Chapter 11 of The Ear in the Wall is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Ear in the Wall is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Here in my desk. But you took the cylinder with you." "Haven't you got another? Don't you ever use them for dictating letters?" Carton nodded and sent his stenographer to get a new one.
Chapter 11 of The Ear in the Wall is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
the quantity contained in a carton
From this reading “Carton nodded and sent his stenographer to get a new one.”
a solid bounded by a cylindrical surface and two parallel planes (the bases)
From this reading “But you took the cylinder with you."”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “"Here in my desk.”
-ing form of “dictate” — issue commands or orders for
From this reading “Don't you ever use them for dictating letters?"”
the literary culture
From this reading “Don't you ever use them for dictating letters?"”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “Carton nodded and sent his stenographer to get a new one.”
someone skilled in the transcription of speech (especially dictation)
From this reading “Carton nodded and sent his stenographer to get a new one.”
the act of using
From this reading “Don't you ever use them for dictating letters?"”
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 Carton nodded and sent his stenographer to get a new one.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Carton nodded and sent his stenographer to get a new one.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "Haven't you got another?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But you took the cylinder with you."
the quantity contained in a carton
From this reading Carton nodded and sent his stenographer to get a new one.
a solid bounded by a cylindrical surface and two parallel planes (the bases)
From this reading But you took the cylinder with you."
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading "Here in my desk.
-ing form of “dictate” — issue commands or orders for
From this reading Don't you ever use them for dictating letters?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don't you ever use them for dictating letters?"
at any time
From this reading Don't you ever use them for dictating letters?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Don't you ever use them for dictating letters?"
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Carton nodded and sent his stenographer to get a new one.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Haven't you got another?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Haven't you got another?
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Here in my desk.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Carton nodded and sent his stenographer to get a new one.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Here in my desk.
the literary culture
From this reading Don't you ever use them for dictating letters?"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Here in my desk.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Carton nodded and sent his stenographer to get a new one.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading Carton nodded and sent his stenographer to get a new one.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Carton nodded and sent his stenographer to get a new one.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading Carton nodded and sent his stenographer to get a new one.
someone skilled in the transcription of speech (especially dictation)
From this reading Carton nodded and sent his stenographer to get a new one.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But you took the cylinder with you."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Don't you ever use them for dictating letters?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Carton nodded and sent his stenographer to get a new one.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading But you took the cylinder with you."
the act of using
From this reading Don't you ever use them for dictating letters?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading But you took the cylinder with you."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But you took the cylinder with you."
Chapter 11 of The Ear in the Wall by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve holds 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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.
Chapter 11 holds 421 sentences of The Ear in the Wall, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Ear in the Wall by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Ear in the Wall by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4987 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5150 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5150, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 415 minutes of reading across 998 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ear in the Wall section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Ear in the Wall 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 Ear in the Wall, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
