Chapter 12 of A Maker of History is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of A Maker of History is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SHADOWING OF DUNCOMBE For three days Duncombe saw nothing of Spencer. Three long days devoid of incident, hopelessly dull, aimless, and uninteresting. On the fourth the only change in the situation was scarcely a reassuring one. He became aware that he was being watched. There was no particular secrecy about it.
Chapter 12 of A Maker of History is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
aimlessly drifting
From this reading “Three long days devoid of incident, hopelessly dull, aimless, and uninteresting.”
completely wanting or lacking
From this reading “Three long days devoid of incident, hopelessly dull, aimless, and uninteresting.”
in a hopeless manner
From this reading “Three long days devoid of incident, hopelessly dull, aimless, and uninteresting.”
restoring confidence and relieving anxiety
From this reading “On the fourth the only change in the situation was scarcely a reassuring one.”
the trait of keeping things secret
From this reading “There was no particular secrecy about it.”
An advanced language learning technique where a student repeats speech immediately after hearing it.
From this reading “THE SHADOWING OF DUNCOMBE For three days Duncombe saw nothing of Spencer.”
English philosopher and sociologist who applied the theory of natural selection to human societies (1820-1903)
From this reading “THE SHADOWING OF DUNCOMBE For three days Duncombe saw nothing of Spencer.”
arousing no interest or attention or curiosity or excitement
From this reading “Three long days devoid of incident, hopelessly dull, aimless, and uninteresting.”
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 On the fourth the only change in the situation was scarcely a reassuring one.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There was no particular secrecy about it.
aimlessly drifting
From this reading Three long days devoid of incident, hopelessly dull, aimless, and uninteresting.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Three long days devoid of incident, hopelessly dull, aimless, and uninteresting.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading He became aware that he was being watched.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading He became aware that he was being watched.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading He became aware that he was being watched.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading On the fourth the only change in the situation was scarcely a reassuring one.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading THE SHADOWING OF DUNCOMBE For three days Duncombe saw nothing of Spencer.
completely wanting or lacking
From this reading Three long days devoid of incident, hopelessly dull, aimless, and uninteresting.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading Three long days devoid of incident, hopelessly dull, aimless, and uninteresting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SHADOWING OF DUNCOMBE For three days Duncombe saw nothing of Spencer.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE SHADOWING OF DUNCOMBE For three days Duncombe saw nothing of Spencer.
following the third position; number four in a countable series
From this reading On the fourth the only change in the situation was scarcely a reassuring one.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He became aware that he was being watched.
in a hopeless manner
From this reading Three long days devoid of incident, hopelessly dull, aimless, and uninteresting.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading On the fourth the only change in the situation was scarcely a reassuring one.
a single distinct event
From this reading Three long days devoid of incident, hopelessly dull, aimless, and uninteresting.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading There was no particular secrecy about it.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Three long days devoid of incident, hopelessly dull, aimless, and uninteresting.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no particular secrecy about it.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading THE SHADOWING OF DUNCOMBE For three days Duncombe saw nothing of Spencer.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE SHADOWING OF DUNCOMBE For three days Duncombe saw nothing of Spencer.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the fourth the only change in the situation was scarcely a reassuring one.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading On the fourth the only change in the situation was scarcely a reassuring one.
and nothing more
From this reading On the fourth the only change in the situation was scarcely a reassuring one.
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading There was no particular secrecy about it.
restoring confidence and relieving anxiety
From this reading On the fourth the only change in the situation was scarcely a reassuring one.
cut with a saw
From this reading THE SHADOWING OF DUNCOMBE For three days Duncombe saw nothing of Spencer.
only a very short time before
From this reading On the fourth the only change in the situation was scarcely a reassuring one.
the trait of keeping things secret
From this reading There was no particular secrecy about it.
An advanced language learning technique where a student repeats speech immediately after hearing it.
From this reading THE SHADOWING OF DUNCOMBE For three days Duncombe saw nothing of Spencer.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading On the fourth the only change in the situation was scarcely a reassuring one.
English philosopher and sociologist who applied the theory of natural selection to human societies (1820-1903)
From this reading THE SHADOWING OF DUNCOMBE For three days Duncombe saw nothing of Spencer.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He became aware that he was being watched.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SHADOWING OF DUNCOMBE For three days Duncombe saw nothing of Spencer.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no particular secrecy about it.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading THE SHADOWING OF DUNCOMBE For three days Duncombe saw nothing of Spencer.
arousing no interest or attention or curiosity or excitement
From this reading Three long days devoid of incident, hopelessly dull, aimless, and uninteresting.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading On the fourth the only change in the situation was scarcely a reassuring one.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading He became aware that he was being watched.
Chapter 12 of A Maker of History by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim holds 144 sentences, grouped into 29 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 144 sentences of A Maker of History, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of A Maker of History by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 144 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Maker of History, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
