Chapter 12 of Minerva's Manoeuvres is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Minerva's Manoeuvres is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE HORSE IN THE KITCHEN. “NOW, I’ll tell Mis. Vernon, if you do dem tricks. Stop.” “Why, he’s perfectly harmless, Minerva.
Chapter 12 of Minerva's Manoeuvres is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
not causing or capable of causing harm
From this reading ““Why, he’s perfectly harmless, Minerva.”
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading “THE HORSE IN THE KITCHEN.”
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading “THE HORSE IN THE KITCHEN.”
(Roman mythology) goddess of wisdom; counterpart of Greek Athena
From this reading ““Why, he’s perfectly harmless, Minerva.”
plural of “mi” — destruction of heart tissue resulting from obstruction of the blood supply to the heart muscle
From this reading ““NOW, I’ll tell Mis.”
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading ““Why, he’s perfectly harmless, Minerva.”
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading “Stop.””
plural of “trick” — a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading “Vernon, if you do dem tricks.”
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.
In this reading ““Why, he’s perfectly harmless, Minerva.”
In this reading “THE HORSE IN THE KITCHEN.”
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 Vernon, if you do dem tricks.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Vernon, if you do dem tricks.
not causing or capable of causing harm
From this reading “Why, he’s perfectly harmless, Minerva.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why, he’s perfectly harmless, Minerva.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading THE HORSE IN THE KITCHEN.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “NOW, I’ll tell Mis.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Vernon, if you do dem tricks.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE HORSE IN THE KITCHEN.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading THE HORSE IN THE KITCHEN.
(Roman mythology) goddess of wisdom; counterpart of Greek Athena
From this reading “Why, he’s perfectly harmless, Minerva.
plural of “mi” — destruction of heart tissue resulting from obstruction of the blood supply to the heart muscle
From this reading “NOW, I’ll tell Mis.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “NOW, I’ll tell Mis.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “Why, he’s perfectly harmless, Minerva.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading Stop.”
express in words
From this reading “NOW, I’ll tell Mis.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE HORSE IN THE KITCHEN.
plural of “trick” — a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading Vernon, if you do dem tricks.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Vernon, if you do dem tricks.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why, he’s perfectly harmless, Minerva.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Vernon, if you do dem tricks.
Chapter 12 of Minerva's Manoeuvres by Charles Battell Loomis holds 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 80 sentences of Minerva's Manoeuvres, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Minerva's Manoeuvres by Charles Battell Loomis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 Minerva's Manoeuvres by Charles Battell Loomis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4595 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56872 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56872, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 382 minutes of reading across 919 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Minerva's Manoeuvres section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of Minerva's Manoeuvres 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 Minerva's Manoeuvres, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
