Chapter 12 of Norston's Rest is here in full — 229 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Norston's Rest is here in full — 229 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BOTH HUSBAND AND FATHER. The two girls stood up and listened. The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father. She had not the courage to cry out now. It seemed as if some one were coming to take that precious charge from her forever.
Chapter 12 of Norston's Rest is here in full — 229 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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 quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading “She had not the courage to cry out now.”
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading “The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.”
for a limitless time
From this reading “It seemed as if some one were coming to take that precious charge from her forever.”
characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for
From this reading “It seemed as if some one were coming to take that precious charge from her forever.”
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading “The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.”
a descent as through liquid (especially through water)
From this reading “The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.”
in a swift manner
From this reading “The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.”
put down or press the foot, place the foot
From this reading “The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.”
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 “The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.”
make oneself visible; take action
In this reading “The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.”
utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
In this reading “She had not the courage to cry out now.”
In this reading “The two girls stood up and listened.”
In this reading “The two girls stood up and listened.”
In this reading “The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.”
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 The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading BOTH HUSBAND AND FATHER.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It seemed as if some one were coming to take that precious charge from her forever.
the two together, not just one
From this reading BOTH HUSBAND AND FATHER.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading It seemed as if some one were coming to take that precious charge from her forever.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading It seemed as if some one were coming to take that precious charge from her forever.
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading She had not the courage to cry out now.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading She had not the courage to cry out now.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading BOTH HUSBAND AND FATHER.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.
for a limitless time
From this reading It seemed as if some one were coming to take that precious charge from her forever.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It seemed as if some one were coming to take that precious charge from her forever.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading The two girls stood up and listened.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had not the courage to cry out now.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading BOTH HUSBAND AND FATHER.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It seemed as if some one were coming to take that precious charge from her forever.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed as if some one were coming to take that precious charge from her forever.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading The two girls stood up and listened.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She had not the courage to cry out now.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading She had not the courage to cry out now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It seemed as if some one were coming to take that precious charge from her forever.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading She had not the courage to cry out now.
characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for
From this reading It seemed as if some one were coming to take that precious charge from her forever.
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed as if some one were coming to take that precious charge from her forever.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had not the courage to cry out now.
a descent as through liquid (especially through water)
From this reading The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It seemed as if some one were coming to take that precious charge from her forever.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The two girls stood up and listened.
in a swift manner
From this reading The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.
carry out
From this reading It seemed as if some one were coming to take that precious charge from her forever.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It seemed as if some one were coming to take that precious charge from her forever.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The two girls stood up and listened.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She had not the courage to cry out now.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.
put down or press the foot, place the foot
From this reading The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The two girls stood up and listened.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The two girls stood up and listened.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It seemed as if some one were coming to take that precious charge from her forever.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The footsteps came forward swiftly, and with a light touch of the ground; too light, Ruth felt, with a sinking heart, for the heavy tread of her father.
Chapter 12 of Norston's Rest by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens holds 229 sentences, grouped into 46 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 229 sentences of Norston's Rest, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Norston's Rest by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 229 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 Norston's Rest by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7911 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37168 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37168, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1583 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Norston's Rest section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Norston's Rest 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 Norston's Rest, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
