Chapter 12 of First Plays is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of First Plays is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BELINDA. All my friends call me Belinda. BAXTER. As between myself and Mr. Devenish the case is somewhat different. Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
Chapter 12 of First Plays is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
remote in manner
From this reading “Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.”
an occurrence of something
From this reading “As between myself and Mr. Devenish the case is somewhat different.”
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading “As between myself and Mr. Devenish the case is somewhat different.”
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading “Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.”
capable of happening or existing
From this reading “Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.”
a search for an alternative that meets cognitive criteria
From this reading “Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.”
to a small degree or extent
From this reading “As between myself and Mr. Devenish the case is somewhat different.”
having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome
From this reading “Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.”
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.
(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 All my friends call me Belinda.
remote in manner
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As between myself and Mr. Devenish the case is somewhat different.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As between myself and Mr. Devenish the case is somewhat different.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BAXTER.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BELINDA.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading As between myself and Mr. Devenish the case is somewhat different.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading All my friends call me Belinda.
an occurrence of something
From this reading As between myself and Mr. Devenish the case is somewhat different.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As between myself and Mr. Devenish the case is somewhat different.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading As between myself and Mr. Devenish the case is somewhat different.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading All my friends call me Belinda.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As between myself and Mr. Devenish the case is somewhat different.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading All my friends call me Belinda.
a form of address for a man
From this reading As between myself and Mr. Devenish the case is somewhat different.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading All my friends call me Belinda.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading As between myself and Mr. Devenish the case is somewhat different.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
above and across; more than
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
a search for an alternative that meets cognitive criteria
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading As between myself and Mr. Devenish the case is somewhat different.
having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As between myself and Mr. Devenish the case is somewhat different.
up to a particular time
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Until one of us is successful over the other in the quest upon which you have sent us, I feel that as far as possible we should hold aloof from you.
Chapter 12 of First Plays by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of First Plays, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of First Plays by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 First Plays by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5418 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7805 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7805, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 451 minutes of reading across 1084 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through First Plays section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of First Plays 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 First Plays, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
