Chapter 11 of The Job: An American Novel is here in full — 256 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 Job: An American Novel is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I'm tired of the Grays. They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day. "How do yuh mean 'can't talk'? Are they dummies?" inquired Bessie. "Dummies?"
Chapter 11 of The Job: An American Novel is here in full — 256 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.
plural of “dummy” — a person who does not talk
From this reading “Are they dummies?" inquired Bessie.”
the month following January and preceding March
From this reading “They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.”
plural of “gray” — a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading “"I'm tired of the Grays.”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “Are they dummies?" inquired Bessie.”
take the midday meal
From this reading “They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.”
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.”
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading “They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.”
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading “"I'm tired of the Grays.”
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 They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Are they dummies?" inquired Bessie.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "How do yuh mean 'can't talk'?
plural of “dummy” — a person who does not talk
From this reading Are they dummies?" inquired Bessie.
the month following January and preceding March
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
plural of “gray” — a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading "I'm tired of the Grays.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How do yuh mean 'can't talk'?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm tired of the Grays.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading Are they dummies?" inquired Bessie.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
take the midday meal
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "How do yuh mean 'can't talk'?
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I'm tired of the Grays.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I'm tired of the Grays.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading "I'm tired of the Grays.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
precisely as stated
From this reading They're very nice people, but they can't talk," said Una to Bessie Kraker, at lunch in the office, on a February day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How do yuh mean 'can't talk'?
Chapter 11 of The Job: An American Novel by Sinclair Lewis holds 256 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 256 sentences of The Job: An American Novel, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Job: An American Novel by Sinclair Lewis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 256 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 Job: An American Novel by Sinclair Lewis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4809 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25474 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25474, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 400 minutes of reading across 962 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Job: An American Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Job: An American Novel 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 Job: An American Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
