Chapter 11 of The Real Thing and Other Tales is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Real Thing and Other Tales is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“That is _you_ may, but _I_ won’t! Will you leave me your copy?” she went on, turning the pages again. “Certainly; I have another.” Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out. “Oh, if _you_ were only an actress!” the young man exclaimed.
Chapter 11 of The Real Thing and Other Tales is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
a female actor
From this reading ““Oh, if _you_ were only an actress!” the young man exclaimed.”
a reproduction of a written record (e.g. of a legal or school record)
From this reading “Will you leave me your copy?” she went on, turning the pages again.”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading ““Oh, if _you_ were only an actress!” the young man exclaimed.”
plural of “page” — one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading “Will you leave me your copy?” she went on, turning the pages again.”
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading “Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.”
having a supporting base
From this reading “Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.”
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading “Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.”
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading “Will you leave me your copy?” she went on, turning the pages again.”
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 Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
a female actor
From this reading “Oh, if _you_ were only an actress!” the young man exclaimed.
anew
From this reading Will you leave me your copy?” she went on, turning the pages again.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Oh, if _you_ were only an actress!” the young man exclaimed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading “Certainly; I have another.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “That is _you_ may, but _I_ won’t!
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “Certainly; I have another.”
a reproduction of a written record (e.g. of a legal or school record)
From this reading Will you leave me your copy?” she went on, turning the pages again.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Oh, if _you_ were only an actress!” the young man exclaimed.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Certainly; I have another.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “That is _you_ may, but _I_ won’t!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Oh, if _you_ were only an actress!” the young man exclaimed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “That is _you_ may, but _I_ won’t!
go away from a place
From this reading Will you leave me your copy?” she went on, turning the pages again.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Oh, if _you_ were only an actress!” the young man exclaimed.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “That is _you_ may, but _I_ won’t!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Will you leave me your copy?” she went on, turning the pages again.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, if _you_ were only an actress!” the young man exclaimed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Will you leave me your copy?” she went on, turning the pages again.
and nothing more
From this reading “Oh, if _you_ were only an actress!” the young man exclaimed.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
plural of “page” — one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading Will you leave me your copy?” she went on, turning the pages again.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Will you leave me your copy?” she went on, turning the pages again.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
having a supporting base
From this reading Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “That is _you_ may, but _I_ won’t!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Will you leave me your copy?” she went on, turning the pages again.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading Will you leave me your copy?” she went on, turning the pages again.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Standing near him she read to herself a passage here and there; then, in her sweet voice, she read some of them out.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Will you leave me your copy?” she went on, turning the pages again.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Oh, if _you_ were only an actress!” the young man exclaimed.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Will you leave me your copy?” she went on, turning the pages again.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That is _you_ may, but _I_ won’t!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “That is _you_ may, but _I_ won’t!
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “Oh, if _you_ were only an actress!” the young man exclaimed.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Will you leave me your copy?” she went on, turning the pages again.
Chapter 11 of The Real Thing and Other Tales by Henry James holds 168 sentences, grouped into 34 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 168 sentences of The Real Thing and Other Tales, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Real Thing and Other Tales by Henry James exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 168 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Real Thing and Other Tales by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3216 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2715 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2715, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 268 minutes of reading across 644 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Real Thing and Other Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Real Thing and Other Tales 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 Real Thing and Other Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
