Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Light That Failed
The Light That Failed

Chapter XI · Chapter 11

Chapter 11 of The Light That Failed is here in full — 338 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Light That Failed
Context Illustration Reading 1/67 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.
Tis dule to know not night from morn, But deeper dule to know I can but hear the hunter’s horn That once I used to blow.
—_The Only Son_.
It was the third day after Torpenhow’s return, and his heart was heavy.
Do you mean to tell me that you can’t see to work without whiskey?
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 Light That Failed

Chapter XI · Chapter 11

Chapter 11 of The Light That Failed is here in full — 338 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/67 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.
Line 2
Tis dule to know not night from morn, But deeper dule to know I can but hear the hunter’s horn That once I used to blow.
Line 3
—_The Only Son_.
/ðə ˈoʊnli sʌn/
Line 4
It was the third day after Torpenhow’s return, and his heart was heavy.
Line 5
Do you mean to tell me that you can’t see to work without whiskey?

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.

brood verb US /bruːd/

think moodily or anxiously about something

From this reading “The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.”

heath noun US /hiːθ/

a low evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae; has small bell-shaped pink or purple flowers

From this reading “The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.”

hunter's noun US /ˈhʌntərz/

possessive form of “hunter” — someone who hunts game

hymn noun US /hɪm/

a song of praise (to God or to a saint or to a nation)

From this reading “The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.”

lark noun US /lɑːrk/

North American songbirds having a yellow breast

From this reading “The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.”

partridge noun US /ˈpɑːrtrədʒ/

flesh of either quail or grouse

From this reading “The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.”

trod verb US /trɑːd/

inflected form of “tread” — put down or press the foot, place the foot

From this reading “The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.”

whiskey noun US /ˈwɪski/

a liquor made from fermented mash of grain

From this reading ““Do you mean to tell me that you can’t see to work without whiskey?”

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.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading It was the third day after Torpenhow’s return, and his heart was heavy.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading It was the third day after Torpenhow’s return, and his heart was heavy.

blowverbUS /bloʊ/

exhale hard

From this reading ’Tis dule to know not night from morn, But deeper dule to know I can but hear the hunter’s horn That once I used to blow.

broodverbUS /bruːd/

think moodily or anxiously about something

From this reading The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading ’Tis dule to know not night from morn, But deeper dule to know I can but hear the hunter’s horn That once I used to blow.

callverbUS /kɔːl/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading ’Tis dule to know not night from morn, But deeper dule to know I can but hear the hunter’s horn That once I used to blow.

can't

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

From this reading “Do you mean to tell me that you can’t see to work without whiskey?

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading It was the third day after Torpenhow’s return, and his heart was heavy.

deeperadverbUS /ˈdiːpər/

comparative of “deeply” — to a great depth psychologically or emotionally

From this reading ’Tis dule to know not night from morn, But deeper dule to know I can but hear the hunter’s horn That once I used to blow.

Doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading “Do you mean to tell me that you can’t see to work without whiskey?

dule

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

From this reading ’Tis dule to know not night from morn, But deeper dule to know I can but hear the hunter’s horn That once I used to blow.

fieldsnounUS /fiːldz/

United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)

From this reading The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.

forgetverbUS /fərˈɡet/

dismiss from the mind; stop remembering

From this reading The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading ’Tis dule to know not night from morn, But deeper dule to know I can but hear the hunter’s horn That once I used to blow.

GodnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.

hearverbUS /hiːr/

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading ’Tis dule to know not night from morn, But deeper dule to know I can but hear the hunter’s horn That once I used to blow.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading It was the third day after Torpenhow’s return, and his heart was heavy.

heathnounUS /hiːθ/

a low evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae; has small bell-shaped pink or purple flowers

From this reading The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.

heavyadjectiveUS /ˈhevi/

of comparatively great physical weight or density

From this reading It was the third day after Torpenhow’s return, and his heart was heavy.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading It was the third day after Torpenhow’s return, and his heart was heavy.

hornnounUS /hɔːrn/

a noisemaker (as at parties or games) that makes a loud noise when you blow through it

From this reading ’Tis dule to know not night from morn, But deeper dule to know I can but hear the hunter’s horn That once I used to blow.

hunter'snounUS /ˈhʌntərz/

possessive form of “hunter” — someone who hunts game

From this reading ’Tis dule to know not night from morn, But deeper dule to know I can but hear the hunter’s horn That once I used to blow.

hymnnounUS /hɪm/

a song of praise (to God or to a saint or to a nation)

From this reading The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was the third day after Torpenhow’s return, and his heart was heavy.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading ’Tis dule to know not night from morn, But deeper dule to know I can but hear the hunter’s horn That once I used to blow.

larknounUS /lɑːrk/

North American songbirds having a yellow breast

From this reading The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading “Do you mean to tell me that you can’t see to work without whiskey?

meanverbUS /miːn/

mean or intend to express or convey

From this reading “Do you mean to tell me that you can’t see to work without whiskey?

mornnounUS /mɔːrn/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading ’Tis dule to know not night from morn, But deeper dule to know I can but hear the hunter’s horn That once I used to blow.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading ’Tis dule to know not night from morn, But deeper dule to know I can but hear the hunter’s horn That once I used to blow.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading ’Tis dule to know not night from morn, But deeper dule to know I can but hear the hunter’s horn That once I used to blow.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading ’Tis dule to know not night from morn, But deeper dule to know I can but hear the hunter’s horn That once I used to blow.

OnlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading —_The Only Son_.

partridgenounUS /ˈpɑːrtrədʒ/

flesh of either quail or grouse

From this reading The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.

returnverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading It was the third day after Torpenhow’s return, and his heart was heavy.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading “Do you mean to tell me that you can’t see to work without whiskey?

SonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading —_The Only Son_.

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading “Do you mean to tell me that you can’t see to work without whiskey?

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading ’Tis dule to know not night from morn, But deeper dule to know I can but hear the hunter’s horn That once I used to blow.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.

thirdnounUS /θɜːrd/

one of three equal parts of a divisible whole

From this reading It was the third day after Torpenhow’s return, and his heart was heavy.

TisnounUS /tɪz/

plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite

From this reading ’Tis dule to know not night from morn, But deeper dule to know I can but hear the hunter’s horn That once I used to blow.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.

Torpenhow's

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

From this reading It was the third day after Torpenhow’s return, and his heart was heavy.

trodverbUS /trɑːd/

inflected form of “tread” — put down or press the foot, place the foot

From this reading The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.

usedadjectiveUS /juːzd/

employed in accomplishing something

From this reading ’Tis dule to know not night from morn, But deeper dule to know I can but hear the hunter’s horn That once I used to blow.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was the third day after Torpenhow’s return, and his heart was heavy.

wherein

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

From this reading The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.

WhileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.

whiskeynounUS /ˈwɪski/

a liquor made from fermented mash of grain

From this reading “Do you mean to tell me that you can’t see to work without whiskey?

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading The lark will make her hymn to God, The partridge call her brood, While I forget the heath I trod, The fields wherein I stood.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “Do you mean to tell me that you can’t see to work without whiskey?

workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading “Do you mean to tell me that you can’t see to work without whiskey?

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “Do you mean to tell me that you can’t see to work without whiskey?

Chapter 11 of The Light That Failed by Rudyard Kipling holds 338 sentences, grouped into 68 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 Light That Failed contain?

Chapter 11 holds 338 sentences of The Light That Failed, unabridged, divided into 68 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 11 of The Light That Failed by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 338 sentences, grouped into 68 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 Light That Failed?

Work through the 68 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 68 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 Light That Failed

Common questions about reading The Light That Failed by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Light That Failed?

Yes. All 5505 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2876 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Light That Failed is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2876, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Light That Failed take to read?

About 458 minutes of reading across 1101 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Light That Failed section by section

How to work through The Light That Failed section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Light That Failed 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 Light That Failed

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Light That Failed, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Settled
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Light That Failed; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Storm
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Light That Failed; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dears
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Light That Failed; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Because
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Light That Failed; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.