Chapter 12 of A Mortal Antipathy is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of A Mortal Antipathy is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Why,--yes,--more or less. To tell the truth, I am not very well up in French literature. What had he to do with your lioness? “'A good deal. He satirized her, and she waited at his door with a case-knife in her hand, intending to stick him with it.
Chapter 12 of A Mortal Antipathy is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading ““'A good deal.”
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading “To tell the truth, I am not very well up in French literature.”
-ing form of “intend” — have in mind as a purpose
From this reading “He satirized her, and she waited at his door with a case-knife in her hand, intending to stick him with it.”
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading ““Why,--yes,--more or less.”
creative writing of recognized artistic value
From this reading “To tell the truth, I am not very well up in French literature.”
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading “He satirized her, and she waited at his door with a case-knife in her hand, intending to stick him with it.”
a fact that has been verified
From this reading “To tell the truth, I am not very well up in French literature.”
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “He satirized her, and she waited at his door with a case-knife in her hand, intending to stick him with it.”
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 “'A good deal.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading To tell the truth, I am not very well up in French literature.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He satirized her, and she waited at his door with a case-knife in her hand, intending to stick him with it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He satirized her, and she waited at his door with a case-knife in her hand, intending to stick him with it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He satirized her, and she waited at his door with a case-knife in her hand, intending to stick him with it.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading “'A good deal.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What had he to do with your lioness?
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He satirized her, and she waited at his door with a case-knife in her hand, intending to stick him with it.
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading To tell the truth, I am not very well up in French literature.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “'A good deal.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading What had he to do with your lioness?
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He satirized her, and she waited at his door with a case-knife in her hand, intending to stick him with it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading What had he to do with your lioness?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He satirized her, and she waited at his door with a case-knife in her hand, intending to stick him with it.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He satirized her, and she waited at his door with a case-knife in her hand, intending to stick him with it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He satirized her, and she waited at his door with a case-knife in her hand, intending to stick him with it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading To tell the truth, I am not very well up in French literature.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading To tell the truth, I am not very well up in French literature.
-ing form of “intend” — have in mind as a purpose
From this reading He satirized her, and she waited at his door with a case-knife in her hand, intending to stick him with it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He satirized her, and she waited at his door with a case-knife in her hand, intending to stick him with it.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading “Why,--yes,--more or less.
a female lion
From this reading What had he to do with your lioness?
creative writing of recognized artistic value
From this reading To tell the truth, I am not very well up in French literature.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “Why,--yes,--more or less.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading To tell the truth, I am not very well up in French literature.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “Why,--yes,--more or less.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He satirized her, and she waited at his door with a case-knife in her hand, intending to stick him with it.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He satirized her, and she waited at his door with a case-knife in her hand, intending to stick him with it.
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading He satirized her, and she waited at his door with a case-knife in her hand, intending to stick him with it.
express in words
From this reading To tell the truth, I am not very well up in French literature.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading To tell the truth, I am not very well up in French literature.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To tell the truth, I am not very well up in French literature.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading To tell the truth, I am not very well up in French literature.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading To tell the truth, I am not very well up in French literature.
precisely as stated
From this reading To tell the truth, I am not very well up in French literature.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading He satirized her, and she waited at his door with a case-knife in her hand, intending to stick him with it.
(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 To tell the truth, I am not very well up in French literature.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What had he to do with your lioness?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why,--yes,--more or less.
in the company of; together with
From this reading What had he to do with your lioness?
an affirmative
From this reading “Why,--yes,--more or less.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading What had he to do with your lioness?
Chapter 12 of A Mortal Antipathy by Oliver Wendell Holmes holds 162 sentences, grouped into 33 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 162 sentences of A Mortal Antipathy, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of A Mortal Antipathy by Oliver Wendell Holmes exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 Mortal Antipathy by Oliver Wendell Holmes on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3910 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2698 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2698, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 325 minutes of reading across 782 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Mortal Antipathy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of A Mortal Antipathy 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 Mortal Antipathy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
