Chapter 11 of The Undercurrent is here in full — 405 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 Undercurrent is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He appeared entertained by her adamantine air. "Why not?" "It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable. "It will be six months before I am able to work again." "A whole six months?"
Chapter 11 of The Undercurrent is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
the state of being absent
From this reading “"It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.”
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “He appeared entertained by her adamantine air.”
pleasantly occupied
From this reading “He appeared entertained by her adamantine air.”
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading “"It will be six months before I am able to work again."”
showing reason or sound judgment
From this reading “"It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading “"It will be six months before I am able to work again."”
hard to endure
From this reading “"It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.”
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “"It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.”
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 “"It will be six months before I am able to work 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 "It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading "It will be six months before I am able to work again."
the state of being absent
From this reading "It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.
consisting of or having the hardness of adamant
From this reading He appeared entertained by her adamantine air.
anew
From this reading "It will be six months before I am able to work again."
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading He appeared entertained by her adamantine air.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "It will be six months before I am able to work again."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He appeared entertained by her adamantine air.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "It will be six months before I am able to work again."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "It will be six months before I am able to work again."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He appeared entertained by her adamantine air.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading He appeared entertained by her adamantine air.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He appeared entertained by her adamantine air.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He appeared entertained by her adamantine air.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading "It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "It will be six months before I am able to work again."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading "It will be six months before I am able to work again."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Why not?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.
showing reason or sound judgment
From this reading "It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading "It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading "It will be six months before I am able to work again."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.
hard to endure
From this reading "It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading "It isn't an absence of a week or two," she said, trying to show herself reasonable.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading "A whole six months?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why not?"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "It will be six months before I am able to work again."
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "It will be six months before I am able to work again."
Chapter 11 of The Undercurrent by Robert Grant holds 405 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 405 sentences of The Undercurrent, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Undercurrent by Robert Grant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 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 Undercurrent by Robert Grant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6580 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56310 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56310, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 548 minutes of reading across 1316 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Undercurrent section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Undercurrent 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 Undercurrent, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
