Chapter 11 of The Masques of Ottawa is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Masques of Ottawa is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A Sphinx in action may sometimes give himself away. It is not usual for a Sphinx to do anything except to conceal the riddle. Calder has all his life been a busy man. He is still in middle age. All but fourteen years of his life up till 1917 he spent in the West, most of it in the part now known as Saskatchewan.
Chapter 11 of The Masques of Ottawa is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading “A Sphinx in action may sometimes give himself away.”
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading “Calder has all his life been a busy man.”
United States sculptor who first created mobiles and stabiles (1898-1976)
From this reading “Calder has all his life been a busy man.”
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading “It is not usual for a Sphinx to do anything except to conceal the riddle.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one
From this reading “All but fourteen years of his life up till 1917 he spent in the West, most of it in the part now known as Saskatchewan.”
pierce with many holes
From this reading “It is not usual for a Sphinx to do anything except to conceal the riddle.”
one of the three prairie provinces in west central Canada
From this reading “All but fourteen years of his life up till 1917 he spent in the West, most of it in the part now known as Saskatchewan.”
an inscrutable person who keeps his thoughts and intentions secret
From this reading “A Sphinx in action may sometimes give himself away.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All but fourteen years of his life up till 1917 he spent in the West, most of it in the part now known as Saskatchewan.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A Sphinx in action may sometimes give himself away.
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading A Sphinx in action may sometimes give himself away.
how long something has existed
From this reading He is still in middle age.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Calder has all his life been a busy man.
any thing at all
From this reading It is not usual for a Sphinx to do anything except to conceal the riddle.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading All but fourteen years of his life up till 1917 he spent in the West, most of it in the part now known as Saskatchewan.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading A Sphinx in action may sometimes give himself away.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Calder has all his life been a busy man.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading Calder has all his life been a busy man.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading All but fourteen years of his life up till 1917 he spent in the West, most of it in the part now known as Saskatchewan.
United States sculptor who first created mobiles and stabiles (1898-1976)
From this reading Calder has all his life been a busy man.
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading It is not usual for a Sphinx to do anything except to conceal the riddle.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading It is not usual for a Sphinx to do anything except to conceal the riddle.
apart from; not including
From this reading It is not usual for a Sphinx to do anything except to conceal the riddle.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It is not usual for a Sphinx to do anything except to conceal the riddle.
the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one
From this reading All but fourteen years of his life up till 1917 he spent in the West, most of it in the part now known as Saskatchewan.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading A Sphinx in action may sometimes give himself away.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Calder has all his life been a busy man.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He is still in middle age.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading A Sphinx in action may sometimes give himself away.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Calder has all his life been a busy man.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A Sphinx in action may sometimes give himself away.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is not usual for a Sphinx to do anything except to conceal the riddle.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is not usual for a Sphinx to do anything except to conceal the riddle.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading All but fourteen years of his life up till 1917 he spent in the West, most of it in the part now known as Saskatchewan.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Calder has all his life been a busy man.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Calder has all his life been a busy man.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading A Sphinx in action may sometimes give himself away.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading He is still in middle age.
used to form the superlative
From this reading All but fourteen years of his life up till 1917 he spent in the West, most of it in the part now known as Saskatchewan.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It is not usual for a Sphinx to do anything except to conceal the riddle.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading All but fourteen years of his life up till 1917 he spent in the West, most of it in the part now known as Saskatchewan.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading All but fourteen years of his life up till 1917 he spent in the West, most of it in the part now known as Saskatchewan.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading All but fourteen years of his life up till 1917 he spent in the West, most of it in the part now known as Saskatchewan.
pierce with many holes
From this reading It is not usual for a Sphinx to do anything except to conceal the riddle.
one of the three prairie provinces in west central Canada
From this reading All but fourteen years of his life up till 1917 he spent in the West, most of it in the part now known as Saskatchewan.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading A Sphinx in action may sometimes give himself away.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading All but fourteen years of his life up till 1917 he spent in the West, most of it in the part now known as Saskatchewan.
an inscrutable person who keeps his thoughts and intentions secret
From this reading A Sphinx in action may sometimes give himself away.
not in physical motion
From this reading He is still in middle age.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It is not usual for a Sphinx to do anything except to conceal the riddle.
up to a particular time
From this reading All but fourteen years of his life up till 1917 he spent in the West, most of it in the part now known as Saskatchewan.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It is not usual for a Sphinx to do anything except to conceal the riddle.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading All but fourteen years of his life up till 1917 he spent in the West, most of it in the part now known as Saskatchewan.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading It is not usual for a Sphinx to do anything except to conceal the riddle.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading All but fourteen years of his life up till 1917 he spent in the West, most of it in the part now known as Saskatchewan.
a late time of life
From this reading All but fourteen years of his life up till 1917 he spent in the West, most of it in the part now known as Saskatchewan.
Chapter 11 of The Masques of Ottawa by Augustus Bridle holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 405 sentences of The Masques of Ottawa, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Masques of Ottawa by Augustus Bridle exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Masques of Ottawa by Augustus Bridle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4778 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20961 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20961, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 398 minutes of reading across 956 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Masques of Ottawa section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Masques of Ottawa 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 Masques of Ottawa, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
