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The Girl in the Mirror
The Girl in the Mirror

Chapter XI · Chapter 11

Chapter 11 of The Girl in the Mirror is here in full — 280 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Elizabeth Garver Jordan • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Girl in the Mirror
Context Illustration Reading 1/56 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.
But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.
He heard again the hissed caution, "Not too much of that!"
He sat up, dizzily.
There _had_ been "too much of that."
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Girl in the Mirror

Chapter XI · Chapter 11

Chapter 11 of The Girl in the Mirror is here in full — 280 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/56 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.
Line 2
But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.
Line 3
He heard again the hissed caution, "Not too much of that!"
/hiː hɜːrd əˈɡen ðə hɪst ˈkɑːʃən nɑːt tuː mʌtʃ ʌv ðæt/
Line 4
He sat up, dizzily.
Line 5
There _had_ been "too much of that."
/ðer hæd bɪn tuː mʌtʃ ʌv ðæt/

Learner Dictionary

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.

blackness noun US /ˈblæknəs/

the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)

From this reading “A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
blond adjective US /blɑːnd/

being or having light colored skin and hair and usually blue or grey eyes

From this reading “But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
caution noun US /ˈkɑːʃən/

the trait of being cautious; being attentive to possible danger

From this reading “He heard again the hissed caution, "Not too much of that!"”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hissed verb US /hɪst/

past form of “hiss” — make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval

From this reading “He heard again the hissed caution, "Not too much of that!"”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ribbon noun US /ˈrɪbən/

any long object resembling a thin line

From this reading “A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Shaw noun US /ʃɔː/

United States clarinetist and leader of a swing band (1910-2004)

From this reading “But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
straining noun US /ˈstreɪnɪŋ/

an intense or violent exertion

From this reading “But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
struggling adjective US /ˈstrʌɡəlɪŋ/

engaged in a struggle to overcome especially poverty or obscurity

From this reading “But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

flashed across verb + particle counted as “flash across”

In this reading “But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.”

2,434 times in 225,867 chapters

All words in this reading · 59

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading He heard again the hissed caution, "Not too much of that!"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading There _had_ been "too much of that."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
BITnounUS /bɪt/

a small piece or quantity of something

From this reading A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
blacknessnounUS /ˈblæknəs/

the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)

From this reading A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
blondadjectiveUS /blɑːnd/

being or having light colored skin and hair and usually blue or grey eyes

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BRIGHTadjectiveUS /braɪt/

emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts

From this reading A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
cautionnounUS /ˈkɑːʃən/

the trait of being cautious; being attentive to possible danger

From this reading He heard again the hissed caution, "Not too much of that!"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
clearedadjectiveUS /klɪrd/

rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
consciousadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːnʃəs/

intentionally conceived

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dimadjectiveUS /dɪm/

lacking in light; not bright or harsh

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dizzilyadverb

in a giddy light-headed manner

From this reading He sat up, dizzily.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
figuresnounUS /ˈfɪɡjərz/

plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
firelit

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

Pending verification
flashedverbUS /flæʃt/

past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading There _had_ been "too much of that."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading He heard again the hissed caution, "Not too much of that!"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hissedverbUS /hɪst/

past form of “hiss” — make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval

From this reading He heard again the hissed caution, "Not too much of that!"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Laurie

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.

Pending verification
lightadjectiveUS /laɪt/

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mentaladjectiveUS /ˈmentəl/

involving the mind or an intellectual process

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

Velmora curated lexicon
momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading He heard again the hissed caution, "Not too much of that!"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
NotadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He heard again the hissed caution, "Not too much of that!"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
openedadjectiveUS /ˈoʊpənd/

used of mouth or eyes

From this reading A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
picturenounUS /ˈpɪktʃər/

a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pointnounUS /pɔɪnt/

a geometric element that has position but no extension

From this reading A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
RIBBONnounUS /ˈrɪbən/

any long object resembling a thin line

From this reading A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading He sat up, dizzily.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
secretarynounUS /ˈsekrəteri/

a person who is head of an administrative department of government

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ShawnounUS /ʃɔː/

United States clarinetist and leader of a swing band (1910-2004)

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
slowlyadverbUS /ˈsloʊli/

without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
strainingnounUS /ˈstreɪnɪŋ/

an intense or violent exertion

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
strugglingadjectiveUS /ˈstrʌɡəlɪŋ/

engaged in a struggle to overcome especially poverty or obscurity

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He heard again the hissed caution, "Not too much of that!"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There _had_ been "too much of that."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading He heard again the hissed caution, "Not too much of that!"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading He sat up, dizzily.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
visionnounUS /ˈvɪʒən/

a vivid mental image

From this reading But as his mind slowly cleared, the picture he saw in his last conscious moment flashed across his mental vision--the dim, firelit room, the struggling, straining figures of Shaw and the blond secretary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading A BIT OF BRIGHT RIBBON When Laurie opened his eyes blackness was still around him, a blackness without a point of light.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 11 of The Girl in the Mirror by Elizabeth Garver Jordan holds 280 sentences, grouped into 56 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.

What does chapter 11 of The Girl in the Mirror contain?

Chapter 11 holds 280 sentences of The Girl in the Mirror, unabridged, divided into 56 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 11 of The Girl in the Mirror by Elizabeth Garver Jordan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 280 sentences, grouped into 56 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.

How do I study chapter 11 of The Girl in the Mirror?

Work through the 56 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 56 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.

Can chapter 11 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Girl in the Mirror

Common questions about reading The Girl in the Mirror by Elizabeth Garver Jordan on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Girl in the Mirror?

Yes. All 4863 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31471 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Girl in the Mirror is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #31471, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Girl in the Mirror take to read?

About 405 minutes of reading across 973 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Girl in the Mirror section by section

How to work through The Girl in the Mirror section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Girl in the Mirror to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Girl in the Mirror

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Girl in the Mirror, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Little
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Girl in the Mirror; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Devondale
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Girl in the Mirror; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Shaken
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Girl in the Mirror; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Night
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Girl in the Mirror; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.