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The Servant in the House
The Servant in the House

Chapter XI · Chapter 11

Chapter 11 of The Servant in the House is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Servant in the House
Context Illustration Reading 1/81 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
ROBERT.
That's what I come 'ere to talk abaht--my job.
P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!
I'm the one.
An' I'm 'ere to tell you about it.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Servant in the House

Chapter XI · Chapter 11

Chapter 11 of The Servant in the House is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
ROBERT.
/ˈrɑːbərt/
Line 2
That's what I come 'ere to talk abaht--my job.
Line 3
P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!
Line 4
I'm the one.
Line 5
An' I'm 'ere to tell you about it.

Learner Dictionary

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.

clean adjective US /kliːn/

free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits

From this reading “P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!”

drains noun US /dreɪnz/

plural of “drain” — emptying something accomplished by allowing liquid to run out of it

From this reading “P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!”

ere conjunction US /er/

an old word for “before”

From this reading “That's what I come 'ere to talk abaht--my job.”

job noun US /dʒɑːb/

the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money

From this reading “That's what I come 'ere to talk abaht--my job.”

muck verb US /mʌk/

remove muck, clear away muck, as in a mine

From this reading “P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!”

respectable adjective US /rɪˈspektəbəl/

characterized by socially or conventionally acceptable morals

From this reading “P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!”

robert noun US /ˈrɑːbərt/

United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)

From this reading “ROBERT.”

tasty adjective US /ˈteɪsti/

pleasing to the sense of taste

From this reading “P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!”

All words in this reading · 55

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

abaht

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading That's what I come 'ere to talk abaht--my job.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading An' I'm 'ere to tell you about it.

adnounUS /æd/

a public promotion of some product or service

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

ain't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

AndeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading An' I'm 'ere to tell you about it.

anythin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

bitnounUS /bɪt/

a small piece or quantity of something

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

cleanadjectiveUS /kliːn/

free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

clearverbUS /klɪr/

rid of obstructions

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading That's what I come 'ere to talk abaht--my job.

crokey

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

drainsnounUS /dreɪnz/

plural of “drain” — emptying something accomplished by allowing liquid to run out of it

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

ereconjunctionUS /er/

an old word for “before”

From this reading That's what I come 'ere to talk abaht--my job.

fingersnounUS /ˈfɪŋɡərz/

plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading That's what I come 'ere to talk abaht--my job.

I'm

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I'm the one.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

jobnounUS /dʒɑːb/

the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money

From this reading That's what I come 'ere to talk abaht--my job.

lawn-dirt

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

lotnounUS /lɑːt/

(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

muckverbUS /mʌk/

remove muck, clear away muck, as in a mine

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading That's what I come 'ere to talk abaht--my job.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

niceadjectiveUS /naɪs/

pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

onounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

P'r'aps

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

playin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

respectableadjectiveUS /rɪˈspektəbəl/

characterized by socially or conventionally acceptable morals

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

ROBERTnounUS /ˈrɑːbərt/

United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)

From this reading ROBERT.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

subjic

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

talkverbUS /tɔːk/

exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading That's what I come 'ere to talk abaht--my job.

tastyadjectiveUS /ˈteɪsti/

pleasing to the sense of taste

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading An' I'm 'ere to tell you about it.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

That's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading That's what I come 'ere to talk abaht--my job.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading That's what I come 'ere to talk abaht--my job.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading That's what I come 'ere to talk abaht--my job.

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

worseadjectiveUS /wɜːrs/

(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading An' I'm 'ere to tell you about it.

you'll

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading P'r'aps you'll think as it ain't a tasty subjic, before a lot o' nice, clean, respectable people as never 'ad anythin' worse on their fingers than a bit of lawn-dirt, playin' crokey; but _some one_ 'as to see to the drains, _some one_ 'as to clear up the muck of the world!

Chapter 11 of The Servant in the House by Charles Rann Kennedy holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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.

What does chapter 11 of The Servant in the House contain?

Chapter 11 holds 406 sentences of The Servant in the House, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 11 of The Servant in the House by Charles Rann Kennedy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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.

How do I study chapter 11 of The Servant in the House?

Work through the 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 82 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.

Can chapter 11 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Servant in the House

Common questions about reading The Servant in the House by Charles Rann Kennedy on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Servant in the House?

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Vocabulary met early in The Servant in the House

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Servant in the House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of The Servant in the House, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.