Chapter 12 of Our Catholic Heritage in English Literature is here in full — 45 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Our Catholic Heritage in English Literature is here in full — 45 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance. Freedom first great possession; afterwards learning and culture. Alfred a loyal Son of the Church. Founder of English prose. Earliest literature of a nation in verse; why.
Chapter 12 of Our Catholic Heritage in English Literature is here in full — 45 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/9 · 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.
king of Wessex; defeated the Vikings and encouraged writing in English (849-899)
From this reading “King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance.”
a particular society at a particular time and place
From this reading “Freedom first great possession; afterwards learning and culture.”
(comparative and superlative of “early”) more early than; most early
From this reading “Earliest literature of a nation in verse; why.”
the power to withstand hardship or stress
From this reading “King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance.”
inflammation of the laminated tissue that attaches the hoof to the foot of a horse
From this reading “Founder of English prose.”
someone who is not a clergyman or a professional person
From this reading “King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance.”
steadfast in allegiance or duty
From this reading “Alfred a loyal Son of the Church.”
ordinary writing as distinguished from verse
From this reading “Founder of English prose.”
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 King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance.
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Freedom first great possession; afterwards learning and culture.
king of Wessex; defeated the Vikings and encouraged writing in English (849-899)
From this reading King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Freedom first great possession; afterwards learning and culture.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading Alfred a loyal Son of the Church.
a particular society at a particular time and place
From this reading Freedom first great possession; afterwards learning and culture.
(comparative and superlative of “early”) more early than; most early
From this reading Earliest literature of a nation in verse; why.
the power to withstand hardship or stress
From this reading King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading Founder of English prose.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance.
inflammation of the laminated tissue that attaches the hoof to the foot of a horse
From this reading Founder of English prose.
the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints
From this reading Freedom first great possession; afterwards learning and culture.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance.
someone who is not a clergyman or a professional person
From this reading King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance.
the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge
From this reading Freedom first great possession; afterwards learning and culture.
creative writing of recognized artistic value
From this reading King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance.
steadfast in allegiance or duty
From this reading Alfred a loyal Son of the Church.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading Earliest literature of a nation in verse; why.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance.
the act of having and controlling property
From this reading Freedom first great possession; afterwards learning and culture.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance.
ordinary writing as distinguished from verse
From this reading Founder of English prose.
a male human offspring
From this reading Alfred a loyal Son of the Church.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Alfred a loyal Son of the Church.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading King Alfred, first layman to be a great power in literature; man of action; of thought; of endurance.
literature in metrical form
From this reading Earliest literature of a nation in verse; why.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Earliest literature of a nation in verse; why.
Chapter 12 of Our Catholic Heritage in English Literature by Emily Henrietta Hickey holds 45 sentences, grouped into 9 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 45 sentences of Our Catholic Heritage in English Literature, unabridged, divided into 9 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Our Catholic Heritage in English Literature by Emily Henrietta Hickey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 45 sentences, grouped into 9 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 9 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 9 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 Our Catholic Heritage in English Literature by Emily Henrietta Hickey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 980 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16785 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16785, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 81 minutes of reading across 196 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Our Catholic Heritage in English Literature section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Our Catholic Heritage in English Literature 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 Our Catholic Heritage in English Literature, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
