Chapter 12 of Babbitt is here in full — 64 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Babbitt is here in full — 64 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I All the way home from Maine, Babbitt was certain that he was a changed man. He was converted to serenity. He was going to cease worrying about business. He was going to have more “interests”--theaters, public affairs, reading. And suddenly, as he finished an especially heavy cigar, he was going to stop smoking.
Chapter 12 of Babbitt is here in full — 64 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/12 · 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.
an alloy of tin with some copper and antimony; a lining for bearings that reduces friction
From this reading “I All the way home from Maine, Babbitt was certain that he was a changed man.”
put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading “He was going to cease worrying about business.”
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading “And suddenly, as he finished an especially heavy cigar, he was going to stop smoking.”
past form of “convert” — change from one system to another or to a new plan or policy
From this reading “He was converted to serenity.”
a state in New England
From this reading “I All the way home from Maine, Babbitt was certain that he was a changed man.”
The state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled by external storms.
From this reading “He was converted to serenity.”
plural of “theater” — a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented
From this reading “He was going to have more “interests”--theaters, public affairs, reading.”
the act of harassing someone
From this reading “He was going to cease worrying about business.”
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 I All the way home from Maine, Babbitt was certain that he was a changed man.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He was going to cease worrying about business.
matters of personal concern
From this reading He was going to have more “interests”--theaters, public affairs, reading.
(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 I All the way home from Maine, Babbitt was certain that he was a changed man.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading And suddenly, as he finished an especially heavy cigar, he was going to stop smoking.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And suddenly, as he finished an especially heavy cigar, he was going to stop smoking.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And suddenly, as he finished an especially heavy cigar, he was going to stop smoking.
an alloy of tin with some copper and antimony; a lining for bearings that reduces friction
From this reading I All the way home from Maine, Babbitt was certain that he was a changed man.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading He was going to cease worrying about business.
put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading He was going to cease worrying about business.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading I All the way home from Maine, Babbitt was certain that he was a changed man.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading I All the way home from Maine, Babbitt was certain that he was a changed man.
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading And suddenly, as he finished an especially heavy cigar, he was going to stop smoking.
past form of “convert” — change from one system to another or to a new plan or policy
From this reading He was converted to serenity.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading And suddenly, as he finished an especially heavy cigar, he was going to stop smoking.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading And suddenly, as he finished an especially heavy cigar, he was going to stop smoking.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I All the way home from Maine, Babbitt was certain that he was a changed man.
the act of departing
From this reading He was going to cease worrying about business.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He was going to have more “interests”--theaters, public affairs, reading.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I All the way home from Maine, Babbitt was certain that he was a changed man.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading And suddenly, as he finished an especially heavy cigar, he was going to stop smoking.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading I All the way home from Maine, Babbitt was certain that he was a changed man.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I All the way home from Maine, Babbitt was certain that he was a changed man.
plural of “interest” — a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading He was going to have more “interests”--theaters, public affairs, reading.
a state in New England
From this reading I All the way home from Maine, Babbitt was certain that he was a changed man.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I All the way home from Maine, Babbitt was certain that he was a changed man.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He was going to have more “interests”--theaters, public affairs, reading.
people in general considered as a whole
From this reading He was going to have more “interests”--theaters, public affairs, reading.
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading He was going to have more “interests”--theaters, public affairs, reading.
The state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled by external storms.
From this reading He was converted to serenity.
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading And suddenly, as he finished an especially heavy cigar, he was going to stop smoking.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading And suddenly, as he finished an especially heavy cigar, he was going to stop smoking.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading And suddenly, as he finished an especially heavy cigar, he was going to stop smoking.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I All the way home from Maine, Babbitt was certain that he was a changed man.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I All the way home from Maine, Babbitt was certain that he was a changed man.
plural of “theater” — a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented
From this reading He was going to have more “interests”--theaters, public affairs, reading.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was converted to serenity.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I All the way home from Maine, Babbitt was certain that he was a changed man.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading I All the way home from Maine, Babbitt was certain that he was a changed man.
the act of harassing someone
From this reading He was going to cease worrying about business.
Chapter 12 of Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis holds 64 sentences, grouped into 13 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 64 sentences of Babbitt, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 64 sentences, grouped into 13 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 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 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 Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7557 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1156 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1156, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1512 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Babbitt section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Babbitt 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 Babbitt, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
