Chapter 12 of Clayhanger is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Clayhanger is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But I only struck a match a second ago," he protested. "Excuse me," she said coldly; "I saw a light quite five minutes ago." "Oh yes!" he apologised. "I remember. When I came up the cellar steps."
Chapter 12 of Clayhanger is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
past form of “apologise” — defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning
From this reading “"Oh yes!" he apologised.”
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading “When I came up the cellar steps."”
lacking warmth of feeling; in a cold, unemotional manner
From this reading “"Excuse me," she said coldly; "I saw a light quite five minutes ago."”
accept an excuse for
From this reading “"Excuse me," she said coldly; "I saw a light quite five minutes ago."”
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading “"But I only struck a match a second ago," he protested.”
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading “"But I only struck a match a second ago," he protested.”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “When I came up the cellar steps."”
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading “"But I only struck a match a second ago," he protested.”
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 "But I only struck a match a second ago," he protested.
in the past
From this reading "But I only struck a match a second ago," he protested.
past form of “apologise” — defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning
From this reading "Oh yes!" he apologised.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But I only struck a match a second ago," he protested.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When I came up the cellar steps."
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading When I came up the cellar steps."
lacking warmth of feeling; in a cold, unemotional manner
From this reading "Excuse me," she said coldly; "I saw a light quite five minutes ago."
accept an excuse for
From this reading "Excuse me," she said coldly; "I saw a light quite five minutes ago."
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading "Excuse me," she said coldly; "I saw a light quite five minutes ago."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "But I only struck a match a second ago," he protested.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "But I only struck a match a second ago," he protested.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading "Excuse me," she said coldly; "I saw a light quite five minutes ago."
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading "But I only struck a match a second ago," he protested.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Excuse me," she said coldly; "I saw a light quite five minutes ago."
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading "Excuse me," she said coldly; "I saw a light quite five minutes ago."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh yes!" he apologised.
and nothing more
From this reading "But I only struck a match a second ago," he protested.
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading "But I only struck a match a second ago," he protested.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading "Excuse me," she said coldly; "I saw a light quite five minutes ago."
To recall to mind.
From this reading "I remember.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Excuse me," she said coldly; "I saw a light quite five minutes ago."
cut with a saw
From this reading "Excuse me," she said coldly; "I saw a light quite five minutes ago."
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading "But I only struck a match a second ago," he protested.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Excuse me," she said coldly; "I saw a light quite five minutes ago."
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading When I came up the cellar steps."
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading "But I only struck a match a second ago," he protested.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When I came up the cellar steps."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading When I came up the cellar steps."
at the time that
From this reading When I came up the cellar steps."
an affirmative
From this reading "Oh yes!" he apologised.
Chapter 12 of Clayhanger by Arnold Bennett holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of Clayhanger, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Clayhanger by Arnold Bennett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Clayhanger by Arnold Bennett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 13540 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21249 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21249, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2708 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Clayhanger section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Clayhanger 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 Clayhanger, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
