Chapter 12 of It, and Other Stories is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of It, and Other Stories is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
As for me, I went back to my schooner feeling blue and lonely. I knew little about women and less about love. It didn't seem quite fair. For once I hated my profession--seed-gatherer to a body of scientific gentlemen whom I had never seen. Well, there's nothing so good for the blues as putting things in order.
Chapter 12 of It, and Other Stories is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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 type of folksong that originated among Black Americans at the beginning of the 20th century; has a melancholy sound from repeated use of blue notes
From this reading “Well, there's nothing so good for the blues as putting things in order.”
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading “For once I hated my profession--seed-gatherer to a body of scientific gentlemen whom I had never seen.”
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading “For once I hated my profession--seed-gatherer to a body of scientific gentlemen whom I had never seen.”
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading “As for me, I went back to my schooner feeling blue and lonely.”
the body of people in a learned occupation
From this reading “For once I hated my profession--seed-gatherer to a body of scientific gentlemen whom I had never seen.”
hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter
From this reading “Well, there's nothing so good for the blues as putting things in order.”
a large beer glass
From this reading “As for me, I went back to my schooner feeling blue and lonely.”
of or relating to the practice of science
From this reading “For once I hated my profession--seed-gatherer to a body of scientific gentlemen whom I had never seen.”
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 For once I hated my profession--seed-gatherer to a body of scientific gentlemen whom I had never seen.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I knew little about women and less about love.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As for me, I went back to my schooner feeling blue and lonely.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As for me, I went back to my schooner feeling blue and lonely.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading As for me, I went back to my schooner feeling blue and lonely.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading As for me, I went back to my schooner feeling blue and lonely.
a type of folksong that originated among Black Americans at the beginning of the 20th century; has a melancholy sound from repeated use of blue notes
From this reading Well, there's nothing so good for the blues as putting things in order.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading For once I hated my profession--seed-gatherer to a body of scientific gentlemen whom I had never seen.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It didn't seem quite fair.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading It didn't seem quite fair.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading As for me, I went back to my schooner feeling blue and lonely.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading As for me, I went back to my schooner feeling blue and lonely.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading For once I hated my profession--seed-gatherer to a body of scientific gentlemen whom I had never seen.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Well, there's nothing so good for the blues as putting things in order.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For once I hated my profession--seed-gatherer to a body of scientific gentlemen whom I had never seen.
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading For once I hated my profession--seed-gatherer to a body of scientific gentlemen whom I had never seen.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading As for me, I went back to my schooner feeling blue and lonely.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Well, there's nothing so good for the blues as putting things in order.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It didn't seem quite fair.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I knew little about women and less about love.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading I knew little about women and less about love.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I knew little about women and less about love.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading As for me, I went back to my schooner feeling blue and lonely.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading I knew little about women and less about love.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As for me, I went back to my schooner feeling blue and lonely.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading As for me, I went back to my schooner feeling blue and lonely.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading For once I hated my profession--seed-gatherer to a body of scientific gentlemen whom I had never seen.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Well, there's nothing so good for the blues as putting things in order.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For once I hated my profession--seed-gatherer to a body of scientific gentlemen whom I had never seen.
on one occasion
From this reading For once I hated my profession--seed-gatherer to a body of scientific gentlemen whom I had never seen.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading Well, there's nothing so good for the blues as putting things in order.
the body of people in a learned occupation
From this reading For once I hated my profession--seed-gatherer to a body of scientific gentlemen whom I had never seen.
hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter
From this reading Well, there's nothing so good for the blues as putting things in order.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading It didn't seem quite fair.
a large beer glass
From this reading As for me, I went back to my schooner feeling blue and lonely.
of or relating to the practice of science
From this reading For once I hated my profession--seed-gatherer to a body of scientific gentlemen whom I had never seen.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For once I hated my profession--seed-gatherer to a body of scientific gentlemen whom I had never seen.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It didn't seem quite fair.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading For once I hated my profession--seed-gatherer to a body of scientific gentlemen whom I had never seen.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Well, there's nothing so good for the blues as putting things in order.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Well, there's nothing so good for the blues as putting things in order.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, there's nothing so good for the blues as putting things in order.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Well, there's nothing so good for the blues as putting things in order.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As for me, I went back to my schooner feeling blue and lonely.
(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 Well, there's nothing so good for the blues as putting things in order.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading As for me, I went back to my schooner feeling blue and lonely.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading For once I hated my profession--seed-gatherer to a body of scientific gentlemen whom I had never seen.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading I knew little about women and less about love.
Chapter 12 of It, and Other Stories by Gouverneur Morris holds 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 438 sentences of It, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of It, and Other Stories by Gouverneur Morris exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 It, and Other Stories by Gouverneur Morris on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5163 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27934 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27934, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 430 minutes of reading across 1033 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through It, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of It, and Other Stories 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 It, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
