Chapter 11 of Torchy, Private Sec. is here in full — 323 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Torchy, Private Sec. is here in full — 323 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile. "Torchy," says he, "are you a patron of the plastic art?" "Corns, or backache?" says I. "Not plasters," says he; "plastic; in short, sculpture." "Never sculped a sculpin," says I.
Chapter 11 of Torchy, Private Sec. is here in full — 323 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/64 · 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.
an ache localized in the back
From this reading “"Corns, or backache?" says I.”
plural of “catch” — a drawback or difficulty that is not readily evident
From this reading “TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.”
plural of “corn” — tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times
From this reading “"Corns, or backache?" says I.”
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.”
plural of “plaster” — a mixture of lime or gypsum with sand and water; hardens into a smooth solid; used to cover walls and ceilings
From this reading “"Not plasters," says he; "plastic; in short, sculpture."”
capable of being molded or modeled (especially of earth or clay or other soft material)
From this reading “"Torchy," says he, "are you a patron of the plastic art?"”
a three-dimensional work of plastic art
From this reading “"Not plasters," says he; "plastic; in short, sculpture."”
cooperative work done by a team (especially when it is effective)
From this reading “TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.”
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 TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Torchy," says he, "are you a patron of the plastic art?"
an old form of “are”, used with “thou”
From this reading "Torchy," says he, "are you a patron of the plastic art?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
an ache localized in the back
From this reading "Corns, or backache?" says I.
plural of “catch” — a drawback or difficulty that is not readily evident
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
plural of “corn” — tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times
From this reading "Corns, or backache?" says I.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
plural of “hang” — a special way of doing something
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Torchy," says he, "are you a patron of the plastic art?"
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Not plasters," says he; "plastic; in short, sculpture."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
a form of address for a man
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "Never sculped a sculpin," says I.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not plasters," says he; "plastic; in short, sculpture."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Torchy," says he, "are you a patron of the plastic art?"
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Corns, or backache?" says I.
a regular customer
From this reading "Torchy," says he, "are you a patron of the plastic art?"
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
plural of “plaster” — a mixture of lime or gypsum with sand and water; hardens into a smooth solid; used to cover walls and ceilings
From this reading "Not plasters," says he; "plastic; in short, sculpture."
capable of being molded or modeled (especially of earth or clay or other soft material)
From this reading "Torchy," says he, "are you a patron of the plastic art?"
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "Torchy," says he, "are you a patron of the plastic art?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Never sculped a sculpin," says I.
any of numerous spiny large-headed usually scaleless scorpaenoid fishes with broad mouths
From this reading "Never sculped a sculpin," says I.
a three-dimensional work of plastic art
From this reading "Not plasters," says he; "plastic; in short, sculpture."
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading "Not plasters," says he; "plastic; in short, sculpture."
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
cooperative work done by a team (especially when it is effective)
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Torchy," says he, "are you a patron of the plastic art?"
plural of “turn” — a circular segment of a curve
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
in the company of; together with
From this reading TEAMWORK WITH AUNTY As Mr. Robert hangs up the desk 'phone and turns to me I catches him smotherin' a smile.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Torchy," says he, "are you a patron of the plastic art?"
Chapter 11 of Torchy, Private Sec. by Sewell Ford holds 323 sentences, grouped into 65 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 323 sentences of Torchy, Private Sec., unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Torchy, Private Sec. by Sewell Ford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 323 sentences, grouped into 65 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 65 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 65 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 Torchy, Private Sec. by Sewell Ford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6116 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20627 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20627, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 509 minutes of reading across 1224 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Torchy, Private Sec. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Torchy, Private Sec. 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 Torchy, Private Sec., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
