Chapter 12 of Her own people is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Her own people is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Was there a lower depth than she had touched? Her grandmother! Verona heard the word with dismay. Had she not yet reached the bottom of the abyss? Once upon a time she could claim no relations, but now their number was seemingly legion.
Chapter 12 of Her own people is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
a bottomless gulf or pit; any unfathomable (or apparently unfathomable) cavity or chasm or void extending below (often used figuratively)
From this reading “Had she not yet reached the bottom of the abyss?”
the extent downward or backward or inward
From this reading “Was there a lower depth than she had touched?”
the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
From this reading “Verona heard the word with dismay.”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “Her grandmother!”
archaic terms for army
From this reading “Once upon a time she could claim no relations, but now their number was seemingly legion.”
mutual dealings or connections or communications among persons or groups
From this reading “Once upon a time she could claim no relations, but now their number was seemingly legion.”
from appearances alone
From this reading “Once upon a time she could claim no relations, but now their number was seemingly legion.”
a city in Veneto on the River Adige
From this reading “Verona heard the word with dismay.”
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 “Had she not yet reached the bottom of the abyss?”
In this reading “Verona heard the word with dismay.”
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 Was there a lower depth than she had touched?
a bottomless gulf or pit; any unfathomable (or apparently unfathomable) cavity or chasm or void extending below (often used figuratively)
From this reading Had she not yet reached the bottom of the abyss?
the lower side of anything
From this reading Had she not yet reached the bottom of the abyss?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Once upon a time she could claim no relations, but now their number was seemingly legion.
an assertion of a right (as to money or property)
From this reading Once upon a time she could claim no relations, but now their number was seemingly legion.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Once upon a time she could claim no relations, but now their number was seemingly legion.
the extent downward or backward or inward
From this reading Was there a lower depth than she had touched?
the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
From this reading Verona heard the word with dismay.
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading Her grandmother!
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Was there a lower depth than she had touched?
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Verona heard the word with dismay.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her grandmother!
archaic terms for army
From this reading Once upon a time she could claim no relations, but now their number was seemingly legion.
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading Was there a lower depth than she had touched?
not any; not one
From this reading Once upon a time she could claim no relations, but now their number was seemingly legion.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Had she not yet reached the bottom of the abyss?
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Once upon a time she could claim no relations, but now their number was seemingly legion.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading Once upon a time she could claim no relations, but now their number was seemingly legion.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Had she not yet reached the bottom of the abyss?
on one occasion
From this reading Once upon a time she could claim no relations, but now their number was seemingly legion.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Had she not yet reached the bottom of the abyss?
mutual dealings or connections or communications among persons or groups
From this reading Once upon a time she could claim no relations, but now their number was seemingly legion.
from appearances alone
From this reading Once upon a time she could claim no relations, but now their number was seemingly legion.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Was there a lower depth than she had touched?
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Was there a lower depth than she had touched?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Verona heard the word with dismay.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Once upon a time she could claim no relations, but now their number was seemingly legion.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Was there a lower depth than she had touched?
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Once upon a time she could claim no relations, but now their number was seemingly legion.
having come into contact
From this reading Was there a lower depth than she had touched?
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Once upon a time she could claim no relations, but now their number was seemingly legion.
a city in Veneto on the River Adige
From this reading Verona heard the word with dismay.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Was there a lower depth than she had touched?
in the company of; together with
From this reading Verona heard the word with dismay.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Verona heard the word with dismay.
but in spite of that
From this reading Had she not yet reached the bottom of the abyss?
Chapter 12 of Her own people by B. M. (Bithia Mary) Croker holds 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 133 sentences of Her own people, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Her own people by B. M. (Bithia Mary) Croker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 Her own people by B. M. (Bithia Mary) Croker on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6130 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75402 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75402, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 510 minutes of reading across 1226 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Her own people section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Her own people 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 Her own people, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
