Chapter 10 of The Life of James McNeill Whistler is here in full — 331 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Life of James McNeill Whistler is here in full — 331 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
EIGHTEEN SEVENTY-SEVEN. For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings. Artists said his pictures were not serious because not finished. Whistler retorted that theirs "might be finished, but--well--they never had been begun." Such remarks were not favoured by hanging committees.
Chapter 10 of The Life of James McNeill Whistler is here in full — 331 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/66 · 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 “artist” — a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination
From this reading “Artists said his pictures were not serious because not finished.”
plural of “committee” — a special group delegated to consider some matter
From this reading “Such remarks were not favoured by hanging committees.”
the act of exhibiting
From this reading “For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.”
a public area set aside as a pedestrian walk
From this reading “For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.”
plural of “painting” — graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface
From this reading “For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.”
become less interesting or attractive
From this reading “For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.”
the one or ones belonging to them
From this reading “Whistler retorted that theirs "might be finished, but--well--they never had been begun."”
United States painter (1834-1903)
From this reading “For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.”
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 “For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.”
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 For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.
later than; following
From this reading For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.
plural of “artist” — a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination
From this reading Artists said his pictures were not serious because not finished.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Whistler retorted that theirs "might be finished, but--well--they never had been begun."
for the reason that
From this reading Artists said his pictures were not serious because not finished.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Whistler retorted that theirs "might be finished, but--well--they never had been begun."
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Whistler retorted that theirs "might be finished, but--well--they never had been begun."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Whistler retorted that theirs "might be finished, but--well--they never had been begun."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Such remarks were not favoured by hanging committees.
plural of “committee” — a special group delegated to consider some matter
From this reading Such remarks were not favoured by hanging committees.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.
being one more than seventeen
From this reading EIGHTEEN SEVENTY-SEVEN.
the act of exhibiting
From this reading For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Such remarks were not favoured by hanging committees.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading Artists said his pictures were not serious because not finished.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Whistler retorted that theirs "might be finished, but--well--they never had been begun."
decoration that is hung (as a tapestry) on a wall or over a window
From this reading Such remarks were not favoured by hanging committees.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Artists said his pictures were not serious because not finished.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.
a public area set aside as a pedestrian walk
From this reading For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Whistler retorted that theirs "might be finished, but--well--they never had been begun."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Whistler retorted that theirs "might be finished, but--well--they never had been begun."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.
plural of “painting” — graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface
From this reading For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.
become less interesting or attractive
From this reading For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.
plural of “picture” — a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading Artists said his pictures were not serious because not finished.
plural of “remark” — a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading Such remarks were not favoured by hanging committees.
past form of “retort” — answer back
From this reading Whistler retorted that theirs "might be finished, but--well--they never had been begun."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Artists said his pictures were not serious because not finished.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading Artists said his pictures were not serious because not finished.
being seven more than seventy
From this reading EIGHTEEN SEVENTY-SEVEN.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Such remarks were not favoured by hanging committees.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Whistler retorted that theirs "might be finished, but--well--they never had been begun."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.
the one or ones belonging to them
From this reading Whistler retorted that theirs "might be finished, but--well--they never had been begun."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Whistler retorted that theirs "might be finished, but--well--they never had been begun."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Whistler retorted that theirs "might be finished, but--well--they never had been begun."
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Artists said his pictures were not serious because not finished.
United States painter (1834-1903)
From this reading For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading For a year after the exhibition in Pall Mall, Whistler did not show any paintings.
Chapter 10 of The Life of James McNeill Whistler by Elizabeth Robins Pennell holds 331 sentences, grouped into 67 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 10 holds 331 sentences of The Life of James McNeill Whistler, unabridged, divided into 67 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Life of James McNeill Whistler by Elizabeth Robins Pennell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 331 sentences, grouped into 67 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 67 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 67 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 10 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 Life of James McNeill Whistler by Elizabeth Robins Pennell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8629 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47363 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #47363, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1726 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Life of James McNeill Whistler section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Life of James McNeill Whistler 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 Life of James McNeill Whistler, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
