Chapter 11 of The Later Life is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Later Life is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A few days had passed, when Brauws rang at the door, late one afternoon. Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm. She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage. "Is meneer at home?" "No, sir."
Chapter 11 of The Later Life is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading “Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.”
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading “She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage.”
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading “Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.”
a lake in southeastern Germany on the northern side of the Swiss Alps; forms part of the Rhine River
From this reading “Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.”
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading “She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage.”
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading “She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage.”
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “A few days had passed, when Brauws rang at the door, late one afternoon.”
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading “Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.”
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 “A few days had passed, when Brauws rang at the door, late one afternoon.”
In this reading “She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage.”
a reception held in your own home
In this reading “"Is meneer at home?"”
In this reading “She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage.”
In this reading “Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.”
In this reading “A few days had passed, when Brauws rang at the door, late one afternoon.”
In this reading “She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage.”
In this reading “She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage.”
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 A few days had passed, when Brauws rang at the door, late one afternoon.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading A few days had passed, when Brauws rang at the door, late one afternoon.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A few days had passed, when Brauws rang at the door, late one afternoon.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A few days had passed, when Brauws rang at the door, late one afternoon.
a lake in southeastern Germany on the northern side of the Swiss Alps; forms part of the Rhine River
From this reading Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading A few days had passed, when Brauws rang at the door, late one afternoon.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading A few days had passed, when Brauws rang at the door, late one afternoon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A few days had passed, when Brauws rang at the door, late one afternoon.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A few days had passed, when Brauws rang at the door, late one afternoon.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "Is meneer at home?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is meneer at home?"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading A few days had passed, when Brauws rang at the door, late one afternoon.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Is meneer at home?"
not any; not one
From this reading "No, sir."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading A few days had passed, when Brauws rang at the door, late one afternoon.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading A few days had passed, when Brauws rang at the door, late one afternoon.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading A few days had passed, when Brauws rang at the door, late one afternoon.
cut with a saw
From this reading Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.
term of address for a man
From this reading "No, sir."
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A few days had passed, when Brauws rang at the door, late one afternoon.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.
at the time that
From this reading A few days had passed, when Brauws rang at the door, late one afternoon.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the passage.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm.
Chapter 11 of The Later Life by Louis Couperus holds 91 sentences, grouped into 19 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 91 sentences of The Later Life, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Later Life by Louis Couperus exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 91 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 Later Life by Louis Couperus on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5253 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37578 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37578, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 437 minutes of reading across 1051 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Later Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Later Life 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 Later Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
