Chapter 12 of Big Laurel is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Big Laurel is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A rain lasting three days delayed Bud Childers. But with the cards he now held he could afford to wait. Moreover, he found himself interested in a new occupation. He could use this time to advantage in preparing the shack for his prospective bride. It is doubtful if any woman in the world save Roxie could have roused in him such an ambition.
Chapter 12 of Big Laurel is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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 partially opened flower
From this reading “A rain lasting three days delayed Bud Childers.”
not as far along as normal in development
From this reading “A rain lasting three days delayed Bud Childers.”
open to doubt or suspicion
From this reading “It is doubtful if any woman in the world save Roxie could have roused in him such an ambition.”
continuing or enduring without marked change in status or condition or place
From this reading “A rain lasting three days delayed Bud Childers.”
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading “Moreover, he found himself interested in a new occupation.”
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading “He could use this time to advantage in preparing the shack for his prospective bride.”
of or concerned with or related to the future
From this reading “He could use this time to advantage in preparing the shack for his prospective bride.”
small crude shelter used as a dwelling
From this reading “He could use this time to advantage in preparing the shack for his prospective bride.”
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 “A rain lasting three days delayed Bud Childers.”
In this reading “It is doubtful if any woman in the world save Roxie could have roused in him such an ambition.”
In this reading “It is doubtful if any woman in the world save Roxie could have roused in him such an ambition.”
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 A rain lasting three days delayed Bud Childers.
the quality of having a superior or more favorable position
From this reading He could use this time to advantage in preparing the shack for his prospective bride.
be able to spare or give up
From this reading But with the cards he now held he could afford to wait.
a cherished desire
From this reading It is doubtful if any woman in the world save Roxie could have roused in him such an ambition.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It is doubtful if any woman in the world save Roxie could have roused in him such an ambition.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading It is doubtful if any woman in the world save Roxie could have roused in him such an ambition.
a woman who has recently been married
From this reading He could use this time to advantage in preparing the shack for his prospective bride.
a partially opened flower
From this reading A rain lasting three days delayed Bud Childers.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But with the cards he now held he could afford to wait.
a game played with playing cards
From this reading But with the cards he now held he could afford to wait.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A rain lasting three days delayed Bud Childers.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But with the cards he now held he could afford to wait.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading A rain lasting three days delayed Bud Childers.
not as far along as normal in development
From this reading A rain lasting three days delayed Bud Childers.
open to doubt or suspicion
From this reading It is doubtful if any woman in the world save Roxie could have roused in him such an ambition.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He could use this time to advantage in preparing the shack for his prospective bride.
set up or found
From this reading Moreover, he found himself interested in a new occupation.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It is doubtful if any woman in the world save Roxie could have roused in him such an ambition.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But with the cards he now held he could afford to wait.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading But with the cards he now held he could afford to wait.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It is doubtful if any woman in the world save Roxie could have roused in him such an ambition.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Moreover, he found himself interested in a new occupation.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He could use this time to advantage in preparing the shack for his prospective bride.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It is doubtful if any woman in the world save Roxie could have roused in him such an ambition.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Moreover, he found himself interested in a new occupation.
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading Moreover, he found himself interested in a new occupation.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is doubtful if any woman in the world save Roxie could have roused in him such an ambition.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is doubtful if any woman in the world save Roxie could have roused in him such an ambition.
continuing or enduring without marked change in status or condition or place
From this reading A rain lasting three days delayed Bud Childers.
in addition to what has just been said
From this reading Moreover, he found himself interested in a new occupation.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Moreover, he found himself interested in a new occupation.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading But with the cards he now held he could afford to wait.
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading Moreover, he found himself interested in a new occupation.
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading He could use this time to advantage in preparing the shack for his prospective bride.
of or concerned with or related to the future
From this reading He could use this time to advantage in preparing the shack for his prospective bride.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading A rain lasting three days delayed Bud Childers.
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading It is doubtful if any woman in the world save Roxie could have roused in him such an ambition.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is doubtful if any woman in the world save Roxie could have roused in him such an ambition.
except for; apart from
From this reading It is doubtful if any woman in the world save Roxie could have roused in him such an ambition.
small crude shelter used as a dwelling
From this reading He could use this time to advantage in preparing the shack for his prospective bride.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading It is doubtful if any woman in the world save Roxie could have roused in him such an ambition.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But with the cards he now held he could afford to wait.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He could use this time to advantage in preparing the shack for his prospective bride.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading A rain lasting three days delayed Bud Childers.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He could use this time to advantage in preparing the shack for his prospective bride.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But with the cards he now held he could afford to wait.
the act of using
From this reading He could use this time to advantage in preparing the shack for his prospective bride.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading But with the cards he now held he could afford to wait.
in the company of; together with
From this reading But with the cards he now held he could afford to wait.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading It is doubtful if any woman in the world save Roxie could have roused in him such an ambition.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading It is doubtful if any woman in the world save Roxie could have roused in him such an ambition.
Chapter 12 of Big Laurel by Frederick Orin Bartlett holds 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 185 sentences of Big Laurel, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Big Laurel by Frederick Orin Bartlett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 Big Laurel by Frederick Orin Bartlett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4545 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76048 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76048, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 378 minutes of reading across 909 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Big Laurel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Big Laurel 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 Big Laurel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
