Chapter 12 of Across India is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Across India is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided. "The task befaw me is to put a gallon of fluid into a pint pot. It cawn't be done. I shall not attempt to do what is quite impossible. I can only put in what the vessel will hold.
Chapter 12 of Across India is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
a demonstration of approval by clapping the hands together
From this reading “THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.”
a substance that is fluid at room temperature and pressure
From this reading “"The task befaw me is to put a gallon of fluid into a pint pot.”
United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters
From this reading “"The task befaw me is to put a gallon of fluid into a pint pot.”
a title used to address any British peer except a duke and extended to a bishop or a judge
From this reading “THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.”
a British imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 4 gills or 568.26 cubic centimeters
From this reading “"The task befaw me is to put a gallon of fluid into a pint pot.”
the people who inhabit a territory or state
From this reading “THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.”
metal or earthenware cooking vessel that is usually round and deep; often has a handle and lid
From this reading “"The task befaw me is to put a gallon of fluid into a pint pot.”
past form of “subside” — wear off or die down
From this reading “THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.”
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 "The task befaw me is to put a gallon of fluid into a pint pot.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
a demonstration of approval by clapping the hands together
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading I shall not attempt to do what is quite impossible.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It cawn't be done.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The task befaw me is to put a gallon of fluid into a pint pot.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I can only put in what the vessel will hold.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It cawn't be done.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I shall not attempt to do what is quite impossible.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading It cawn't be done.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
a substance that is fluid at room temperature and pressure
From this reading "The task befaw me is to put a gallon of fluid into a pint pot.
United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters
From this reading "The task befaw me is to put a gallon of fluid into a pint pot.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading I can only put in what the vessel will hold.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading I shall not attempt to do what is quite impossible.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
a republic in the Asian subcontinent in southern Asia; second most populous country in the world; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1947
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "The task befaw me is to put a gallon of fluid into a pint pot.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The task befaw me is to put a gallon of fluid into a pint pot.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It cawn't be done.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
a title used to address any British peer except a duke and extended to a bishop or a judge
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "The task befaw me is to put a gallon of fluid into a pint pot.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I shall not attempt to do what is quite impossible.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
and nothing more
From this reading I can only put in what the vessel will hold.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
a British imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 4 gills or 568.26 cubic centimeters
From this reading "The task befaw me is to put a gallon of fluid into a pint pot.
the people who inhabit a territory or state
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
metal or earthenware cooking vessel that is usually round and deep; often has a handle and lid
From this reading "The task befaw me is to put a gallon of fluid into a pint pot.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "The task befaw me is to put a gallon of fluid into a pint pot.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading I shall not attempt to do what is quite impossible.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading I shall not attempt to do what is quite impossible.
past form of “subside” — wear off or die down
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading "The task befaw me is to put a gallon of fluid into a pint pot.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
a tube in which a body fluid circulates
From this reading I can only put in what the vessel will hold.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I shall not attempt to do what is quite impossible.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I can only put in what the vessel will hold.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading THE POPULATION AND PEOPLE OF INDIA "Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to appear before you, and to look you all in the face," his lordship began as the applause subsided.
Chapter 12 of Across India by Oliver Optic holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 103 sentences of Across India, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Across India by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Across India by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4140 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15540 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15540, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 345 minutes of reading across 828 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Across India section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of Across India 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 Across India, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
