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Esther Waters
Esther Waters

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of Esther Waters is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Esther Waters
Context Illustration Reading 1/80 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"No, it was right enough! she had got dead sick of me, and I had got dead sick of her.
It never did seem natural like.
There was no 'omeliness in it, and a marriage that ain't 'omely is no marriage for me.
Her friends weren't my friends; and as for my friends, she never left off insulting me about them.
If I was to ask a chap in she wouldn't sit in the same room with him.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Esther Waters

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of Esther Waters 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

Line 1
"No, it was right enough! she had got dead sick of me, and I had got dead sick of her.
/noʊ ɪt wɑːz raɪt ɪˈnʌf ʃiː hæd ɡɑːt ded sɪk ʌv miː ənd aɪ hæd ɡɑːt ded sɪk ʌv hɜːr/
Line 2
It never did seem natural like.
/ɪt ˈnevər dɪd siːm ˈnætʃərəl laɪk/
Line 3
There was no 'omeliness in it, and a marriage that ain't 'omely is no marriage for me.
Line 4
Her friends weren't my friends; and as for my friends, she never left off insulting me about them.
Line 5
If I was to ask a chap in she wouldn't sit in the same room with him.

Learner Dictionary

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.

ask verb US /æsk/

make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading “If I was to ask a chap in she wouldn't sit in the same room with him.”

chap noun US /tʃæp/

a boy or man

From this reading “If I was to ask a chap in she wouldn't sit in the same room with him.”

insulting adjective US /ˌɪnˈsʌltɪŋ/

expressing extreme contempt

From this reading “Her friends weren't my friends; and as for my friends, she never left off insulting me about them.”

marriage noun US /ˈmerɪdʒ/

the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)

From this reading “There was no 'omeliness in it, and a marriage that ain't 'omely is no marriage for me.”

natural adjective US /ˈnætʃərəl/

in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature

From this reading “It never did seem natural like.”

seem verb US /siːm/

give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading “It never did seem natural like.”

sick adjective US /sɪk/

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading “"No, it was right enough! she had got dead sick of me, and I had got dead sick of her.”

sit verb US /sɪt/

be seated

From this reading “If I was to ask a chap in she wouldn't sit in the same room with him.”

All words in this reading · 50

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading There was no 'omeliness in it, and a marriage that ain't 'omely is no marriage for me.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Her friends weren't my friends; and as for my friends, she never left off insulting me about them.

ain't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There was no 'omeliness in it, and a marriage that ain't 'omely is no marriage for me.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading "No, it was right enough! she had got dead sick of me, and I had got dead sick of her.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Her friends weren't my friends; and as for my friends, she never left off insulting me about them.

askverbUS /æsk/

make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading If I was to ask a chap in she wouldn't sit in the same room with him.

chapnounUS /tʃæp/

a boy or man

From this reading If I was to ask a chap in she wouldn't sit in the same room with him.

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading "No, it was right enough! she had got dead sick of me, and I had got dead sick of her.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading It never did seem natural like.

enoughnounUS /ɪˈnʌf/

an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose

From this reading "No, it was right enough! she had got dead sick of me, and I had got dead sick of her.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading There was no 'omeliness in it, and a marriage that ain't 'omely is no marriage for me.

friendsnounUS /frendz/

plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading Her friends weren't my friends; and as for my friends, she never left off insulting me about them.

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading "No, it was right enough! she had got dead sick of me, and I had got dead sick of her.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading "No, it was right enough! she had got dead sick of me, and I had got dead sick of her.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading "No, it was right enough! she had got dead sick of me, and I had got dead sick of her.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading If I was to ask a chap in she wouldn't sit in the same room with him.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "No, it was right enough! she had got dead sick of me, and I had got dead sick of her.

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If I was to ask a chap in she wouldn't sit in the same room with him.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading There was no 'omeliness in it, and a marriage that ain't 'omely is no marriage for me.

insultingadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈsʌltɪŋ/

expressing extreme contempt

From this reading Her friends weren't my friends; and as for my friends, she never left off insulting me about them.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading There was no 'omeliness in it, and a marriage that ain't 'omely is no marriage for me.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "No, it was right enough! she had got dead sick of me, and I had got dead sick of her.

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading Her friends weren't my friends; and as for my friends, she never left off insulting me about them.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading It never did seem natural like.

marriagenounUS /ˈmerɪdʒ/

the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)

From this reading There was no 'omeliness in it, and a marriage that ain't 'omely is no marriage for me.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "No, it was right enough! she had got dead sick of me, and I had got dead sick of her.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Her friends weren't my friends; and as for my friends, she never left off insulting me about them.

naturaladjectiveUS /ˈnætʃərəl/

in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature

From this reading It never did seem natural like.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading It never did seem natural like.

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "No, it was right enough! she had got dead sick of me, and I had got dead sick of her.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "No, it was right enough! she had got dead sick of me, and I had got dead sick of her.

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading Her friends weren't my friends; and as for my friends, she never left off insulting me about them.

omeliness

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There was no 'omeliness in it, and a marriage that ain't 'omely is no marriage for me.

omely

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There was no 'omeliness in it, and a marriage that ain't 'omely is no marriage for me.

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading "No, it was right enough! she had got dead sick of me, and I had got dead sick of her.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading If I was to ask a chap in she wouldn't sit in the same room with him.

sameadjectiveUS /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

From this reading If I was to ask a chap in she wouldn't sit in the same room with him.

seemverbUS /siːm/

give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading It never did seem natural like.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "No, it was right enough! she had got dead sick of me, and I had got dead sick of her.

sickadjectiveUS /sɪk/

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading "No, it was right enough! she had got dead sick of me, and I had got dead sick of her.

sitverbUS /sɪt/

be seated

From this reading If I was to ask a chap in she wouldn't sit in the same room with him.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading There was no 'omeliness in it, and a marriage that ain't 'omely is no marriage for me.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading If I was to ask a chap in she wouldn't sit in the same room with him.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Her friends weren't my friends; and as for my friends, she never left off insulting me about them.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There was no 'omeliness in it, and a marriage that ain't 'omely is no marriage for me.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading If I was to ask a chap in she wouldn't sit in the same room with him.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "No, it was right enough! she had got dead sick of me, and I had got dead sick of her.

weren't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her friends weren't my friends; and as for my friends, she never left off insulting me about them.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading If I was to ask a chap in she wouldn't sit in the same room with him.

wouldn't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading If I was to ask a chap in she wouldn't sit in the same room with him.

Chapter 12 of Esther Waters by George Moore 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.

What does chapter 12 of Esther Waters contain?

Chapter 12 holds 401 sentences of Esther Waters, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of Esther Waters by George Moore 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.

How do I study chapter 12 of Esther Waters?

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.

Can chapter 12 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Esther Waters

Common questions about reading Esther Waters by George Moore on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Esther Waters?

Yes. All 8819 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8157 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Esther Waters is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #8157, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Esther Waters take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1764 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Esther Waters section by section

How to work through Esther Waters section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 22 chapters of Esther Waters to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Esther Waters

Words and structures a reader meets early in Esther Waters, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Stood
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Esther Waters; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Platform
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Esther Waters; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Watching
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Esther Waters; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Receding
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Esther Waters; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.