Chapter 11 of The Portent and Other Stories is here in full — 62 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Portent and Other Stories is here in full — 62 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Confession_. Day followed day, the one the child of the other. Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived. After a time she ceased to dine with us again, and for days I never saw her. It was the old story of suffering with me, only more intense than before.
Chapter 11 of The Portent and Other Stories is here in full — 62 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/12 · 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.
an admission of misdeeds or faults
have supper; eat dinner
From this reading “After a time she ceased to dine with us again, and for days I never saw her.”
possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree
From this reading “It was the old story of suffering with me, only more intense than before.”
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading “Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.”
appear again
From this reading “Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.”
restored to consciousness or life or vigor
From this reading “Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.”
something that seduces or has the quality to seduce
From this reading “Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.”
concerned with or affecting the spirit or soul
From this reading “Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.”
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 After a time she ceased to dine with us again, and for days I never saw her.
later than; following
From this reading After a time she ceased to dine with us again, and for days I never saw her.
anew
From this reading After a time she ceased to dine with us again, and for days I never saw her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was the old story of suffering with me, only more intense than before.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading After a time she ceased to dine with us again, and for days I never saw her.
a young person of either sex
From this reading Day followed day, the one the child of the other.
an admission of misdeeds or faults
From this reading _Confession_.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Day followed day, the one the child of the other.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading After a time she ceased to dine with us again, and for days I never saw her.
have supper; eat dinner
From this reading After a time she ceased to dine with us again, and for days I never saw her.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Day followed day, the one the child of the other.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading After a time she ceased to dine with us again, and for days I never saw her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading After a time she ceased to dine with us again, and for days I never saw her.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading After a time she ceased to dine with us again, and for days I never saw her.
possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree
From this reading It was the old story of suffering with me, only more intense than before.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the old story of suffering with me, only more intense than before.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was the old story of suffering with me, only more intense than before.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It was the old story of suffering with me, only more intense than before.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading After a time she ceased to dine with us again, and for days I never saw her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Day followed day, the one the child of the other.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Day followed day, the one the child of the other.
and nothing more
From this reading It was the old story of suffering with me, only more intense than before.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Day followed day, the one the child of the other.
unnatural lack of color in the skin (as from bruising or sickness or emotional distress)
From this reading Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.
appear again
From this reading Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.
restored to consciousness or life or vigor
From this reading Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.
cut with a saw
From this reading After a time she ceased to dine with us again, and for days I never saw her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading After a time she ceased to dine with us again, and for days I never saw her.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading It was the old story of suffering with me, only more intense than before.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.
a state of acute pain
From this reading It was the old story of suffering with me, only more intense than before.
express in words
From this reading Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.
something that seduces or has the quality to seduce
From this reading Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It was the old story of suffering with me, only more intense than before.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Day followed day, the one the child of the other.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading After a time she ceased to dine with us again, and for days I never saw her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.
concerned with or affecting the spirit or soul
From this reading Alice’s old paleness and unearthly look began to reappear; and, strange to tell, my midnight temptation revived.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading After a time she ceased to dine with us again, and for days I never saw her.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the old story of suffering with me, only more intense than before.
in the company of; together with
From this reading After a time she ceased to dine with us again, and for days I never saw her.
Chapter 11 of The Portent and Other Stories by George MacDonald holds 62 sentences, grouped into 13 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 62 sentences of The Portent and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Portent and Other Stories by George MacDonald exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 62 sentences, grouped into 13 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 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 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 Portent and Other Stories by George MacDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4173 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8913 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8913, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 347 minutes of reading across 835 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Portent and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Portent and Other Stories 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 Portent and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
