Chapter 12 of Amusement Only is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Amusement Only is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE TWINS CONFRONT EACH OTHER. When there came that rapping at the door, Hubert started back. "Who's that?" he cried. The big man still retained his grasp on Hubert's shoulder. He tightened it.
Chapter 12 of Amusement Only is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading “THE TWINS CONFRONT EACH OTHER.”
hold firmly
From this reading “The big man still retained his grasp on Hubert's shoulder.”
inflected form of “rap” — strike sharply
From this reading “When there came that rapping at the door, Hubert started back.”
continued in your keeping or use or memory
From this reading “The big man still retained his grasp on Hubert's shoulder.”
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading “The big man still retained his grasp on Hubert's shoulder.”
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “When there came that rapping at the door, Hubert started back.”
past form of “tighten” — make tight or tighter
From this reading “He tightened it.”
(mineralogy) two interwoven crystals that are mirror images on each other
From this reading “THE TWINS CONFRONT EACH OTHER.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “When there came that rapping at the door, Hubert started back.”
In this reading “When there came that rapping at the door, Hubert started back.”
In this reading “The big man still retained his grasp on Hubert's shoulder.”
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.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading When there came that rapping at the door, Hubert started back.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading When there came that rapping at the door, Hubert started back.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The big man still retained his grasp on Hubert's shoulder.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When there came that rapping at the door, Hubert started back.
oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading THE TWINS CONFRONT EACH OTHER.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Who's that?" he cried.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading When there came that rapping at the door, Hubert started back.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading THE TWINS CONFRONT EACH OTHER.
hold firmly
From this reading The big man still retained his grasp on Hubert's shoulder.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Who's that?" he cried.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The big man still retained his grasp on Hubert's shoulder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When there came that rapping at the door, Hubert started back.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The big man still retained his grasp on Hubert's shoulder.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He tightened it.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The big man still retained his grasp on Hubert's shoulder.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The big man still retained his grasp on Hubert's shoulder.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading THE TWINS CONFRONT EACH OTHER.
inflected form of “rap” — strike sharply
From this reading When there came that rapping at the door, Hubert started back.
continued in your keeping or use or memory
From this reading The big man still retained his grasp on Hubert's shoulder.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading The big man still retained his grasp on Hubert's shoulder.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading When there came that rapping at the door, Hubert started back.
not in physical motion
From this reading The big man still retained his grasp on Hubert's shoulder.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading When there came that rapping at the door, Hubert started back.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TWINS CONFRONT EACH OTHER.
in or at that place or location
From this reading When there came that rapping at the door, Hubert started back.
past form of “tighten” — make tight or tighter
From this reading He tightened it.
(mineralogy) two interwoven crystals that are mirror images on each other
From this reading THE TWINS CONFRONT EACH OTHER.
at the time that
From this reading When there came that rapping at the door, Hubert started back.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who's that?" he cried.
Chapter 12 of Amusement Only by Richard Marsh holds 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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 99 sentences of Amusement Only, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Amusement Only by Richard Marsh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Amusement Only by Richard Marsh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6699 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38188 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38188, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 558 minutes of reading across 1340 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Amusement Only section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Amusement Only 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 Amusement Only, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
