Chapter 12 of Crown and Sceptre: A West Country Story is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Crown and Sceptre: A West Country Story is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Mercy! I did not know," gasped the miserable culprit. "Mercy? Yes; you shall have the choice of your own trees on which to hang," cried the colonel. "No, no; mercy!" gasped the trembling man, dropping on his knees; "for my child's sake--for Heaven's sake--spare me!"
Chapter 12 of Crown and Sceptre: A West Country Story is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
possessive form of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading “"No, no; mercy!" gasped the trembling man, dropping on his knees; "for my child's sake--for Heaven's sake--spare me!"”
the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading “Yes; you shall have the choice of your own trees on which to hang," cried the colonel.”
someone who perpetrates wrongdoing
From this reading “I did not know," gasped the miserable culprit.”
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading “"No, no; mercy!" gasped the trembling man, dropping on his knees; "for my child's sake--for Heaven's sake--spare me!"”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “I did not know," gasped the miserable culprit.”
be suspended or hanging
From this reading “Yes; you shall have the choice of your own trees on which to hang," cried the colonel.”
possessive form of “heaven” — any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading “"No, no; mercy!" gasped the trembling man, dropping on his knees; "for my child's sake--for Heaven's sake--spare me!"”
refrain from harming
From this reading “"No, no; mercy!" gasped the trembling man, dropping on his knees; "for my child's sake--for Heaven's sake--spare me!"”
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.
possessive form of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading "No, no; mercy!" gasped the trembling man, dropping on his knees; "for my child's sake--for Heaven's sake--spare me!"
the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading Yes; you shall have the choice of your own trees on which to hang," cried the colonel.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading Yes; you shall have the choice of your own trees on which to hang," cried the colonel.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Yes; you shall have the choice of your own trees on which to hang," cried the colonel.
someone who perpetrates wrongdoing
From this reading I did not know," gasped the miserable culprit.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I did not know," gasped the miserable culprit.
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading "No, no; mercy!" gasped the trembling man, dropping on his knees; "for my child's sake--for Heaven's sake--spare me!"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "No, no; mercy!" gasped the trembling man, dropping on his knees; "for my child's sake--for Heaven's sake--spare me!"
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading I did not know," gasped the miserable culprit.
be suspended or hanging
From this reading Yes; you shall have the choice of your own trees on which to hang," cried the colonel.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Yes; you shall have the choice of your own trees on which to hang," cried the colonel.
possessive form of “heaven” — any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading "No, no; mercy!" gasped the trembling man, dropping on his knees; "for my child's sake--for Heaven's sake--spare me!"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "No, no; mercy!" gasped the trembling man, dropping on his knees; "for my child's sake--for Heaven's sake--spare me!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I did not know," gasped the miserable culprit.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading "No, no; mercy!" gasped the trembling man, dropping on his knees; "for my child's sake--for Heaven's sake--spare me!"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I did not know," gasped the miserable culprit.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "No, no; mercy!" gasped the trembling man, dropping on his knees; "for my child's sake--for Heaven's sake--spare me!"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "No, no; mercy!" gasped the trembling man, dropping on his knees; "for my child's sake--for Heaven's sake--spare me!"
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading "Mercy!
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading I did not know," gasped the miserable culprit.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "No, no; mercy!" gasped the trembling man, dropping on his knees; "for my child's sake--for Heaven's sake--spare me!"
not any; not one
From this reading "No, no; mercy!" gasped the trembling man, dropping on his knees; "for my child's sake--for Heaven's sake--spare me!"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I did not know," gasped the miserable culprit.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Yes; you shall have the choice of your own trees on which to hang," cried the colonel.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Yes; you shall have the choice of your own trees on which to hang," cried the colonel.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Yes; you shall have the choice of your own trees on which to hang," cried the colonel.
a reason for wanting something done
From this reading "No, no; mercy!" gasped the trembling man, dropping on his knees; "for my child's sake--for Heaven's sake--spare me!"
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Yes; you shall have the choice of your own trees on which to hang," cried the colonel.
refrain from harming
From this reading "No, no; mercy!" gasped the trembling man, dropping on his knees; "for my child's sake--for Heaven's sake--spare me!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I did not know," gasped the miserable culprit.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Yes; you shall have the choice of your own trees on which to hang," cried the colonel.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading Yes; you shall have the choice of your own trees on which to hang," cried the colonel.
a shaky motion
From this reading "No, no; mercy!" gasped the trembling man, dropping on his knees; "for my child's sake--for Heaven's sake--spare me!"
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Yes; you shall have the choice of your own trees on which to hang," cried the colonel.
an affirmative
From this reading Yes; you shall have the choice of your own trees on which to hang," cried the colonel.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Yes; you shall have the choice of your own trees on which to hang," cried the colonel.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Yes; you shall have the choice of your own trees on which to hang," cried the colonel.
Chapter 12 of Crown and Sceptre: A West Country Story by George Manville Fenn holds 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 401 sentences of Crown and Sceptre: A West Country Story, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Crown and Sceptre: A West Country Story by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Crown and Sceptre: A West Country Story by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8511 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23382 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23382, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1703 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Crown and Sceptre: A West Country Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Crown and Sceptre: A West Country Story 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 Crown and Sceptre: A West Country Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
