Chapter 12 of Martha By-the-Day is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Martha By-the-Day is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Hullo, Martha!" said Radcliffe. Mrs. Slawson bowed profoundly. "Hullo yourself! I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance. You ain't fell away none, on account of my not bein' here."
Chapter 12 of Martha By-the-Day is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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 record or narrative description of past events
From this reading “You ain't fell away none, on account of my not bein' here."”
an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
From this reading “I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.”
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading “I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.”
of a stringed instrument; sounded by stroking with a bow
From this reading “Mrs. Slawson bowed profoundly.”
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading “I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.”
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading “Mrs. Slawson bowed profoundly.”
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading “I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.”
the least favorable outcome
From this reading “I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.”
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 I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading You ain't fell away none, on account of my not bein' here."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading You ain't fell away none, on account of my not bein' here."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You ain't fell away none, on account of my not bein' here."
of a stringed instrument; sounded by stroking with a bow
From this reading Mrs. Slawson bowed profoundly.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading You ain't fell away none, on account of my not bein' here."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading You ain't fell away none, on account of my not bein' here."
an expression of greeting
From this reading "Hullo, Martha!" said Radcliffe.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hullo, Martha!" said Radcliffe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Slawson bowed profoundly.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
not any; not one
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
not one, and not any
From this reading You ain't fell away none, on account of my not bein' here."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading You ain't fell away none, on account of my not bein' here."
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading You ain't fell away none, on account of my not bein' here."
the time that has elapsed
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading Mrs. Slawson bowed profoundly.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hullo, Martha!" said Radcliffe.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Hullo, Martha!" said Radcliffe.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Slawson bowed profoundly.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
the least favorable outcome
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
but in spite of that
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I ain't had the pleasure of meetin' you for quite some time past, an' yet I notice my absents ain't made no serious alteration for the worst in your appearance.
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading "Hullo yourself!
Chapter 12 of Martha By-the-Day by Julie M. Lippmann holds 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 148 sentences of Martha By-the-Day, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Martha By-the-Day by Julie M. Lippmann exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Martha By-the-Day by Julie M. Lippmann on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2699 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14854 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14854, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 224 minutes of reading across 540 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Martha By-the-Day section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Martha By-the-Day 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 Martha By-the-Day, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
