Chapter 11 of The Prisoner is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Prisoner is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice: "She couldn't. I don't believe it." "Oh, but she did," said Madame Beattie, looking at her with the coolness of one who holds the cards. "She owned she did."
Chapter 11 of The Prisoner is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
encrusted with sugar or syrup
From this reading “Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:”
calm and unruffled self-assurance
From this reading “"Oh, but she did," said Madame Beattie, looking at her with the coolness of one who holds the cards.”
(Old Testament) a beautiful Jewess chosen by the king of Persia to be his queen; she stopped a plot to massacre all the Jews in Persia (an event celebrated by Jews as the feast of Purim)
From this reading “Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:”
plural of “hold” — the act of grasping
From this reading “"Oh, but she did," said Madame Beattie, looking at her with the coolness of one who holds the cards.”
against your will
From this reading “Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:”
an ancient region on the coast of western Asia Minor; a powerful kingdom until conquered by the Persians in 546 BC
From this reading “Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:”
unequivocally detestable
From this reading “Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:”
having an owner; often used in combination
From this reading “"She owned she did."”
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 Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Oh, but she did," said Madame Beattie, looking at her with the coolness of one who holds the cards.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, but she did," said Madame Beattie, looking at her with the coolness of one who holds the cards.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading I don't believe it."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Oh, but she did," said Madame Beattie, looking at her with the coolness of one who holds the cards.
encrusted with sugar or syrup
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
a game played with playing cards
From this reading "Oh, but she did," said Madame Beattie, looking at her with the coolness of one who holds the cards.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
having a high state of culture and development both social and technological
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
calm and unruffled self-assurance
From this reading "Oh, but she did," said Madame Beattie, looking at her with the coolness of one who holds the cards.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She couldn't.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Oh, but she did," said Madame Beattie, looking at her with the coolness of one who holds the cards.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't believe it."
the act of consuming food
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
(Old Testament) a beautiful Jewess chosen by the king of Persia to be his queen; she stopped a plot to massacre all the Jews in Persia (an event celebrated by Jews as the feast of Purim)
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
plural of “hold” — the act of grasping
From this reading "Oh, but she did," said Madame Beattie, looking at her with the coolness of one who holds the cards.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I don't believe it."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
against your will
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I don't believe it."
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "Oh, but she did," said Madame Beattie, looking at her with the coolness of one who holds the cards.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
an ancient region on the coast of western Asia Minor; a powerful kingdom until conquered by the Persians in 546 BC
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading "Oh, but she did," said Madame Beattie, looking at her with the coolness of one who holds the cards.
unequivocally detestable
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, but she did," said Madame Beattie, looking at her with the coolness of one who holds the cards.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Oh, but she did," said Madame Beattie, looking at her with the coolness of one who holds the cards.
having an owner; often used in combination
From this reading "She owned she did."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "She couldn't.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Oh, but she did," said Madame Beattie, looking at her with the coolness of one who holds the cards.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
which person or people
From this reading "Oh, but she did," said Madame Beattie, looking at her with the coolness of one who holds the cards.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Oh, but she did," said Madame Beattie, looking at her with the coolness of one who holds the cards.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading Esther, as Lydia had seen her sitting in a long chair and eating candied fruit, had been a figure of such civilised worth, however odious, that Lydia said involuntarily, in a loud voice:
Chapter 11 of The Prisoner by Alice Brown holds 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 398 sentences of The Prisoner, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Prisoner by Alice Brown exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Prisoner by Alice Brown on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10669 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29366 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29366, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2134 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Prisoner section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Prisoner 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 Prisoner, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
