Chapter 12 of An Experiment in Altruism is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of An Experiment in Altruism is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.” “Which?” I asked. “Your poor family or the charities?” “Both,” was the answer.
Chapter 12 of An Experiment in Altruism is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
react verbally
From this reading ““Both,” was the answer.”
plural of “charity” — a foundation created to promote the public good (not for assistance to any particular individuals)
From this reading ““Your poor family or the charities?””
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading ““If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.””
state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options
From this reading ““If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.””
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading ““If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.””
a social unit living together
From this reading ““Your poor family or the charities?””
past form of “grumble” — show one's unhappiness or critical attitude
From this reading ““If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.””
a general conscious awareness
From this reading ““If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.””
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.
sound practical judgment
In this reading ““If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.””
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 “If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.”
react verbally
From this reading “Both,” was the answer.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.”
the two together, not just one
From this reading “Both,” was the answer.
plural of “charity” — a foundation created to promote the public good (not for assistance to any particular individuals)
From this reading “Your poor family or the charities?”
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading “If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.”
state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options
From this reading “If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.”
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.”
a social unit living together
From this reading “Your poor family or the charities?”
past form of “grumble” — show one's unhappiness or critical attitude
From this reading “If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I asked.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.”
and nothing more
From this reading “If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.”
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “Your poor family or the charities?”
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “Your poor family or the charities?”
a general conscious awareness
From this reading “If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.”
in or at that place or location
From this reading “If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Both,” was the answer.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “Which?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If they only had a little common sense,” the Doctor grumbled, “there wouldn’t be any dilemma.”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Your poor family or the charities?”
Chapter 12 of An Experiment in Altruism by Margaret Pollock Sherwood holds 93 sentences, grouped into 19 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 93 sentences of An Experiment in Altruism, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of An Experiment in Altruism by Margaret Pollock Sherwood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 93 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 An Experiment in Altruism by Margaret Pollock Sherwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2299 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #67432 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #67432, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 191 minutes of reading across 460 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through An Experiment in Altruism section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of An Experiment in Altruism 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 An Experiment in Altruism, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
