Chapter 12 of Love Among the Chickens is here in full — 238 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Love Among the Chickens is here in full — 238 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart. This business wants bucking up. We don't seem to be making headway. Why it is, I don't know, but we are _not_ making headway. Of course, what we want is time.
Chapter 12 of Love Among the Chickens is here in full — 238 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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.
-ing form of “buck” — to strive with determination
From this reading “This business wants bucking up.”
a heavy open wagon usually having two wheels and drawn by an animal
From this reading “A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.”
a body serving in an administrative capacity
From this reading “A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.”
vertical space available to allow easy passage under something
From this reading “We don't seem to be making headway.”
a boy or man
From this reading “A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.”
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “We don't seem to be making headway.”
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading “This business wants bucking up.”
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading “A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.”
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 COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
-ing form of “buck” — to strive with determination
From this reading This business wants bucking up.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading This business wants bucking up.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Why it is, I don't know, but we are _not_ making headway.
a heavy open wagon usually having two wheels and drawn by an animal
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
a body serving in an administrative capacity
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Of course, what we want is time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We don't seem to be making headway.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
vertical space available to allow easy passage under something
From this reading We don't seem to be making headway.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Why it is, I don't know, but we are _not_ making headway.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Why it is, I don't know, but we are _not_ making headway.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Why it is, I don't know, but we are _not_ making headway.
a boy or man
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading We don't seem to be making headway.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Why it is, I don't know, but we are _not_ making headway.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading We don't seem to be making headway.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This business wants bucking up.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Of course, what we want is time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We don't seem to be making headway.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading This business wants bucking up.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading Of course, what we want is time.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading This business wants bucking up.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading A COUNCIL OF WAR "The fact is," said Ukridge, "if things go on as they are now, my lad, we shall be in the cart.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Of course, what we want is time.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why it is, I don't know, but we are _not_ making headway.
Chapter 12 of Love Among the Chickens by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse holds 238 sentences, grouped into 48 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 238 sentences of Love Among the Chickens, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Love Among the Chickens by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 238 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 Love Among the Chickens by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4055 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3829 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3829, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 337 minutes of reading across 811 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Love Among the Chickens section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Love Among the Chickens 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 Love Among the Chickens, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
