Chapter 11 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"No, sir. I--I--Aunt makes me." "I thought so--I supposed so," said Trevor. "And why do you come?" "Oh, sir, don't ask me, please--don't ask me," sobbed Polly, now crying out-right.
Chapter 11 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “"Oh, sir, don't ask me, please--don't ask me," sobbed Polly, now crying out-right.”
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading “I--I--Aunt makes me."”
demanding attention
From this reading “"Oh, sir, don't ask me, please--don't ask me," sobbed Polly, now crying out-right.”
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading “I--I--Aunt makes me."”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “"Oh, sir, don't ask me, please--don't ask me," sobbed Polly, now crying out-right.”
term of address for a man
From this reading “"No, sir.”
inflected form of “sob” — weep convulsively
From this reading “"Oh, sir, don't ask me, please--don't ask me," sobbed Polly, now crying out-right.”
required or under orders
From this reading “"I thought so--I supposed so," said Trevor.”
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.
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And why do you come?"
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Oh, sir, don't ask me, please--don't ask me," sobbed Polly, now crying out-right.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading I--I--Aunt makes me."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "And why do you come?"
demanding attention
From this reading "Oh, sir, don't ask me, please--don't ask me," sobbed Polly, now crying out-right.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "And why do you come?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, sir, don't ask me, please--don't ask me," sobbed Polly, now crying out-right.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I--I--Aunt makes me."
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading I--I--Aunt makes me."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I--I--Aunt makes me."
not any; not one
From this reading "No, sir.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Oh, sir, don't ask me, please--don't ask me," sobbed Polly, now crying out-right.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, sir, don't ask me, please--don't ask me," sobbed Polly, now crying out-right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, sir, don't ask me, please--don't ask me," sobbed Polly, now crying out-right.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading "Oh, sir, don't ask me, please--don't ask me," sobbed Polly, now crying out-right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, sir, don't ask me, please--don't ask me," sobbed Polly, now crying out-right.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I thought so--I supposed so," said Trevor.
term of address for a man
From this reading "No, sir.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I thought so--I supposed so," said Trevor.
inflected form of “sob” — weep convulsively
From this reading "Oh, sir, don't ask me, please--don't ask me," sobbed Polly, now crying out-right.
required or under orders
From this reading "I thought so--I supposed so," said Trevor.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I thought so--I supposed so," said Trevor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I thought so--I supposed so," said Trevor.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "And why do you come?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "And why do you come?"
Chapter 11 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One by George Manville Fenn holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6449 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32929 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32929, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 537 minutes of reading across 1290 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One 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 Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
