Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Mad Barbara is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Barbara!” The fever of doubt and of fear left her suddenly. “John!” “Can you help me?” “Yes; wait.”
Mad Barbara
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Mad Barbara is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
“Barbara!”
The
fever
of
doubt
and
of
fear
left
her
suddenly.
“John!”
“Can
you
help
me?”
“Yes;
wait.”
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Mad Barbara
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Mad Barbara is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Line 1
“Barbara!”
Line 2
The
fever
of
doubt
and
of
fear
left
her
suddenly.
/ðə ˈfiːvər ʌv daʊt ənd ʌv fɪr left hɜːr ˈsʌdənli/
Line 3
“John!”
/dʒɑːn/
Line 4
“Can
you
help
me?”
/kæn juː help miː/
Line 5
“Yes;
wait.”
/jes weɪt/
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.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading “The fever of doubt and of fear left her suddenly.”
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading “The fever of doubt and of fear left her suddenly.”
a rise in the temperature of the body; frequently a symptom of infection
From this reading “The fever of doubt and of fear left her suddenly.”
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading ““Can you help me?””
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading ““John!””
happening unexpectedly
From this reading “The fever of doubt and of fear left her suddenly.”
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading ““Yes; wait.””
an affirmative
From this reading ““Yes; wait.””
Word partnerships in these lines
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.
All words in this reading · 17
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The fever of doubt and of fear left her suddenly.
Barbara
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Barbara!”
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “Can you help me?”
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading The fever of doubt and of fear left her suddenly.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading The fever of doubt and of fear left her suddenly.
a rise in the temperature of the body; frequently a symptom of infection
From this reading The fever of doubt and of fear left her suddenly.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “Can you help me?”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The fever of doubt and of fear left her suddenly.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “John!”
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading The fever of doubt and of fear left her suddenly.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Can you help me?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The fever of doubt and of fear left her suddenly.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading The fever of doubt and of fear left her suddenly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The fever of doubt and of fear left her suddenly.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “Yes; wait.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes; wait.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Can you help me?”
Chapter 12 of Mad Barbara by Warwick Deeping holds 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 Mad Barbara contain?
Chapter 12 holds 396 sentences of Mad Barbara, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Mad Barbara by Warwick Deeping exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 396 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.
How do I study chapter 12 of Mad Barbara?
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.
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 Mad Barbara
Common questions about reading Mad Barbara by Warwick Deeping on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of Mad Barbara?
Yes. All 6545 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50995 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of Mad Barbara is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #50995, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does Mad Barbara take to read?
About 545 minutes of reading across 1309 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read Mad Barbara section by section
How to work through Mad Barbara section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Mad Barbara to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in Mad Barbara
Words and structures a reader meets early in Mad Barbara, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Author
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mad Barbara; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Bertrand
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mad Barbara; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Brittany
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mad Barbara; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Woman
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mad Barbara; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.