Chapter 12 of On Our Selection is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of On Our Selection is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Summer Old Bob Died. It was a real scorcher. A soft, sweltering summer's day. The air quivered; the heat drove the fowls under the dray and sent the old dog to sleep upon the floor inside the house. The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.
Chapter 12 of On Our Selection is here in full — 146 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.
used of skin roughened as a result of cold or exposure
From this reading “The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.”
a low heavy horse cart without sides; used for haulage
From this reading “The air quivered; the heat drove the fowls under the dray and sent the old dog to sleep upon the floor inside the house.”
pen where racehorses are saddled and paraded before a race
From this reading “The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.”
an extremely hot day
From this reading “It was a real scorcher.”
possessive form of “summer” — the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading “A soft, sweltering summer's day.”
past form of “sweat” — excrete perspiration through the pores in the skin
From this reading “The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.”
excessively hot and humid or marked by sweating and faintness
From this reading “A soft, sweltering summer's day.”
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 The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was a real scorcher.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The air quivered; the heat drove the fowls under the dray and sent the old dog to sleep upon the floor inside the house.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The air quivered; the heat drove the fowls under the dray and sent the old dog to sleep upon the floor inside the house.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading The Summer Old Bob Died.
used of skin roughened as a result of cold or exposure
From this reading The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading A soft, sweltering summer's day.
plural of “degree” — a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading The Summer Old Bob Died.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading The air quivered; the heat drove the fowls under the dray and sent the old dog to sleep upon the floor inside the house.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.
a low heavy horse cart without sides; used for haulage
From this reading The air quivered; the heat drove the fowls under the dray and sent the old dog to sleep upon the floor inside the house.
a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together
From this reading The air quivered; the heat drove the fowls under the dray and sent the old dog to sleep upon the floor inside the house.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading The air quivered; the heat drove the fowls under the dray and sent the old dog to sleep upon the floor inside the house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The air quivered; the heat drove the fowls under the dray and sent the old dog to sleep upon the floor inside the house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.
a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature
From this reading The air quivered; the heat drove the fowls under the dray and sent the old dog to sleep upon the floor inside the house.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The air quivered; the heat drove the fowls under the dray and sent the old dog to sleep upon the floor inside the house.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading The air quivered; the heat drove the fowls under the dray and sent the old dog to sleep upon the floor inside the house.
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a real scorcher.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The Summer Old Bob Died.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.
pen where racehorses are saddled and paraded before a race
From this reading The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The air quivered; the heat drove the fowls under the dray and sent the old dog to sleep upon the floor inside the house.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading It was a real scorcher.
an extremely hot day
From this reading It was a real scorcher.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading The air quivered; the heat drove the fowls under the dray and sent the old dog to sleep upon the floor inside the house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading The air quivered; the heat drove the fowls under the dray and sent the old dog to sleep upon the floor inside the house.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading A soft, sweltering summer's day.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading The Summer Old Bob Died.
possessive form of “summer” — the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading A soft, sweltering summer's day.
the rays of the sun
From this reading The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.
past form of “sweat” — excrete perspiration through the pores in the skin
From this reading The iron on the skillion cracked and sweated--so did Dad and Dave down the paddock, grubbing--grubbing, in 130 degrees of sunshine.
excessively hot and humid or marked by sweating and faintness
From this reading A soft, sweltering summer's day.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Summer Old Bob Died.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The air quivered; the heat drove the fowls under the dray and sent the old dog to sleep upon the floor inside the house.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The air quivered; the heat drove the fowls under the dray and sent the old dog to sleep upon the floor inside the house.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The air quivered; the heat drove the fowls under the dray and sent the old dog to sleep upon the floor inside the house.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a real scorcher.
Chapter 12 of On Our Selection by Steele Rudd holds 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 146 sentences of On Our Selection, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of On Our Selection by Steele Rudd exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 146 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 On Our Selection by Steele Rudd on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3170 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3677 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3677, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 264 minutes of reading across 634 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through On Our Selection section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of On Our Selection 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 On Our Selection, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
