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Hildegarde's Neighbors
Hildegarde's Neighbors

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of Hildegarde's Neighbors is here in full — 247 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Hildegarde's Neighbors
Context Illustration Reading 1/49 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
IN PERIL BY WATER.
"All aboard!" said Roger.
"Ay! ay!
Captain!" said Hildegarde, cheerily.
She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.
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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.

Hildegarde's Neighbors

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of Hildegarde's Neighbors is here in full — 247 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/49 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
IN PERIL BY WATER.
/ɪn ˈperəl baɪ ˈwɔːtər/
Line 2
"All aboard!" said Roger.
Line 3
"Ay! ay!
Line 4
Captain!" said Hildegarde, cheerily.
Line 5
She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.
/ʃiː ˈhændəd ɪn ðə ˈɡroʊsəriz wɪtʃ ðeɪ hæd bɑːt æt ðə ˈlɪtəl stɔːr hæf ə maɪl əˈweɪ stept ˈlaɪtli ˈɪntuː ðə ɪɡˈzækt ˈmɪdəl ʌv ðə kəˈnuː ənd sæŋk wɪð wʌn ˈmoʊʃən tuː hɜːr siːt/

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.

aboard adverb US /əˈbɔːrd/

on a ship, train, plane or other vehicle

From this reading “"All aboard!" said Roger.”

canoe noun US /kəˈnuː/

small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle

From this reading “She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.”

exact adjective US /ɪɡˈzækt/

Strictly particular and correct.

From this reading “She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.”

groceries noun US /ˈɡroʊsəriz/

plural of “grocery” — a marketplace where groceries are sold

From this reading “She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.”

handed adjective US /ˈhændəd/

having or involving the use of hands

From this reading “She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.”

lightly adverb US /ˈlaɪtli/

without good reason

From this reading “She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.”

motion noun US /ˈmoʊʃən/

the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals

From this reading “She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.”

peril noun US /ˈperəl/

a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune

From this reading “IN PERIL BY WATER.”

All words in this reading · 42

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 She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

aboardadverbUS /əˈbɔːrd/

on a ship, train, plane or other vehicle

From this reading "All aboard!" said Roger.

AlladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 aboard!" said Roger.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

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

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

Ay

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

From this reading "Ay! ay!

boughtverbUS /bɑːt/

inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

BYprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading IN PERIL BY WATER.

canoenounUS /kəˈnuː/

small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

CaptainnounUS /ˈkæptən/

an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

From this reading Captain!" said Hildegarde, cheerily.

cheerilyadverb

in a cheerful manner

From this reading Captain!" said Hildegarde, cheerily.

exactadjectiveUS /ɪɡˈzækt/

Strictly particular and correct.

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

groceriesnounUS /ˈɡroʊsəriz/

plural of “grocery” — a marketplace where groceries are sold

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

halfadjectiveUS /hæf/

consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

handedadjectiveUS /ˈhændəd/

having or involving the use of hands

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

Hildegarde

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

From this reading Captain!" said Hildegarde, cheerily.

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading IN PERIL BY WATER.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

lightlyadverbUS /ˈlaɪtli/

without good reason

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

middlenounUS /ˈmɪdəl/

an area that is approximately central within some larger region

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

milenounUS /maɪl/

a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

motionnounUS /ˈmoʊʃən/

the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

PERILnounUS /ˈperəl/

a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune

From this reading IN PERIL BY WATER.

Roger

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

From this reading "All aboard!" said Roger.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "All aboard!" said Roger.

sankverbUS /sæŋk/

inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

seatnounUS /siːt/

a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

steppedverbUS /stept/

inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

storenounUS /stɔːr/

a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

WATERnounUS /ˈwɔːtər/

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

From this reading IN PERIL BY WATER.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading She handed in the groceries which they had bought at the little store, half a mile away, stepped lightly into the exact middle of the canoe, and sank with one motion to her seat.

Chapter 12 of Hildegarde's Neighbors by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards holds 247 sentences, grouped into 50 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 Hildegarde's Neighbors contain?

Chapter 12 holds 247 sentences of Hildegarde's Neighbors, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of Hildegarde's Neighbors by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 247 sentences, grouped into 50 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 Hildegarde's Neighbors?

Work through the 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 50 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 Hildegarde's Neighbors

Common questions about reading Hildegarde's Neighbors by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Hildegarde's Neighbors?

Yes. All 2504 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5259 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Hildegarde's Neighbors is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #5259, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Hildegarde's Neighbors take to read?

About 208 minutes of reading across 501 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Hildegarde's Neighbors section by section

How to work through Hildegarde's Neighbors section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 15 chapters of Hildegarde's Neighbors 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 Hildegarde's Neighbors

Words and structures a reader meets early in Hildegarde's Neighbors, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Friends
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Hildegarde's Neighbors; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Indeed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Hildegarde's Neighbors; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Advent
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Hildegarde's Neighbors; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Neighbours
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Hildegarde's Neighbors; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.