Chapter 12 of E. K. Means 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 E. K. Means is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Huh!” Shin grunted. “Dis worm is igernunt--he don’t know which way to go!” Shin watched him with intense curiosity. He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
Chapter 12 of E. K. Means 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.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.”
(Roman mythology) god of the underworld; counterpart of Greek Hades
From this reading ““Dis worm is igernunt--he don’t know which way to go!””
past form of “grunt” — issue a grunting, low, animal-like noise
From this reading “Shin grunted.”
plural of “push” — the act of applying force in order to move something away
From this reading “He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.”
the front part of the human leg between the knee and the ankle
From this reading “Shin grunted.”
plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder
From this reading “He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.”
draw into the mouth by creating a practical vacuum in the mouth
From this reading “He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.”
any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae
From this reading ““Dis worm is igernunt--he don’t know which way to go!””
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 “Shin watched him with intense curiosity.”
take and lift upward
In this reading “He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.”
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 He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
(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 He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
a state in which you want to learn more about something
From this reading Shin watched him with intense curiosity.
(Roman mythology) god of the underworld; counterpart of Greek Hades
From this reading “Dis worm is igernunt--he don’t know which way to go!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Dis worm is igernunt--he don’t know which way to go!”
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Dis worm is igernunt--he don’t know which way to go!”
past form of “grunt” — issue a grunting, low, animal-like noise
From this reading Shin grunted.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Dis worm is igernunt--he don’t know which way to go!”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Shin watched him with intense curiosity.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Huh!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Dis worm is igernunt--he don’t know which way to go!”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree
From this reading Shin watched him with intense curiosity.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Dis worm is igernunt--he don’t know which way to go!”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Dis worm is igernunt--he don’t know which way to go!”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
plural of “push” — the act of applying force in order to move something away
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
the front part of the human leg between the knee and the ankle
From this reading Shin grunted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
draw into the mouth by creating a practical vacuum in the mouth
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
(of flora or fauna) likely in the near future to become endangered
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Dis worm is igernunt--he don’t know which way to go!”
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He picked up a straw and gave him little pushes to assist his progress, then he suddenly took a breath which threatened to suck in all the air in the stable-yard.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading Shin watched him with intense curiosity.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “Dis worm is igernunt--he don’t know which way to go!”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “Dis worm is igernunt--he don’t know which way to go!”
in the company of; together with
From this reading Shin watched him with intense curiosity.
any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae
From this reading “Dis worm is igernunt--he don’t know which way to go!”
Chapter 12 of E. K. Means by E. K. (Eldred Kurtz) Means 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 E. K. Means, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of E. K. Means by E. K. (Eldred Kurtz) Means 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 E. K. Means by E. K. (Eldred Kurtz) Means on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6536 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59121 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59121, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 544 minutes of reading across 1308 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through E. K. Means section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of E. K. Means 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 E. K. Means, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
