Chapter 12 of Northwest! is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Northwest! is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Your father needs a useful man. Jimmy's steady on an awkward pitch, but sometimes he's rash. The others are raw boys. It looks as if I've got to hit the trail." "Frank is not a boy, and my father is a famous climber," Laura rejoined.
Chapter 12 of Northwest! is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
causing inconvenience
From this reading “Jimmy's steady on an awkward pitch, but sometimes he's rash.”
a vine or climbing plant that readily grows up a support or over other plants
From this reading “"Frank is not a boy, and my father is a famous climber," Laura rejoined.”
possessive form of “jimmy” — a short crowbar
From this reading “Jimmy's steady on an awkward pitch, but sometimes he's rash.”
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading “Jimmy's steady on an awkward pitch, but sometimes he's rash.”
any red eruption of the skin
From this reading “Jimmy's steady on an awkward pitch, but sometimes he's rash.”
(used especially of commodities) being unprocessed or manufactured using only simple or minimal processes
From this reading “The others are raw boys.”
past form of “rejoin” — join again
From this reading “"Frank is not a boy, and my father is a famous climber," Laura rejoined.”
being of use or service
From this reading “"Your father needs a useful man.”
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 “It looks as if I've got to hit the trail."”
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 "Your father needs a useful man.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Jimmy's steady on an awkward pitch, but sometimes he's rash.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Frank is not a boy, and my father is a famous climber," Laura rejoined.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The others are raw boys.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It looks as if I've got to hit the trail."
causing inconvenience
From this reading Jimmy's steady on an awkward pitch, but sometimes he's rash.
a youthful male person
From this reading "Frank is not a boy, and my father is a famous climber," Laura rejoined.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading The others are raw boys.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Jimmy's steady on an awkward pitch, but sometimes he's rash.
a vine or climbing plant that readily grows up a support or over other plants
From this reading "Frank is not a boy, and my father is a famous climber," Laura rejoined.
widely known and esteemed
From this reading "Frank is not a boy, and my father is a famous climber," Laura rejoined.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "Your father needs a useful man.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading "Frank is not a boy, and my father is a famous climber," Laura rejoined.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading It looks as if I've got to hit the trail."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jimmy's steady on an awkward pitch, but sometimes he's rash.
cause to move by striking
From this reading It looks as if I've got to hit the trail."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It looks as if I've got to hit the trail."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It looks as if I've got to hit the trail."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Frank is not a boy, and my father is a famous climber," Laura rejoined.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It looks as if I've got to hit the trail."
possessive form of “jimmy” — a short crowbar
From this reading Jimmy's steady on an awkward pitch, but sometimes he's rash.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Frank is not a boy, and my father is a famous climber," Laura rejoined.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading It looks as if I've got to hit the trail."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Your father needs a useful man.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Frank is not a boy, and my father is a famous climber," Laura rejoined.
in such a manner as could not be otherwise
From this reading "Your father needs a useful man.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Frank is not a boy, and my father is a famous climber," Laura rejoined.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Jimmy's steady on an awkward pitch, but sometimes he's rash.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The others are raw boys.
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading Jimmy's steady on an awkward pitch, but sometimes he's rash.
any red eruption of the skin
From this reading Jimmy's steady on an awkward pitch, but sometimes he's rash.
(used especially of commodities) being unprocessed or manufactured using only simple or minimal processes
From this reading The others are raw boys.
past form of “rejoin” — join again
From this reading "Frank is not a boy, and my father is a famous climber," Laura rejoined.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Jimmy's steady on an awkward pitch, but sometimes he's rash.
make steady
From this reading Jimmy's steady on an awkward pitch, but sometimes he's rash.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The others are raw boys.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It looks as if I've got to hit the trail."
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading It looks as if I've got to hit the trail."
being of use or service
From this reading "Your father needs a useful man.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Your father needs a useful man.
Chapter 12 of Northwest! by Harold Bindloss holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 409 sentences of Northwest!, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Northwest! by Harold Bindloss exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Northwest! by Harold Bindloss on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5686 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38069 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38069, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 473 minutes of reading across 1138 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Northwest! section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Northwest! 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 Northwest!, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
