Chapter 12 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885) is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885) is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
***** To W. D. Howells, in Boston: HARTFORD, Jan. 8, '80. MY DEAR HOWELLS,--Am waiting for Patrick to come with the carriage. Mrs. Clemens and I are starting (without the children) to stay indefinitely in Elmira.
Chapter 12 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885) is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading “***** To W. D. Howells, in Boston:”
United States writer and humorist best known for his novels about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (1835-1910)
From this reading “Mrs. Clemens and I are starting (without the children) to stay indefinitely in Elmira.”
the state capital of Connecticut; located in central Connecticut on the Connecticut river; a center of the insurance business
From this reading “HARTFORD, Jan.”
United States writer and editor (1837-1920)
From this reading “***** To W. D. Howells, in Boston:”
to an indefinite extent; for an indefinite time
From this reading “Mrs. Clemens and I are starting (without the children) to stay indefinitely in Elmira.”
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading “HARTFORD, Jan.”
Apostle and patron saint of Ireland; an English missionary to Ireland in the 5th century
From this reading “MY DEAR HOWELLS,--Am waiting for Patrick to come with the carriage.”
(especially of eyes) bulging or protruding as with fear
From this reading “Mrs. Clemens and I are starting (without the children) to stay indefinitely in Elmira.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 8, '80.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 8, '80.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading MY DEAR HOWELLS,--Am waiting for Patrick to come with the carriage.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mrs. Clemens and I are starting (without the children) to stay indefinitely in Elmira.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Mrs. Clemens and I are starting (without the children) to stay indefinitely in Elmira.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading ***** To W. D. Howells, in Boston:
a railcar where passengers ride
From this reading MY DEAR HOWELLS,--Am waiting for Patrick to come with the carriage.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading Mrs. Clemens and I are starting (without the children) to stay indefinitely in Elmira.
United States writer and humorist best known for his novels about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (1835-1910)
From this reading Mrs. Clemens and I are starting (without the children) to stay indefinitely in Elmira.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading MY DEAR HOWELLS,--Am waiting for Patrick to come with the carriage.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading ***** To W. D. Howells, in Boston:
dearly loved
From this reading MY DEAR HOWELLS,--Am waiting for Patrick to come with the carriage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Clemens and I are starting (without the children) to stay indefinitely in Elmira.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading MY DEAR HOWELLS,--Am waiting for Patrick to come with the carriage.
the state capital of Connecticut; located in central Connecticut on the Connecticut river; a center of the insurance business
From this reading HARTFORD, Jan.
United States writer and editor (1837-1920)
From this reading ***** To W. D. Howells, in Boston:
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Mrs. Clemens and I are starting (without the children) to stay indefinitely in Elmira.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading ***** To W. D. Howells, in Boston:
to an indefinite extent; for an indefinite time
From this reading Mrs. Clemens and I are starting (without the children) to stay indefinitely in Elmira.
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading HARTFORD, Jan.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Clemens and I are starting (without the children) to stay indefinitely in Elmira.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading MY DEAR HOWELLS,--Am waiting for Patrick to come with the carriage.
Apostle and patron saint of Ireland; an English missionary to Ireland in the 5th century
From this reading MY DEAR HOWELLS,--Am waiting for Patrick to come with the carriage.
(especially of eyes) bulging or protruding as with fear
From this reading Mrs. Clemens and I are starting (without the children) to stay indefinitely in Elmira.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Mrs. Clemens and I are starting (without the children) to stay indefinitely in Elmira.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading MY DEAR HOWELLS,--Am waiting for Patrick to come with the carriage.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ***** To W. D. Howells, in Boston:
a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite
From this reading ***** To W. D. Howells, in Boston:
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading MY DEAR HOWELLS,--Am waiting for Patrick to come with the carriage.
in the company of; together with
From this reading MY DEAR HOWELLS,--Am waiting for Patrick to come with the carriage.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Mrs. Clemens and I are starting (without the children) to stay indefinitely in Elmira.
Chapter 12 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885) by Mark Twain holds 171 sentences, grouped into 35 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 171 sentences of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885), unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885) by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 171 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885) by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3348 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3195 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3195, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 279 minutes of reading across 670 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885) 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 Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 3 (1876-1885), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
