Chapter 12 of A Padre in France is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of A Padre in France is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MADAME Madame was certainly an old woman, if age is counted by years. She had celebrated her golden wedding before the war began. But in heart she was young, a girl. I cherish, among many, one special picture of Madame. It was a fine, warm afternoon in early summer.
Chapter 12 of A Padre in France is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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.
widely known and esteemed
From this reading “She had celebrated her golden wedding before the war began.”
be fond of; be attached to
From this reading “I cherish, among many, one special picture of Madame.”
past form of “count” — determine the number or amount of
From this reading “MADAME Madame was certainly an old woman, if age is counted by years.”
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading “She had celebrated her golden wedding before the war began.”
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading “I cherish, among many, one special picture of Madame.”
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading “I cherish, among many, one special picture of Madame.”
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading “It was a fine, warm afternoon in early summer.”
the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed
From this reading “She had celebrated her golden wedding before the war began.”
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 But in heart she was young, a girl.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading It was a fine, warm afternoon in early summer.
how long something has existed
From this reading MADAME Madame was certainly an old woman, if age is counted by years.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading I cherish, among many, one special picture of Madame.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading MADAME Madame was certainly an old woman, if age is counted by years.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She had celebrated her golden wedding before the war began.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading She had celebrated her golden wedding before the war began.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But in heart she was young, a girl.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading MADAME Madame was certainly an old woman, if age is counted by years.
widely known and esteemed
From this reading She had celebrated her golden wedding before the war began.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading MADAME Madame was certainly an old woman, if age is counted by years.
be fond of; be attached to
From this reading I cherish, among many, one special picture of Madame.
past form of “count” — determine the number or amount of
From this reading MADAME Madame was certainly an old woman, if age is counted by years.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading It was a fine, warm afternoon in early summer.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading It was a fine, warm afternoon in early summer.
a young female
From this reading But in heart she was young, a girl.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading She had celebrated her golden wedding before the war began.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had celebrated her golden wedding before the war began.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading But in heart she was young, a girl.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She had celebrated her golden wedding before the war began.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I cherish, among many, one special picture of Madame.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading MADAME Madame was certainly an old woman, if age is counted by years.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But in heart she was young, a girl.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading MADAME Madame was certainly an old woman, if age is counted by years.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a fine, warm afternoon in early summer.
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading MADAME Madame was certainly an old woman, if age is counted by years.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading I cherish, among many, one special picture of Madame.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I cherish, among many, one special picture of Madame.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading MADAME Madame was certainly an old woman, if age is counted by years.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I cherish, among many, one special picture of Madame.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading I cherish, among many, one special picture of Madame.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had celebrated her golden wedding before the war began.
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading I cherish, among many, one special picture of Madame.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading It was a fine, warm afternoon in early summer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She had celebrated her golden wedding before the war began.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading She had celebrated her golden wedding before the war began.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading It was a fine, warm afternoon in early summer.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading MADAME Madame was certainly an old woman, if age is counted by years.
the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed
From this reading She had celebrated her golden wedding before the war began.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading MADAME Madame was certainly an old woman, if age is counted by years.
a late time of life
From this reading MADAME Madame was certainly an old woman, if age is counted by years.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading But in heart she was young, a girl.
Chapter 12 of A Padre in France by George A. Birmingham holds 236 sentences, grouped into 48 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 236 sentences of A Padre in France, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of A Padre in France by George A. Birmingham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 236 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 Padre in France by George A. Birmingham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3664 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28241 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28241, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 305 minutes of reading across 733 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Padre in France section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of A Padre in France 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 Padre in France, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
