Chapter 12 of Cheerful—By Request is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Cheerful—By Request is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She came down the corridor and stopped at Sadie Corn's desk. Sadie Corn had her key ready for her. Two-eighteen took it daintily between white-gloved fingers. "I'll want a maid in fifteen minutes," she said. "Tell them to send me the one I had yesterday.
Chapter 12 of Cheerful—By Request is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times
From this reading “She came down the corridor and stopped at Sadie Corn's desk.”
an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading “She came down the corridor and stopped at Sadie Corn's desk.”
in a dainty and fastidious manner
From this reading “Two-eighteen took it daintily between white-gloved fingers.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “She came down the corridor and stopped at Sadie Corn's desk.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading “"I'll want a maid in fifteen minutes," she said.”
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading “Sadie Corn had her key ready for her.”
a female domestic
From this reading “"I'll want a maid in fifteen minutes," she said.”
the day immediately before today
From this reading “"Tell them to send me the one I had yesterday.”
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'll want a maid in fifteen minutes," she said.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She came down the corridor and stopped at Sadie Corn's desk.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She came down the corridor and stopped at Sadie Corn's desk.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Two-eighteen took it daintily between white-gloved fingers.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading She came down the corridor and stopped at Sadie Corn's desk.
tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times
From this reading Sadie Corn had her key ready for her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She came down the corridor and stopped at Sadie Corn's desk.
an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading She came down the corridor and stopped at Sadie Corn's desk.
in a dainty and fastidious manner
From this reading Two-eighteen took it daintily between white-gloved fingers.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading She came down the corridor and stopped at Sadie Corn's desk.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She came down the corridor and stopped at Sadie Corn's desk.
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading "I'll want a maid in fifteen minutes," she said.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading Two-eighteen took it daintily between white-gloved fingers.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Sadie Corn had her key ready for her.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Sadie Corn had her key ready for her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Sadie Corn had her key ready for her.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Tell them to send me the one I had yesterday.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'll want a maid in fifteen minutes," she said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I'll want a maid in fifteen minutes," she said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Two-eighteen took it daintily between white-gloved fingers.
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading Sadie Corn had her key ready for her.
a female domestic
From this reading "I'll want a maid in fifteen minutes," she said.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Tell them to send me the one I had yesterday.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading "I'll want a maid in fifteen minutes," she said.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Tell them to send me the one I had yesterday.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading Sadie Corn had her key ready for her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She came down the corridor and stopped at Sadie Corn's desk.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I'll want a maid in fifteen minutes," she said.
cause to go somewhere
From this reading "Tell them to send me the one I had yesterday.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She came down the corridor and stopped at Sadie Corn's desk.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading She came down the corridor and stopped at Sadie Corn's desk.
express in words
From this reading "Tell them to send me the one I had yesterday.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She came down the corridor and stopped at Sadie Corn's desk.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Tell them to send me the one I had yesterday.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Tell them to send me the one I had yesterday.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Two-eighteen took it daintily between white-gloved fingers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Two-eighteen took it daintily between white-gloved fingers.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "I'll want a maid in fifteen minutes," she said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Two-eighteen took it daintily between white-gloved fingers.
the day immediately before today
From this reading "Tell them to send me the one I had yesterday.
Chapter 12 of Cheerful—By Request by Edna Ferber holds 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 390 sentences of Cheerful—By Request, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Cheerful—By Request by Edna Ferber exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 Cheerful—By Request by Edna Ferber on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7249 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11395 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11395, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1450 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cheerful—By Request section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Cheerful—By Request 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 Cheerful—By Request, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
