Chapter 12 of Boys of the Light Brigade is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Boys of the Light Brigade is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Perhaps he is resting," he remarked. "There is no need for him to tramp up and down in sight all the time." "True, Señor, but why to-night? Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?" "It is certainly strange.
Chapter 12 of Boys of the Light Brigade is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “"It is certainly strange.”
a deliberate act of omission
From this reading “Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?"”
a condition requiring relief
From this reading “"There is no need for him to tramp up and down in sight all the time."”
Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
From this reading “Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?"”
the time that has elapsed
From this reading “Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?"”
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading “"Perhaps he is resting," he remarked.”
-ing form of “rest” — not move; be in a resting position
From this reading “"Perhaps he is resting," he remarked.”
a vagrant
From this reading “"There is no need for him to tramp up and down in sight all the time."”
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 “Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?"”
In this reading “Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?"”
at or within a reasonable distance for seeing
In this reading “"There is no need for him to tramp up and down in sight all the time."”
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.
(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 "There is no need for him to tramp up and down in sight all the time."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "There is no need for him to tramp up and down in sight all the time."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "True, Señor, but why to-night?
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "It is certainly strange.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "There is no need for him to tramp up and down in sight all the time."
a deliberate act of omission
From this reading Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "There is no need for him to tramp up and down in sight all the time."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Perhaps he is resting," he remarked.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "There is no need for him to tramp up and down in sight all the time."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "There is no need for him to tramp up and down in sight all the time."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Perhaps he is resting," he remarked.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is certainly strange.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?"
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?"
a condition requiring relief
From this reading "There is no need for him to tramp up and down in sight all the time."
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?"
Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
From this reading Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?"
not any; not one
From this reading "There is no need for him to tramp up and down in sight all the time."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?"
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?"
by chance
From this reading "Perhaps he is resting," he remarked.
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading "Perhaps he is resting," he remarked.
-ing form of “rest” — not move; be in a resting position
From this reading "Perhaps he is resting," he remarked.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "True, Señor, but why to-night?
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?"
an instance of visual perception
From this reading "There is no need for him to tramp up and down in sight all the time."
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading "It is certainly strange.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "There is no need for him to tramp up and down in sight all the time."
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There is no need for him to tramp up and down in sight all the time."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?"
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "There is no need for him to tramp up and down in sight all the time."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "There is no need for him to tramp up and down in sight all the time."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "True, Señor, but why to-night?
a vagrant
From this reading "There is no need for him to tramp up and down in sight all the time."
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading "True, Señor, but why to-night?
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "There is no need for him to tramp up and down in sight all the time."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "True, Señor, but why to-night?
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Why on this night should we miss what we have seen without exception for many nights past?"
Chapter 12 of Boys of the Light Brigade by Herbert Strang holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 420 sentences of Boys of the Light Brigade, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Boys of the Light Brigade by Herbert Strang exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Boys of the Light Brigade by Herbert Strang on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8281 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44190 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44190, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1657 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Boys of the Light Brigade section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Boys of the Light Brigade 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 Boys of the Light Brigade, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
