Chapter 12 of Graustark is here in full — 405 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 Graustark is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“This carriage travels on most urgent business for Her Royal Highness, captain. It is not to be stopped.” A moment later he was inside and the door slammed. The carriage rocked as Quinnox swung up beside the driver. “You may as well be comfortable,” said Lorry's companion, as he sat rigid and restless.
Chapter 12 of Graustark is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
the operator of a motor vehicle
From this reading “The carriage rocked as Quinnox swung up beside the driver.”
(Your Highness or His Highness or Her Highness) title used to address a royal person
From this reading ““This carriage travels on most urgent business for Her Royal Highness, captain.”
worried and uneasy
From this reading ““You may as well be comfortable,” said Lorry's companion, as he sat rigid and restless.”
incapable of or resistant to bending
From this reading ““You may as well be comfortable,” said Lorry's companion, as he sat rigid and restless.”
past form of “rock” — move back and forth or sideways
From this reading “The carriage rocked as Quinnox swung up beside the driver.”
inflected form of “slam” — close violently
From this reading “A moment later he was inside and the door slammed.”
plural of “travel” — the act of going from one place to another
From this reading ““This carriage travels on most urgent business for Her Royal Highness, captain.”
compelling immediate action
From this reading ““This carriage travels on most urgent business for Her Royal Highness, captain.”
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 A moment later he was inside and the door slammed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A moment later he was inside and the door slammed.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The carriage rocked as Quinnox swung up beside the driver.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It is not to be stopped.”
next to; at the side of
From this reading The carriage rocked as Quinnox swung up beside the driver.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading “This carriage travels on most urgent business for Her Royal Highness, captain.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading “This carriage travels on most urgent business for Her Royal Highness, captain.
a railcar where passengers ride
From this reading “This carriage travels on most urgent business for Her Royal Highness, captain.
providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)
From this reading “You may as well be comfortable,” said Lorry's companion, as he sat rigid and restless.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading “You may as well be comfortable,” said Lorry's companion, as he sat rigid and restless.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading A moment later he was inside and the door slammed.
the operator of a motor vehicle
From this reading The carriage rocked as Quinnox swung up beside the driver.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “This carriage travels on most urgent business for Her Royal Highness, captain.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A moment later he was inside and the door slammed.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “This carriage travels on most urgent business for Her Royal Highness, captain.
(Your Highness or His Highness or Her Highness) title used to address a royal person
From this reading “This carriage travels on most urgent business for Her Royal Highness, captain.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading A moment later he was inside and the door slammed.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is not to be stopped.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is not to be stopped.”
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading A moment later he was inside and the door slammed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You may as well be comfortable,” said Lorry's companion, as he sat rigid and restless.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “You may as well be comfortable,” said Lorry's companion, as he sat rigid and restless.
a particular point in time
From this reading A moment later he was inside and the door slammed.
used to form the superlative
From this reading “This carriage travels on most urgent business for Her Royal Highness, captain.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It is not to be stopped.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “This carriage travels on most urgent business for Her Royal Highness, captain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The carriage rocked as Quinnox swung up beside the driver.
worried and uneasy
From this reading “You may as well be comfortable,” said Lorry's companion, as he sat rigid and restless.
incapable of or resistant to bending
From this reading “You may as well be comfortable,” said Lorry's companion, as he sat rigid and restless.
past form of “rock” — move back and forth or sideways
From this reading The carriage rocked as Quinnox swung up beside the driver.
of or relating to or indicative of or issued or performed by a king or queen or other monarch
From this reading “This carriage travels on most urgent business for Her Royal Highness, captain.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You may as well be comfortable,” said Lorry's companion, as he sat rigid and restless.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading “You may as well be comfortable,” said Lorry's companion, as he sat rigid and restless.
inflected form of “slam” — close violently
From this reading A moment later he was inside and the door slammed.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading It is not to be stopped.”
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading The carriage rocked as Quinnox swung up beside the driver.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A moment later he was inside and the door slammed.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “This carriage travels on most urgent business for Her Royal Highness, captain.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It is not to be stopped.”
plural of “travel” — the act of going from one place to another
From this reading “This carriage travels on most urgent business for Her Royal Highness, captain.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The carriage rocked as Quinnox swung up beside the driver.
compelling immediate action
From this reading “This carriage travels on most urgent business for Her Royal Highness, captain.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A moment later he was inside and the door slammed.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “You may as well be comfortable,” said Lorry's companion, as he sat rigid and restless.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You may as well be comfortable,” said Lorry's companion, as he sat rigid and restless.
Chapter 12 of Graustark by George Barr McCutcheon holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 405 sentences of Graustark, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Graustark by George Barr McCutcheon exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 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 Graustark by George Barr McCutcheon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6508 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5142 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5142, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 542 minutes of reading across 1302 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Graustark section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Graustark 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 Graustark, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
