Chapter 12 of Dodo: A Detail of the Day. Volumes 1 and 2 is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Dodo: A Detail of the Day. Volumes 1 and 2 is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Dodo applied the toe of a muddy shoe to Jack's calf. "Now, I've dirtied your pretty stockings," she said. "Serves you right for proposing to me. How dare you, you nasty brute!" Jack made a grab at her foot, and made his fingers dirty.
Chapter 12 of Dodo: A Detail of the Day. Volumes 1 and 2 is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
young of domestic cattle
From this reading “Dodo applied the toe of a muddy shoe to Jack's calf.”
someone whose style is out of fashion
From this reading “Dodo applied the toe of a muddy shoe to Jack's calf.”
take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of
From this reading “Jack made a grab at her foot, and made his fingers dirty.”
possessive form of “jack” — a small worthless amount
From this reading “Dodo applied the toe of a muddy shoe to Jack's calf.”
(of soil) soft and watery
From this reading “Dodo applied the toe of a muddy shoe to Jack's calf.”
-ing form of “propose” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “"Serves you right for proposing to me.”
plural of “serve” — (sports) a stroke that puts the ball in play
From this reading “"Serves you right for proposing to me.”
one of the digits of the foot
From this reading “Dodo applied the toe of a muddy shoe to Jack's calf.”
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.
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 Dodo applied the toe of a muddy shoe to Jack's calf.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Jack made a grab at her foot, and made his fingers dirty.
concerned with concrete problems or data rather than with fundamental principles
From this reading Dodo applied the toe of a muddy shoe to Jack's calf.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Jack made a grab at her foot, and made his fingers dirty.
a cruelly rapacious person
From this reading How dare you, you nasty brute!"
young of domestic cattle
From this reading Dodo applied the toe of a muddy shoe to Jack's calf.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading How dare you, you nasty brute!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now, I've dirtied your pretty stockings," she said.
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading Jack made a grab at her foot, and made his fingers dirty.
someone whose style is out of fashion
From this reading Dodo applied the toe of a muddy shoe to Jack's calf.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading Jack made a grab at her foot, and made his fingers dirty.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Jack made a grab at her foot, and made his fingers dirty.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Serves you right for proposing to me.
take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of
From this reading Jack made a grab at her foot, and made his fingers dirty.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Jack made a grab at her foot, and made his fingers dirty.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Jack made a grab at her foot, and made his fingers dirty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How dare you, you nasty brute!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now, I've dirtied your pretty stockings," she said.
a small worthless amount
From this reading Jack made a grab at her foot, and made his fingers dirty.
possessive form of “jack” — a small worthless amount
From this reading Dodo applied the toe of a muddy shoe to Jack's calf.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Jack made a grab at her foot, and made his fingers dirty.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Serves you right for proposing to me.
(of soil) soft and watery
From this reading Dodo applied the toe of a muddy shoe to Jack's calf.
offensive or even (of persons) malicious
From this reading How dare you, you nasty brute!"
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now, I've dirtied your pretty stockings," she said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Dodo applied the toe of a muddy shoe to Jack's calf.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading "Now, I've dirtied your pretty stockings," she said.
-ing form of “propose” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading "Serves you right for proposing to me.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "Serves you right for proposing to me.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Now, I've dirtied your pretty stockings," she said.
plural of “serve” — (sports) a stroke that puts the ball in play
From this reading "Serves you right for proposing to me.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Now, I've dirtied your pretty stockings," she said.
footwear shaped to fit the foot (below the ankle) with a flexible upper of leather or plastic and a sole and heel of heavier material
From this reading Dodo applied the toe of a muddy shoe to Jack's calf.
plural of “stocking” — close-fitting hosiery to cover the foot and leg; come in matched pairs (usually used in the plural)
From this reading "Now, I've dirtied your pretty stockings," she said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Dodo applied the toe of a muddy shoe to Jack's calf.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Dodo applied the toe of a muddy shoe to Jack's calf.
one of the digits of the foot
From this reading Dodo applied the toe of a muddy shoe to Jack's calf.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Serves you right for proposing to me.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Now, I've dirtied your pretty stockings," she said.
Chapter 12 of Dodo: A Detail of the Day. Volumes 1 and 2 by E. F. (Edward Frederic) Benson holds 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 429 sentences of Dodo: A Detail of the Day. Volumes 1 and 2, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Dodo: A Detail of the Day. Volumes 1 and 2 by E. F. (Edward Frederic) Benson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Dodo: A Detail of the Day. Volumes 1 and 2 by E. F. (Edward Frederic) Benson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5926 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44486 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44486, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 493 minutes of reading across 1186 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dodo: A Detail of the Day. Volumes 1 and 2 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Dodo: A Detail of the Day. Volumes 1 and 2 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 Dodo: A Detail of the Day. Volumes 1 and 2, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
