Chapter 11 of The Sixty-First Second is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Sixty-First Second is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Did you give my message?" asked Mrs. Kildair as he took his place. "It was wiser not," he said. Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?" "Yes, very," she said. In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.
Chapter 11 of The Sixty-First Second is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading “Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?"”
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading “In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.”
being or placed in the center
From this reading “In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.”
a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
From this reading “In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.”
temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work
From this reading “Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?"”
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading “"Did you give my message?" asked Mrs. Kildair as he took his place.”
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.”
comparative of “wise” — having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading “"It was wiser not," he said.”
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.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?"”
In this reading “Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?"”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?"
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Did you give my message?" asked Mrs. Kildair as he took his place.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Did you give my message?" asked Mrs. Kildair as he took his place.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?"
the past participle of “be”
From this reading In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?"
being or placed in the center
From this reading In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Did you give my message?" asked Mrs. Kildair as he took his place.
a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
From this reading In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.
apart from; not including
From this reading In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?"
temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work
From this reading Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?"
a metric unit of weight equal to one thousandth of a kilogram
From this reading In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "Did you give my message?" asked Mrs. Kildair as he took his place.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Did you give my message?" asked Mrs. Kildair as he took his place.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Did you give my message?" asked Mrs. Kildair as he took his place.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It was wiser not," he said.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Did you give my message?" asked Mrs. Kildair as he took his place.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading "Did you give my message?" asked Mrs. Kildair as he took his place.
a particular point in time
From this reading In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "Did you give my message?" asked Mrs. Kildair as he took his place.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Did you give my message?" asked Mrs. Kildair as he took his place.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "It was wiser not," he said.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.
on one occasion
From this reading Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?"
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading "Did you give my message?" asked Mrs. Kildair as he took his place.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It was wiser not," he said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Yes, very," she said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?"
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading "Did you give my message?" asked Mrs. Kildair as he took his place.
precisely as stated
From this reading Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It was wiser not," he said.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at that moment was centered about John G. Slade.
comparative of “wise” — having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading "It was wiser not," he said.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, very," she said.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Did you give my message?" asked Mrs. Kildair as he took his place.
Chapter 11 of The Sixty-First Second by Owen Johnson holds 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 401 sentences of The Sixty-First Second, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Sixty-First Second by Owen Johnson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Sixty-First Second by Owen Johnson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6393 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37113 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37113, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 532 minutes of reading across 1279 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sixty-First Second section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Sixty-First Second 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 Sixty-First Second, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
