Chapter 11 of The Mystery of The Barranca is here in full — 265 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Mystery of The Barranca is here in full — 265 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was in the middle of the rainy season. Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train. "Nine hours late?" The engineer gruffly repeated the other's comment. "We are lucky to be here at all.
Chapter 11 of The Mystery of The Barranca is here in full — 265 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
capable of arousing and holding the attention
From this reading “Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.”
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading “The engineer gruffly repeated the other's comment.”
a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading “Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.”
in a gruff manner
From this reading “The engineer gruffly repeated the other's comment.”
any tiny hole admitting passage of a liquid (fluid or gas)
From this reading “Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.”
(of weather) wet by periods of rain
From this reading “It was in the middle of the rainy season.”
a slight surface cut (especially a notch that is made to keep a tally)
From this reading “Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.”
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading “Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.”
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.
one of the two seasons in tropical climates
In this reading “It was in the middle of the rainy season.”
the person in charge of a railway station
In this reading “Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.”
In this reading “"Nine hours late?"”
In this reading “It was in the middle of the rainy season.”
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 Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
capable of arousing and holding the attention
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
(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 "We are lucky to be here at all.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "We are lucky to be here at all.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "We are lucky to be here at all.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading The engineer gruffly repeated the other's comment.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
plural of “drop” — a shape that is spherical and small
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
in a gruff manner
From this reading The engineer gruffly repeated the other's comment.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "We are lucky to be here at all.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading "Nine hours late?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was in the middle of the rainy season.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was in the middle of the rainy season.
and nothing more
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading "Nine hours late?"
occurring by chance
From this reading "We are lucky to be here at all.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading It was in the middle of the rainy season.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading "Nine hours late?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was in the middle of the rainy season.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The engineer gruffly repeated the other's comment.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
any tiny hole admitting passage of a liquid (fluid or gas)
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
(of weather) wet by periods of rain
From this reading It was in the middle of the rainy season.
recurring again and again
From this reading The engineer gruffly repeated the other's comment.
a slight surface cut (especially a notch that is made to keep a tally)
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading It was in the middle of the rainy season.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was in the middle of the rainy season.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
create by training and teaching
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was in the middle of the rainy season.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We are lucky to be here at all.
in or at the place that
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Stepping out of his office, where he had just added a few drops of Scotch to the water he was absorbing at every pore, the station agent came face to face with the engineer of the down train.
Chapter 11 of The Mystery of The Barranca by Herman Whitaker holds 265 sentences, grouped into 53 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 265 sentences of The Mystery of The Barranca, unabridged, divided into 53 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Mystery of The Barranca by Herman Whitaker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 265 sentences, grouped into 53 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 53 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 53 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 Mystery of The Barranca by Herman Whitaker on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4042 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36198 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36198, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 336 minutes of reading across 809 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mystery of The Barranca section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Mystery of The Barranca 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 Mystery of The Barranca, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
