Chapter 11 of The Secret of the Sundial is here in full — 128 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Secret of the Sundial is here in full — 128 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Torn Page “If that isn’t the last straw!” Cara exclaimed indignantly. She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee. “After keying myself up to hear the grand solution, the whole thing falls flat!” “I feel like wilted spinach myself,” Madge admitted.
Chapter 11 of The Secret of the Sundial is here in full — 128 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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 daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations
From this reading “She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.”
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading ““After keying myself up to hear the grand solution, the whole thing falls flat!””
in an indignant manner
From this reading “Cara exclaimed indignantly.”
-ing form of “key” — identify as in botany or biology, for example
From this reading ““After keying myself up to hear the grand solution, the whole thing falls flat!””
a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances; frequently (but not necessarily) a liquid solution
From this reading ““After keying myself up to hear the grand solution, the whole thing falls flat!””
southwestern Asian plant widely cultivated for its succulent edible dark green leaves
From this reading ““I feel like wilted spinach myself,” Madge admitted.”
plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder
From this reading “The Torn Page “If that isn’t the last straw!””
(of plants) limp due to heat, loss of water, or disease
From this reading ““I feel like wilted spinach myself,” Madge admitted.”
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 “Cara exclaimed indignantly.”
In this reading ““After keying myself up to hear the grand solution, the whole thing falls flat!””
In this reading “She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.”
the final irritation that stretches your patience beyond the limit
In this reading “The Torn Page “If that isn’t the last straw!””
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.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading “I feel like wilted spinach myself,” Madge admitted.
later than; following
From this reading “After keying myself up to hear the grand solution, the whole thing falls flat!”
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cara exclaimed indignantly.
a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations
From this reading She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading Cara exclaimed indignantly.
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading “After keying myself up to hear the grand solution, the whole thing falls flat!”
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading “I feel like wilted spinach myself,” Madge admitted.
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading “After keying myself up to hear the grand solution, the whole thing falls flat!”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading “After keying myself up to hear the grand solution, the whole thing falls flat!”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “After keying myself up to hear the grand solution, the whole thing falls flat!”
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I feel like wilted spinach myself,” Madge admitted.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The Torn Page “If that isn’t the last straw!”
in an indignant manner
From this reading Cara exclaimed indignantly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Torn Page “If that isn’t the last straw!”
-ing form of “key” — identify as in botany or biology, for example
From this reading “After keying myself up to hear the grand solution, the whole thing falls flat!”
immediately past
From this reading The Torn Page “If that isn’t the last straw!”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “I feel like wilted spinach myself,” Madge admitted.
without rigidity
From this reading She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I feel like wilted spinach myself,” Madge admitted.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading “After keying myself up to hear the grand solution, the whole thing falls flat!”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.
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 The Torn Page “If that isn’t the last straw!”
inflected form of “permit” — consent to, give permission
From this reading She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.
a long wooden bench with a back
From this reading She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.
a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances; frequently (but not necessarily) a liquid solution
From this reading “After keying myself up to hear the grand solution, the whole thing falls flat!”
southwestern Asian plant widely cultivated for its succulent edible dark green leaves
From this reading “I feel like wilted spinach myself,” Madge admitted.
plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder
From this reading The Torn Page “If that isn’t the last straw!”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The Torn Page “If that isn’t the last straw!”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Torn Page “If that isn’t the last straw!”
a special situation
From this reading “After keying myself up to hear the grand solution, the whole thing falls flat!”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “After keying myself up to hear the grand solution, the whole thing falls flat!”
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading The Torn Page “If that isn’t the last straw!”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “After keying myself up to hear the grand solution, the whole thing falls flat!”
in or at the place that
From this reading She permitted herself one glance at the place where the page had been torn from the diary and sank limply back against the settee.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading “After keying myself up to hear the grand solution, the whole thing falls flat!”
(of plants) limp due to heat, loss of water, or disease
From this reading “I feel like wilted spinach myself,” Madge admitted.
Chapter 11 of The Secret of the Sundial by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 128 sentences, grouped into 26 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 128 sentences of The Secret of the Sundial, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Secret of the Sundial by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 128 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 Secret of the Sundial by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1899 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40041 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40041, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 158 minutes of reading across 380 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret of the Sundial section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Secret of the Sundial 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 Secret of the Sundial, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
