Chapter 12 of Life's Handicap is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Life's Handicap is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
‘No direct proof. A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle. Besides, some day I may need a man to smother up an accident to myself. Live and let live. Die and let die.’
Chapter 12 of Life's Handicap is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading “Besides, some day I may need a man to smother up an accident to myself.”
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading “A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.”
command with authority
From this reading “‘No direct proof.”
make a mess of, destroy or ruin
From this reading “A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.”
plural of “privilege” — a special advantage or immunity or benefit not enjoyed by all
From this reading “A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.”
any factual evidence that helps to establish the truth of something
From this reading “‘No direct proof.”
steal goods; take as spoils
From this reading “A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.”
envelop completely
From this reading “Besides, some day I may need a man to smother up an accident to myself.”
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 man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading Besides, some day I may need a man to smother up an accident to myself.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Besides, some day I may need a man to smother up an accident to myself.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Live and let live.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading Besides, some day I may need a man to smother up an accident to myself.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Besides, some day I may need a man to smother up an accident to myself.
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading Die and let die.’
command with authority
From this reading ‘No direct proof.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Besides, some day I may need a man to smother up an accident to myself.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Live and let live.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Live and let live.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Besides, some day I may need a man to smother up an accident to myself.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
make a mess of, destroy or ruin
From this reading A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading Besides, some day I may need a man to smother up an accident to myself.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading Besides, some day I may need a man to smother up an accident to myself.
not any; not one
From this reading ‘No direct proof.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
plural of “privilege” — a special advantage or immunity or benefit not enjoyed by all
From this reading A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
any factual evidence that helps to establish the truth of something
From this reading ‘No direct proof.
steal goods; take as spoils
From this reading A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
envelop completely
From this reading Besides, some day I may need a man to smother up an accident to myself.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Besides, some day I may need a man to smother up an accident to myself.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A man hasn’t many privileges in this country, but he might at least be allowed to mishandle his own rifle.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Besides, some day I may need a man to smother up an accident to myself.
Chapter 12 of Life's Handicap by Rudyard Kipling holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 400 sentences of Life's Handicap, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Life's Handicap by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Life's Handicap by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6414 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5777 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5777, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 534 minutes of reading across 1283 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Life's Handicap section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Life's Handicap 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 Life's Handicap, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
