The Long Trick

Chapter XI · Chapter 11

Chapter 11 of The Long Trick is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Bartimeus • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.

He wore a pair of glasses in a case slung over one shoulder and black leather gauntlet-gloves.

The Officer of the Forenoon Watch, known among his messmates as Tweedledee, was focusing the range-finder on the ship ahead of them in the line; he looked round as the new-comer appeared, and greeted him with a grin.

"Hullo, James," he said.

Narrator

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.

Chapter XI Reading 1/53

The Long Trick Bartimeus

Chapter XI

Chapter 11

Chapter 11 of The Long Trick is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon. A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck. He wore a pair of glasses in a case slung over one shoulder and black leather gauntlet-gloves. The Officer of the Forenoon Watch, known among his messmates as Tweedledee, was focusing the range-finder on the ship ahead of them in the line; he looked round as the new-comer appeared, and greeted him with a grin. "Hullo, James," he said.

The Long Trick

Chapter XI · Chapter 11

Chapter 11 of The Long Trick is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/53 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

Line 2

A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.

Line 3

He wore a pair of glasses in a case slung over one shoulder and black leather gauntlet-gloves.

Line 4

Line 5

"Hullo, James," he said.

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.

focusing noun US /ˈfoʊkəsɪŋ/

the concentration of attention or energy on something

From this reading “The Officer of the Forenoon Watch, known among his messmates as Tweedledee, was focusing the range-finder on the ship ahead of them in the line; he looked round as the new-comer appeared, and greeted him with a grin.”

grin noun US /ɡrɪn/

a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement

half-hour noun US /ˈhæfaʊər/

a half of an hour

From this reading “THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.”

handiwork noun US /ˈhændiwɜːrk/

a work produced by hand labor

From this reading “A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.”

muffler noun US /ˈmʌflər/

a tubular acoustic device inserted in the exhaust system that is designed to reduce noise

From this reading “A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.”

outbreak noun US /ˈaʊtbreɪk/

a sudden violent spontaneous occurrence (usually of some undesirable condition)

From this reading “A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.”

slung verb US /slʌŋ/

inflected form of “sling” — hurl as if with a sling

From this reading “He wore a pair of glasses in a case slung over one shoulder and black leather gauntlet-gloves.”

worsted noun US /ˈwɜːrstɪd/

a woolen fabric with a hard textured surface and no nap; woven of worsted yarns "he wore a worsted suit"

From this reading “A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.”

All words in this reading · 71

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

AfternoonnounUS /ˌæftərˈnuːn/

the part of the day between noon and evening

From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

aheadadverbUS /əˈhed/

at or in the front

From this reading The Officer of the Forenoon Watch, known among his messmates as Tweedledee, was focusing the range-finder on the ship ahead of them in the line; he looked round as the new-comer appeared, and greeted him with a grin.

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.

appearedverbUS /əˈpɪrd/

past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

auntnounUS /ænt/

the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle

From this reading A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.

BATTLEnounUS /ˈbætəl/

a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war

From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

bellnounUS /bel/

a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck

From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

blackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading He wore a pair of glasses in a case slung over one shoulder and black leather gauntlet-gloves.

blueadjectiveUS /bluː/

of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky

From this reading A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.

bridgenounUS /brɪdʒ/

a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.

From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

casenounUS /keɪs/

an occurrence of something

From this reading He wore a pair of glasses in a case slung over one shoulder and black leather gauntlet-gloves.

climbedverbUS /klaɪmd/

past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress

From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

enfolded

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

From this reading A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.

focusingnounUS /ˈfoʊkəsɪŋ/

the concentration of attention or energy on something

Forenoonnoun

the time period between dawn and noon

gauntlet-gloves

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

From this reading He wore a pair of glasses in a case slung over one shoulder and black leather gauntlet-gloves.

giftnounUS /ɡɪft/

something acquired without compensation

From this reading A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.

glassesnounUS /ˈɡlæsəz/

(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision

From this reading He wore a pair of glasses in a case slung over one shoulder and black leather gauntlet-gloves.

greetedverbUS /ˈɡriːtəd/

past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone

grinnounUS /ɡrɪn/

a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement

half-hournounUS /ˈhæfaʊər/

a half of an hour

From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

handiworknounUS /ˈhændiwɜːrk/

a work produced by hand labor

From this reading A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He wore a pair of glasses in a case slung over one shoulder and black leather gauntlet-gloves.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.

Hullonoun

an expression of greeting

From this reading "Hullo, James," he said.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading He wore a pair of glasses in a case slung over one shoulder and black leather gauntlet-gloves.

JamesnounUS /dʒeɪmz/

a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)

From this reading "Hullo, James," he said.

knownadjectiveUS /noʊn/

apprehended with certainty

laddernounUS /ˈlædər/

steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down

From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

leathernounUS /ˈleðər/

an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning

From this reading He wore a pair of glasses in a case slung over one shoulder and black leather gauntlet-gloves.

LieutenantnounUS /luːˈtenənt/

a commissioned military officer

From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

linenounUS /laɪn/

a formation of people or things one beside another

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

messmates

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

MISTverbUS /mɪst/

become covered with mist

From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

mufflernounUS /ˈmʌflər/

a tubular acoustic device inserted in the exhaust system that is designed to reduce noise

From this reading A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.

necknounUS /nek/

the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body

From this reading A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.

new-comer

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

noonnounUS /nuːn/

the middle of the day

From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

OfficernounUS /ˈɔːfəsər/

any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading He wore a pair of glasses in a case slung over one shoulder and black leather gauntlet-gloves.

outbreaknounUS /ˈaʊtbreɪk/

a sudden violent spontaneous occurrence (usually of some undesirable condition)

From this reading A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading He wore a pair of glasses in a case slung over one shoulder and black leather gauntlet-gloves.

pairnounUS /per/

a set of two similar things considered as a unit

From this reading He wore a pair of glasses in a case slung over one shoulder and black leather gauntlet-gloves.

range-finder

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

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Hullo, James," he said.

shipverbUS /ʃɪp/

transport commercially

shoulderverbUS /ˈʃoʊldər/

lift onto one's shoulders

From this reading He wore a pair of glasses in a case slung over one shoulder and black leather gauntlet-gloves.

slungverbUS /slʌŋ/

inflected form of “sling” — hurl as if with a sling

From this reading He wore a pair of glasses in a case slung over one shoulder and black leather gauntlet-gloves.

struckadjectiveUS /strʌk/

(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming

From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

Thorogood

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

From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

Tweedledee

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

upperadjectiveUS /ˈʌpər/

the topmost one of two

From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

warnounUS /wɔːr/

the waging of armed conflict against an enemy

From this reading A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

WatchverbUS /wɑːtʃ/

look attentively

From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE MIST Thorogood, Lieutenant of the Afternoon Watch, climbed the ladder to the upper bridge as the bell struck the half-hour after noon.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

woreverbUS /wɔːr/

inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in

From this reading He wore a pair of glasses in a case slung over one shoulder and black leather gauntlet-gloves.

worstednounUS /ˈwɜːrstɪd/

a woolen fabric with a hard textured surface and no nap; woven of worsted yarns "he wore a worsted suit"

From this reading A blue worsted muffler, gift and handiwork of an aunt on the outbreak of war, enfolded his neck.

Chapter 11 of The Long Trick by Bartimeus holds 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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.

What does chapter 11 of The Long Trick contain?

Chapter 11 holds 268 sentences of The Long Trick, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 11 of The Long Trick by Bartimeus exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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 Long Trick?

Work through the 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 54 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 Long Trick

Common questions about reading The Long Trick by Bartimeus on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Long Trick?

Yes. All 4150 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25921 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Long Trick is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #25921, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Long Trick take to read?

About 345 minutes of reading across 830 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Long Trick section by section

How to work through The Long Trick section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Long Trick to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Long Trick

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Long Trick, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Bartimeus: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Long Trick; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pseudonym: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Long Trick; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Captain: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Long Trick; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lewis: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Long Trick; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XI · Chapter 11

What does chapter 11 of The Long Trick contain?

How do I study chapter 11 of The Long Trick?

Can chapter 11 be read aloud to me?

Questions about reading The Long Trick

How to read The Long Trick section by section

Open a chapter

Read one section

Listen and tap

Vocabulary met early in The Long Trick