Chapter 11 of The Hill of Venus is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Hill of Venus is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TONSURE AND THORN The following weeks dragged along in hopeless monotony. The last night of Francesco's novitiate had come. There would not be a loophole of escape for him now. On the morrow, the eternal vows were to pass his lips. This night he was to spend in the chapel of the saint on his knees, supposedly in prayer.
Chapter 11 of The Hill of Venus is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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 place of worship that has its own altar
From this reading “This night he was to spend in the chapel of the saint on his knees, supposedly in prayer.”
without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success
From this reading “TONSURE AND THORN The following weeks dragged along in hopeless monotony.”
an ambiguity (especially one in the text of a law or contract) that makes it possible to evade a difficulty or obligation
From this reading “There would not be a loophole of escape for him now.”
the quality of wearisome constancy, routine, and lack of variety
From this reading “TONSURE AND THORN The following weeks dragged along in hopeless monotony.”
the next day
From this reading “On the morrow, the eternal vows were to pass his lips.”
believed or reputed to be the case
From this reading “This night he was to spend in the chapel of the saint on his knees, supposedly in prayer.”
something that causes irritation and annoyance
From this reading “TONSURE AND THORN The following weeks dragged along in hopeless monotony.”
plural of “vow” — a solemn pledge (to oneself or to another or to a deity) to do something or to behave in a certain manner
From this reading “On the morrow, the eternal vows were to pass his lips.”
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 “The last night of Francesco's novitiate had come.”
In this reading “On the morrow, the eternal vows were to pass his lips.”
In this reading “TONSURE AND THORN The following weeks dragged along in hopeless monotony.”
In this reading “TONSURE AND THORN The following weeks dragged along in hopeless monotony.”
In this reading “This night he was to spend in the chapel of the saint on his knees, supposedly in prayer.”
In this reading “This night he was to spend in the chapel of the saint on his knees, supposedly in prayer.”
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 There would not be a loophole of escape for him now.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading TONSURE AND THORN The following weeks dragged along in hopeless monotony.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading TONSURE AND THORN The following weeks dragged along in hopeless monotony.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There would not be a loophole of escape for him now.
a place of worship that has its own altar
From this reading This night he was to spend in the chapel of the saint on his knees, supposedly in prayer.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The last night of Francesco's novitiate had come.
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading TONSURE AND THORN The following weeks dragged along in hopeless monotony.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading There would not be a loophole of escape for him now.
continuing forever or indefinitely
From this reading On the morrow, the eternal vows were to pass his lips.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading TONSURE AND THORN The following weeks dragged along in hopeless monotony.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There would not be a loophole of escape for him now.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The last night of Francesco's novitiate had come.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The last night of Francesco's novitiate had come.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading This night he was to spend in the chapel of the saint on his knees, supposedly in prayer.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading There would not be a loophole of escape for him now.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading On the morrow, the eternal vows were to pass his lips.
without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success
From this reading TONSURE AND THORN The following weeks dragged along in hopeless monotony.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading TONSURE AND THORN The following weeks dragged along in hopeless monotony.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading This night he was to spend in the chapel of the saint on his knees, supposedly in prayer.
immediately past
From this reading The last night of Francesco's novitiate had come.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading On the morrow, the eternal vows were to pass his lips.
an ambiguity (especially one in the text of a law or contract) that makes it possible to evade a difficulty or obligation
From this reading There would not be a loophole of escape for him now.
the quality of wearisome constancy, routine, and lack of variety
From this reading TONSURE AND THORN The following weeks dragged along in hopeless monotony.
the next day
From this reading On the morrow, the eternal vows were to pass his lips.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The last night of Francesco's novitiate had come.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading There would not be a loophole of escape for him now.
the period during which you are a novice (especially in a religious order)
From this reading The last night of Francesco's novitiate had come.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading There would not be a loophole of escape for him now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The last night of Francesco's novitiate had come.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the morrow, the eternal vows were to pass his lips.
go across or through
From this reading On the morrow, the eternal vows were to pass his lips.
the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving)
From this reading This night he was to spend in the chapel of the saint on his knees, supposedly in prayer.
a person who has died and has been declared a saint by canonization
From this reading This night he was to spend in the chapel of the saint on his knees, supposedly in prayer.
use up a period of time in a specific way
From this reading This night he was to spend in the chapel of the saint on his knees, supposedly in prayer.
believed or reputed to be the case
From this reading This night he was to spend in the chapel of the saint on his knees, supposedly in prayer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TONSURE AND THORN The following weeks dragged along in hopeless monotony.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There would not be a loophole of escape for him now.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This night he was to spend in the chapel of the saint on his knees, supposedly in prayer.
something that causes irritation and annoyance
From this reading TONSURE AND THORN The following weeks dragged along in hopeless monotony.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading On the morrow, the eternal vows were to pass his lips.
the shaved crown of a monk's or priest's head
From this reading TONSURE AND THORN The following weeks dragged along in hopeless monotony.
plural of “vow” — a solemn pledge (to oneself or to another or to a deity) to do something or to behave in a certain manner
From this reading On the morrow, the eternal vows were to pass his lips.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This night he was to spend in the chapel of the saint on his knees, supposedly in prayer.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading TONSURE AND THORN The following weeks dragged along in hopeless monotony.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading On the morrow, the eternal vows were to pass his lips.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading There would not be a loophole of escape for him now.
Chapter 11 of The Hill of Venus by Nathan Gallizier holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 103 sentences of The Hill of Venus, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Hill of Venus by Nathan Gallizier exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Hill of Venus by Nathan Gallizier on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5866 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39970 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39970, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 488 minutes of reading across 1174 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Hill of Venus section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Hill of Venus 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 Hill of Venus, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
