Chapter 11 of The Queen of Hearts is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Queen of Hearts is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
His mother came out eagerly to receive him. His face told her in a moment that something was wrong. “I’ve lost the place; but that’s my luck. I dreamed an ill dream last night, mother—or maybe I saw a ghost. Take it either way, it scared me out of my senses, and I’m not my own man again yet.”
Chapter 11 of The Queen of Hearts is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
conceived of or imagined or hoped for
From this reading “I dreamed an ill dream last night, mother—or maybe I saw a ghost.”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading “His mother came out eagerly to receive him.”
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading “I dreamed an ill dream last night, mother—or maybe I saw a ghost.”
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading ““I’ve lost the place; but that’s my luck.”
by chance
From this reading “I dreamed an ill dream last night, mother—or maybe I saw a ghost.”
get something; come into possession of
From this reading “His mother came out eagerly to receive him.”
made afraid
From this reading “Take it either way, it scared me out of my senses, and I’m not my own man again yet.””
plural of “sens” — street names for marijuana
From this reading “Take it either way, it scared me out of my senses, and I’m not my own man again yet.””
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 His face told her in a moment that something was wrong.
anew
From this reading Take it either way, it scared me out of my senses, and I’m not my own man again yet.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I dreamed an ill dream last night, mother—or maybe I saw a ghost.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Take it either way, it scared me out of my senses, and I’m not my own man again yet.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “I’ve lost the place; but that’s my luck.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading His mother came out eagerly to receive him.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading I dreamed an ill dream last night, mother—or maybe I saw a ghost.
conceived of or imagined or hoped for
From this reading I dreamed an ill dream last night, mother—or maybe I saw a ghost.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading His mother came out eagerly to receive him.
one or the other of two
From this reading Take it either way, it scared me out of my senses, and I’m not my own man again yet.”
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His face told her in a moment that something was wrong.
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading I dreamed an ill dream last night, mother—or maybe I saw a ghost.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading His face told her in a moment that something was wrong.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His mother came out eagerly to receive him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His mother came out eagerly to receive him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I dreamed an ill dream last night, mother—or maybe I saw a ghost.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Take it either way, it scared me out of my senses, and I’m not my own man again yet.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’ve lost the place; but that’s my luck.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading I dreamed an ill dream last night, mother—or maybe I saw a ghost.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading His face told her in a moment that something was wrong.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Take it either way, it scared me out of my senses, and I’m not my own man again yet.”
immediately past
From this reading I dreamed an ill dream last night, mother—or maybe I saw a ghost.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading “I’ve lost the place; but that’s my luck.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading “I’ve lost the place; but that’s my luck.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Take it either way, it scared me out of my senses, and I’m not my own man again yet.”
by chance
From this reading I dreamed an ill dream last night, mother—or maybe I saw a ghost.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Take it either way, it scared me out of my senses, and I’m not my own man again yet.”
a particular point in time
From this reading His face told her in a moment that something was wrong.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading His mother came out eagerly to receive him.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I’ve lost the place; but that’s my luck.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading I dreamed an ill dream last night, mother—or maybe I saw a ghost.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Take it either way, it scared me out of my senses, and I’m not my own man again yet.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Take it either way, it scared me out of my senses, and I’m not my own man again yet.”
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I dreamed an ill dream last night, mother—or maybe I saw a ghost.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading His mother came out eagerly to receive him.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Take it either way, it scared me out of my senses, and I’m not my own man again yet.”
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “I’ve lost the place; but that’s my luck.
get something; come into possession of
From this reading His mother came out eagerly to receive him.
cut with a saw
From this reading I dreamed an ill dream last night, mother—or maybe I saw a ghost.
made afraid
From this reading Take it either way, it scared me out of my senses, and I’m not my own man again yet.”
plural of “sens” — street names for marijuana
From this reading Take it either way, it scared me out of my senses, and I’m not my own man again yet.”
a thing, without saying which
From this reading His face told her in a moment that something was wrong.
carry out
From this reading Take it either way, it scared me out of my senses, and I’m not my own man again yet.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading His face told her in a moment that something was wrong.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’ve lost the place; but that’s my luck.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I’ve lost the place; but that’s my luck.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His mother came out eagerly to receive him.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading His face told her in a moment that something was wrong.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His face told her in a moment that something was wrong.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Take it either way, it scared me out of my senses, and I’m not my own man again yet.”
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading His face told her in a moment that something was wrong.
but in spite of that
From this reading Take it either way, it scared me out of my senses, and I’m not my own man again yet.”
Chapter 11 of The Queen of Hearts by Wilkie Collins holds 138 sentences, grouped into 28 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 138 sentences of The Queen of Hearts, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Queen of Hearts by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 Queen of Hearts by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6655 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1917 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1917, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 554 minutes of reading across 1331 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Queen of Hearts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Queen of Hearts 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 Queen of Hearts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
