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Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls
Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls is here in full — 302 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Edith K. (Edith Kellogg) Dunton • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls
Context Illustration Reading 1/60 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.
“To talk ploshkin?” asked Betty.
The ploshkin project was still, to Mary’s great disgust, being discussed pro and con.
“Yes,” assented Madeline, “and to have a say about our keeping the tea-room open for dinners.
Also, and most important of all, to save Young-Man-Over-the-Fence from an early grave.”
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls is here in full — 302 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/60 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.
Line 2
“To talk ploshkin?” asked Betty.
Line 3
The ploshkin project was still, to Mary’s great disgust, being discussed pro and con.
Line 4
“Yes,” assented Madeline, “and to have a say about our keeping the tea-room open for dinners.
Line 5
Also, and most important of all, to save Young-Man-Over-the-Fence from an early grave.”

Learner Dictionary

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.

con noun US /kɑːn/

an argument opposed to a proposal

From this reading “The ploshkin project was still, to Mary’s great disgust, being discussed pro and con.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dinners noun US /ˈdɪnərz/

plural of “dinner” — the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday

From this reading ““Yes,” assented Madeline, “and to have a say about our keeping the tea-room open for dinners.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
disappearance noun US /ˌdɪsəˈpɪrəns/

the act of leaving secretly or without explanation

From this reading “A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
discussed verb US /dɪˈskʌst/

past form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing

From this reading “The ploshkin project was still, to Mary’s great disgust, being discussed pro and con.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Mary's noun US /ˈmeriz/

possessive form of “mary” — the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pro noun US /proʊ/

an athlete who plays for pay

From this reading “The ploshkin project was still, to Mary’s great disgust, being discussed pro and con.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
project verb US /ˈprɑːdʒekt/

communicate vividly

From this reading “The ploshkin project was still, to Mary’s great disgust, being discussed pro and con.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tragic adjective US /ˈtrædʒɪk/

very sad; especially involving grief or death or destruction

From this reading “A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

most important adverb + adjective

In this reading “Also, and most important of all, to save Young-Man-Over-the-Fence from an early grave.””

10,520 times in 426,211 chapters
early grave adjective + noun

In this reading “Also, and most important of all, to save Young-Man-Over-the-Fence from an early grave.””

276 times in 426,211 chapters
send for verb + particle

order, request, or command to come

In this reading “A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.”

12,962 times in 426,211 chapters
for dinners preposition + noun counted as “for dinner”

In this reading ““Yes,” assented Madeline, “and to have a say about our keeping the tea-room open for dinners.”

11,288 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 55

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “Yes,” assented Madeline, “and to have a say about our keeping the tea-room open for dinners.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 Also, and most important of all, to save Young-Man-Over-the-Fence from an early grave.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
AlsoadverbUS /ˈɔːlsoʊ/

in addition

From this reading Also, and most important of all, to save Young-Man-Over-the-Fence from an early grave.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Also, and most important of all, to save Young-Man-Over-the-Fence from an early grave.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The ploshkin project was still, to Mary’s great disgust, being discussed pro and con.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading “To talk ploshkin?” asked Betty.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
assented

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Yes,” assented Madeline, “and to have a say about our keeping the tea-room open for dinners.

Pending verification
Ayres

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.

Pending verification
Babbie

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.

Pending verification
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading The ploshkin project was still, to Mary’s great disgust, being discussed pro and con.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Betty

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “To talk ploshkin?” asked Betty.

Pending verification
connounUS /kɑːn/

an argument opposed to a proposal

From this reading The ploshkin project was still, to Mary’s great disgust, being discussed pro and con.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
declaredadjectiveUS /dɪˈklerd/

made known or openly avowed

From this reading A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dinnersnounUS /ˈdɪnərz/

plural of “dinner” — the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday

From this reading “Yes,” assented Madeline, “and to have a say about our keeping the tea-room open for dinners.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DISAPPEARANCEnounUS /ˌdɪsəˈpɪrəns/

the act of leaving secretly or without explanation

From this reading A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
discussedverbUS /dɪˈskʌst/

past form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing

From this reading The ploshkin project was still, to Mary’s great disgust, being discussed pro and con.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
disgustverbUS /dɪsˈɡʌst/

fill with distaste

From this reading The ploshkin project was still, to Mary’s great disgust, being discussed pro and con.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

From this reading Also, and most important of all, to save Young-Man-Over-the-Fence from an early grave.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Also, and most important of all, to save Young-Man-Over-the-Fence from an early grave.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
gravenounUS /ɡreɪv/

death of a person

From this reading Also, and most important of all, to save Young-Man-Over-the-Fence from an early grave.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading The ploshkin project was still, to Mary’s great disgust, being discussed pro and con.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “Yes,” assented Madeline, “and to have a say about our keeping the tea-room open for dinners.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
importantadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɔːrtənt/

of great significance or value

From this reading Also, and most important of all, to save Young-Man-Over-the-Fence from an early grave.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
keepingnounUS /ˈkiːpɪŋ/

conformity or harmony

From this reading “Yes,” assented Madeline, “and to have a say about our keeping the tea-room open for dinners.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lateradverbUS /ˈleɪtər/

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Madeline

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.

Pending verification
Mary'snounUS /ˈmeriz/

possessive form of “mary” — the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics

From this reading The ploshkin project was still, to Mary’s great disgust, being discussed pro and con.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading Also, and most important of all, to save Young-Man-Over-the-Fence from an early grave.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Also, and most important of all, to save Young-Man-Over-the-Fence from an early grave.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading “Yes,” assented Madeline, “and to have a say about our keeping the tea-room open for dinners.

Velmora curated lexicon
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
oughtmodal verbUS /ɔːt/

used with “to” to say what is right or advisable

From this reading A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading “Yes,” assented Madeline, “and to have a say about our keeping the tea-room open for dinners.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ploshkin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “To talk ploshkin?” asked Betty.

Pending verification
pronounUS /proʊ/

an athlete who plays for pay

From this reading The ploshkin project was still, to Mary’s great disgust, being discussed pro and con.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
projectverbUS /ˈprɑːdʒekt/

communicate vividly

From this reading The ploshkin project was still, to Mary’s great disgust, being discussed pro and con.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saveprepositionUS /seɪv/

except for; apart from

From this reading Also, and most important of all, to save Young-Man-Over-the-Fence from an early grave.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading “Yes,” assented Madeline, “and to have a say about our keeping the tea-room open for dinners.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sendverbUS /send/

cause to go somewhere

From this reading A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading The ploshkin project was still, to Mary’s great disgust, being discussed pro and con.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
talkverbUS /tɔːk/

exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading “To talk ploshkin?” asked Betty.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tea-room

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Yes,” assented Madeline, “and to have a say about our keeping the tea-room open for dinners.

Pending verification
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The ploshkin project was still, to Mary’s great disgust, being discussed pro and con.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THINKverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
TRAGICadjectiveUS /ˈtrædʒɪk/

very sad; especially involving grief or death or destruction

From this reading A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The ploshkin project was still, to Mary’s great disgust, being discussed pro and con.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE “I THINK we ought to send for Babbie,” declared Madeline Ayres a day or two later.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading “Yes,” assented Madeline, “and to have a say about our keeping the tea-room open for dinners.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Young-Man-Over-the-Fence

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Also, and most important of all, to save Young-Man-Over-the-Fence from an early grave.”

Pending verification

Chapter 12 of Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls by Edith K. (Edith Kellogg) Dunton holds 302 sentences, grouped into 61 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.

What does chapter 12 of Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls contain?

Chapter 12 holds 302 sentences of Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls, unabridged, divided into 61 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls by Edith K. (Edith Kellogg) Dunton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 302 sentences, grouped into 61 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.

How do I study chapter 12 of Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls?

Work through the 61 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 61 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.

Can chapter 12 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls

Common questions about reading Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls by Edith K. (Edith Kellogg) Dunton on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls?

Yes. All 4022 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #68551 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #68551, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls take to read?

About 335 minutes of reading across 805 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls section by section

How to work through Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 20 chapters of Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls

Words and structures a reader meets early in Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Betty
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Wales
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Freshman
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sophomore
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Betty Wales & Co.: A story for girls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.