Chapter 11 of The Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful is here in full — 259 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful is here in full — 259 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Diary opened thus: "Here am I in London. I don't know whether to be frightened or glad. Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this. Would it not have been better had we never met? I should have known that a teacher cannot be rich.
Chapter 11 of The Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful is here in full — 259 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations
From this reading “The Diary opened thus: "Here am I in London.”
made afraid
From this reading “I don't know whether to be frightened or glad.”
temporary living quarters
From this reading “Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this.”
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading “The Diary opened thus: "Here am I in London.”
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading “Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this.”
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading “The Diary opened thus: "Here am I in London.”
possessing material wealth
From this reading “I should have known that a teacher cannot be rich.”
a person whose occupation is teaching
From this reading “I should have known that a teacher cannot be rich.”
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.
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 I should have known that a teacher cannot be rich.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading The Diary opened thus: "Here am I in London.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I don't know whether to be frightened or glad.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Would it not have been better had we never met?
(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 Would it not have been better had we never met?
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I should have known that a teacher cannot be rich.
a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations
From this reading The Diary opened thus: "Here am I in London.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't know whether to be frightened or glad.
made afraid
From this reading I don't know whether to be frightened or glad.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading I don't know whether to be frightened or glad.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Would it not have been better had we never met?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Would it not have been better had we never met?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading The Diary opened thus: "Here am I in London.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The Diary opened thus: "Here am I in London.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Diary opened thus: "Here am I in London.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Would it not have been better had we never met?
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I don't know whether to be frightened or glad.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading I should have known that a teacher cannot be rich.
temporary living quarters
From this reading Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading The Diary opened thus: "Here am I in London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading Would it not have been better had we never met?
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Would it not have been better had we never met?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading The Diary opened thus: "Here am I in London.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I don't know whether to be frightened or glad.
possessing material wealth
From this reading I should have known that a teacher cannot be rich.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading I should have known that a teacher cannot be rich.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this.
a person whose occupation is teaching
From this reading I should have known that a teacher cannot be rich.
express in words
From this reading Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I should have known that a teacher cannot be rich.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Diary opened thus: "Here am I in London.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading The Diary opened thus: "Here am I in London.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I don't know whether to be frightened or glad.
precisely as stated
From this reading Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Would it not have been better had we never met?
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading I don't know whether to be frightened or glad.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Luigi is very kind, but he did not tell me he would bring me to such miserable lodgings as this.
Chapter 11 of The Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful by William Clark Russell holds 259 sentences, grouped into 52 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 259 sentences of The Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful by William Clark Russell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 259 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful by William Clark Russell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3004 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62084 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62084, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 250 minutes of reading across 601 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful 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 Deceased Wife's Sister, and My Beautiful, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
