Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life
Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life
Context Illustration Reading 1/24 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.
The latter recapitulated all that the march of science and civilisation had effected.
Private persons spoke gaily or piously anent turning over a new leaf.”
For me?
Well, it was much the same as with the rest of nature.
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.

Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/24 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.
Line 2
The latter recapitulated all that the march of science and civilisation had effected.
Line 3
Private persons spoke gaily or piously anentturning over a new leaf.”
Line 4
For me?
/fɔːr miː/
Line 5
Well, it was much the same as with the rest of nature.
/wel ɪt wɑːz mʌtʃ ðə seɪm æz wɪð ðə rest ʌv ˈneɪtʃər/

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.

articles noun US /ˈɑːrtəkəlz/

plural of “article” — nonfictional prose forming an independent part of a publication

From this reading “THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.”

effected adjective US /ɪˈfektɪd/

settled securely and unconditionally

From this reading “The latter recapitulated all that the march of science and civilisation had effected.”

gaily adverb US /ˈɡeɪli/

in a gay manner

From this reading “Private persons spoke gaily or piously anent “turning over a new leaf.””

leaf noun US /liːf/

the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants

From this reading “Private persons spoke gaily or piously anent “turning over a new leaf.””

nineteenth adjective US /ˈnaɪnˈtiːnθ/

coming next after the eighteenth in position

From this reading “THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.”

piously adverb US /ˈpaɪəsli/

in a devout and pious manner

From this reading “Private persons spoke gaily or piously anent “turning over a new leaf.””

talks noun US /tɔːks/

a discussion intended to produce an agreement

From this reading “THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.”

twentieth noun US /ˈtwentiəθ/

position 20 in a countable series of things

From this reading “THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

nineteenth century adjective + noun

In this reading “THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.”

Private persons adjective + noun counted as “private person”

In this reading “Private persons spoke gaily or piously anent “turning over a new leaf.””

new leaf adjective + noun

In this reading “Private persons spoke gaily or piously anent “turning over a new leaf.””

rest of verb + particle

In this reading “Well, it was much the same as with the rest of nature.”

All words in this reading · 49

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 THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 The latter recapitulated all that the march of science and civilisation had effected.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

anent

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

From this reading Private persons spoke gaily or piously anent “turning over a new leaf.”

articlesnounUS /ˈɑːrtəkəlz/

plural of “article” — nonfictional prose forming an independent part of a publication

From this reading THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Well, it was much the same as with the rest of nature.

beginningnounUS /bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/

the event consisting of the start of something

From this reading THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

CENTURYnounUS /ˈsentʃəri/

a period of 100 years

From this reading THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

civilisationnoun

the social process whereby societies achieve an advanced stage of development and organization

From this reading The latter recapitulated all that the march of science and civilisation had effected.

closeadjectiveUS /kloʊs/

at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other

From this reading THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

drawing-room

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

From this reading THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

effectedadjectiveUS /ɪˈfektɪd/

settled securely and unconditionally

From this reading The latter recapitulated all that the march of science and civilisation had effected.

ENDnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For me?

gailyadverbUS /ˈɡeɪli/

in a gay manner

From this reading Private persons spoke gaily or piously anent “turning over a new leaf.”

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The latter recapitulated all that the march of science and civilisation had effected.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Well, it was much the same as with the rest of nature.

latteradjectiveUS /ˈlætər/

referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)

From this reading The latter recapitulated all that the march of science and civilisation had effected.

leafnounUS /liːf/

the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants

From this reading Private persons spoke gaily or piously anent “turning over a new leaf.”

marchverbUS /mɑːrtʃ/

march in a procession

From this reading The latter recapitulated all that the march of science and civilisation had effected.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading For me?

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

naturenounUS /ˈneɪtʃər/

the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized

From this reading Well, it was much the same as with the rest of nature.

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading Private persons spoke gaily or piously anent “turning over a new leaf.”

nineteenthadjectiveUS /ˈnaɪnˈtiːnθ/

coming next after the eighteenth in position

From this reading THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

noticenounUS /ˈnoʊtəs/

an announcement containing information about an event

From this reading THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Private persons spoke gaily or piously anent “turning over a new leaf.”

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Private persons spoke gaily or piously anent “turning over a new leaf.”

papersnounUS /ˈpeɪpərz/

writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)

From this reading THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

personsnounUS /ˈpɜːrsənz/

plural of “person” — a human being

From this reading Private persons spoke gaily or piously anent “turning over a new leaf.”

piouslyadverbUS /ˈpaɪəsli/

in a devout and pious manner

From this reading Private persons spoke gaily or piously anent “turning over a new leaf.”

PrivateadjectiveUS /ˈpraɪvət/

confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy

From this reading Private persons spoke gaily or piously anent “turning over a new leaf.”

recapitulated

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

From this reading The latter recapitulated all that the march of science and civilisation had effected.

restverbUS /rest/

not move; be in a resting position

From this reading Well, it was much the same as with the rest of nature.

sameadjectiveUS /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

From this reading Well, it was much the same as with the rest of nature.

sciencenounUS /ˈsaɪəns/

a particular branch of scientific knowledge

From this reading The latter recapitulated all that the march of science and civilisation had effected.

spokenounUS /spoʊk/

support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim

From this reading Private persons spoke gaily or piously anent “turning over a new leaf.”

subjectnounUS /səbˈdʒekt/

the subject matter of a conversation or discussion

From this reading THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

talksnounUS /tɔːks/

a discussion intended to produce an agreement

From this reading THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The latter recapitulated all that the march of science and civilisation had effected.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

turningnounUS /ˈtɜːrnɪŋ/

the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course

From this reading Private persons spoke gaily or piously anent “turning over a new leaf.”

twentiethnounUS /ˈtwentiəθ/

position 20 in a countable series of things

From this reading THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading THE END OF A CENTURY The close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth was the subject of much notice both in drawing-room talks and articles in the papers.

WelladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading Well, it was much the same as with the rest of nature.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Well, it was much the same as with the rest of nature.

Chapter 11 of Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life by Mrs. (Ethel) Alec-Tweedie holds 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life contain?

Chapter 11 holds 121 sentences of Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 11 of Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life by Mrs. (Ethel) Alec-Tweedie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life?

Work through the 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 25 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 Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life

Common questions about reading Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life by Mrs. (Ethel) Alec-Tweedie on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life?

Yes. All 6278 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55263 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #55263, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life take to read?

About 523 minutes of reading across 1256 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life section by section

How to work through Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 29 chapters of Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life

Words and structures a reader meets early in Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Spelling
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hyphenation
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Punctuation
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Accentuation
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Thirteen Years of a Busy Woman's Life; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.