully.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "She was to have appeared at my theater, too," said the manager ruefully.
for a short time
From this reading "It is," the inspector agreed shortly.
not openly expressed
From this reading "I understand that you found Layton sneaking about the house?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I understand that you found Layton sneaking about the house?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BOLSOVER "My God!" exclaimed the manager, "what an appalling business!"
a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented
From this reading "She was to have appeared at my theater, too," said the manager ruefully.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "She was to have appeared at my theater, too," said the manager ruefully.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "She was to have appeared at my theater, too," said the manager ruefully.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading "I understand that you found Layton sneaking about the house?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "She was to have appeared at my theater, too," said the manager ruefully.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading BOLSOVER "My God!" exclaimed the manager, "what an appalling business!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I understand that you found Layton sneaking about the house?"
Chapter 11 of The Crooked House by Brandon Fleming holds 34 sentences, grouped into 7 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 34 sentences of The Crooked House, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Crooked House by Brandon Fleming exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 34 sentences, grouped into 7 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 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 7 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 Crooked House by Brandon Fleming on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4272 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22820 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22820, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 356 minutes of reading across 855 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Crooked House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of The Crooked House 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 Crooked House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
