Chapter 12 of A Daughter of the Dons is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of A Daughter of the Dons is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon. She tossed them down upon the desk in front of him. "I haven't read them myself. Of course they're in Spanish. I did try to get through one of them, but it was too much like work and I gave it up.
Chapter 12 of A Daughter of the Dons is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
past form of “ambush” — wait in hiding to attack
From this reading “AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.”
a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading “AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “She tossed them down upon the desk in front of him.”
a midday meal
From this reading “AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.”
any long object resembling a thin line
From this reading “AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.”
the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain
From this reading “Of course they're in Spanish.”
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading “She tossed them down upon the desk in front of him.”
the brush (small trees and bushes and ferns etc.) growing beneath taller trees in a wood or forest
From this reading “AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.”
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 AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
past form of “ambush” — wait in hiding to attack
From this reading AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I did try to get through one of them, but it was too much like work and I gave it up.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I did try to get through one of them, but it was too much like work and I gave it up.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Of course they're in Spanish.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading She tossed them down upon the desk in front of him.
someone who is a detective
From this reading AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I did try to get through one of them, but it was too much like work and I gave it up.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She tossed them down upon the desk in front of him.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading She tossed them down upon the desk in front of him.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading I did try to get through one of them, but it was too much like work and I gave it up.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I did try to get through one of them, but it was too much like work and I gave it up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I haven't read them myself.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She tossed them down upon the desk in front of him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I haven't read them myself.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She tossed them down upon the desk in front of him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I did try to get through one of them, but it was too much like work and I gave it up.
the literary culture
From this reading AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I did try to get through one of them, but it was too much like work and I gave it up.
a midday meal
From this reading AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading I did try to get through one of them, but it was too much like work and I gave it up.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "I haven't read them myself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I did try to get through one of them, but it was too much like work and I gave it up.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading "I haven't read them myself.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
any long object resembling a thin line
From this reading AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
Identical; not different.
From this reading AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She tossed them down upon the desk in front of him.
the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain
From this reading Of course they're in Spanish.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She tossed them down upon the desk in front of him.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading She tossed them down upon the desk in front of him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of course they're in Spanish.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading I did try to get through one of them, but it was too much like work and I gave it up.
bound or secured closely
From this reading AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I did try to get through one of them, but it was too much like work and I gave it up.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading I did try to get through one of them, but it was too much like work and I gave it up.
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading She tossed them down upon the desk in front of him.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading I did try to get through one of them, but it was too much like work and I gave it up.
the brush (small trees and bushes and ferns etc.) growing beneath taller trees in a wood or forest
From this reading AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I did try to get through one of them, but it was too much like work and I gave it up.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading She tossed them down upon the desk in front of him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I did try to get through one of them, but it was too much like work and I gave it up.
in the company of; together with
From this reading AMBUSHED On her return from luncheon that same afternoon Miss Underwood brought Dick a bundle of letters tied with a ribbon.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading I did try to get through one of them, but it was too much like work and I gave it up.
Chapter 12 of A Daughter of the Dons by William MacLeod Raine holds 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 12 holds 232 sentences of A Daughter of the Dons, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of A Daughter of the Dons by William MacLeod Raine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 12 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 A Daughter of the Dons by William MacLeod Raine on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5292 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15542 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15542, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 441 minutes of reading across 1059 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Daughter of the Dons section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of A Daughter of the Dons 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 A Daughter of the Dons, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
