Chapter 11 of The Promise of Air is here in full — 269 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Promise of Air is here in full — 269 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time. He was not ready yet for so strange a revelation. He did not sleep very soundly. Too many ideas were rustling in his brain. 'Rise out of rigid ideas,' a voice kept whispering.
Chapter 11 of The Promise of Air is here in full — 269 sentences across 54 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.
open to or abounding in fresh air
From this reading “But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.”
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “Too many ideas were rustling in his brain.”
past form of “phrase” — put into words or an expression
From this reading “But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.”
the speech act of making something evident
From this reading “He was not ready yet for so strange a revelation.”
incapable of or resistant to bending
From this reading “'Rise out of rigid ideas,' a voice kept whispering.”
the stealing of cattle
From this reading “Too many ideas were rustling in his brain.”
deeply or completely
From this reading “He did not sleep very soundly.”
a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind
From this reading “'Rise out of rigid ideas,' a voice kept whispering.”
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.
In this reading “But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.”
In this reading “But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.”
In this reading “Too many ideas were rustling in his brain.”
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 He was not ready yet for so strange a revelation.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
open to or abounding in fresh air
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading Too many ideas were rustling in his brain.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not sleep very soundly.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was not ready yet for so strange a revelation.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Too many ideas were rustling in his brain.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Too many ideas were rustling in his brain.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading 'Rise out of rigid ideas,' a voice kept whispering.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Too many ideas were rustling in his brain.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was not ready yet for so strange a revelation.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading 'Rise out of rigid ideas,' a voice kept whispering.
past form of “phrase” — put into words or an expression
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading He was not ready yet for so strange a revelation.
the speech act of making something evident
From this reading He was not ready yet for so strange a revelation.
incapable of or resistant to bending
From this reading 'Rise out of rigid ideas,' a voice kept whispering.
move upward
From this reading 'Rise out of rigid ideas,' a voice kept whispering.
the stealing of cattle
From this reading Too many ideas were rustling in his brain.
Identical; not different.
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading He did not sleep very soundly.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He was not ready yet for so strange a revelation.
deeply or completely
From this reading He did not sleep very soundly.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading He was not ready yet for so strange a revelation.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Too many ideas were rustling in his brain.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
precisely as stated
From this reading He did not sleep very soundly.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading 'Rise out of rigid ideas,' a voice kept whispering.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was not ready yet for so strange a revelation.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Too many ideas were rustling in his brain.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
during the time that
From this reading But what followed that night, while it may have caught him into the air, as he phrased it, and given him an airy point of view, took his breath away at the same time.
a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind
From this reading 'Rise out of rigid ideas,' a voice kept whispering.
but in spite of that
From this reading He was not ready yet for so strange a revelation.
Chapter 11 of The Promise of Air by Algernon Blackwood holds 269 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.
Chapter 11 holds 269 sentences of The Promise of Air, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Promise of Air by Algernon Blackwood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 269 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.
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.
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 Promise of Air by Algernon Blackwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4507 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35132 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35132, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 375 minutes of reading across 902 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Promise of Air section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Promise of Air 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 Promise of Air, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
