Chapter 12 of Our Square and the People in It is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Our Square and the People in It is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Little Red Doctor tried on the left boot. “Pretty good,” he said. He stood up to stamp his foot down. Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers. “There's a pin in it,” he growled.
Chapter 12 of Our Square and the People in It is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading “The Little Red Doctor tried on the left boot.”
having the limits or boundaries established
From this reading “Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.”
unpleasantly stern
From this reading “Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.”
plural of “joker” — a person who enjoys telling or playing jokes
From this reading “Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.”
to hold fast or prevent from moving
From this reading ““There's a pin in it,” he growled.”
characterized by profanity or cursing
From this reading “Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.”
footwear shaped to fit the foot (below the ankle) with a flexible upper of leather or plastic and a sole and heel of heavier material
From this reading “Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.”
walk heavily
From this reading “He stood up to stamp his foot down.”
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 “Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.”
In this reading “He stood up to stamp his foot down.”
In this reading “The Little Red Doctor tried on the left boot.”
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 Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.
footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading The Little Red Doctor tried on the left boot.
having the limits or boundaries established
From this reading Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading The Little Red Doctor tried on the left boot.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He stood up to stamp his foot down.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading He stood up to stamp his foot down.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Pretty good,” he said.
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading “There's a pin in it,” he growled.
unpleasantly stern
From this reading Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Pretty good,” he said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He stood up to stamp his foot down.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “There's a pin in it,” he growled.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “There's a pin in it,” he growled.
plural of “joker” — a person who enjoys telling or playing jokes
From this reading Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading The Little Red Doctor tried on the left boot.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The Little Red Doctor tried on the left boot.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The Little Red Doctor tried on the left boot.
to hold fast or prevent from moving
From this reading “There's a pin in it,” he growled.
concerned with actual use or practice
From this reading Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “Pretty good,” he said.
characterized by profanity or cursing
From this reading Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading The Little Red Doctor tried on the left boot.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Pretty good,” he said.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.
footwear shaped to fit the foot (below the ankle) with a flexible upper of leather or plastic and a sole and heel of heavier material
From this reading Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.
a South African gazelle noted for springing lightly into the air
From this reading Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.
walk heavily
From this reading He stood up to stamp his foot down.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He stood up to stamp his foot down.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Little Red Doctor tried on the left boot.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “There's a pin in it,” he growled.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He stood up to stamp his foot down.
commonly the lowest molding at the base of a column
From this reading Then he bounded into the air like a springbok, and on alighting, tore off the shoe, saying something harsh and profane about practical jokers.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading The Little Red Doctor tried on the left boot.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He stood up to stamp his foot down.
Chapter 12 of Our Square and the People in It by Samuel Hopkins Adams holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 417 sentences of Our Square and the People in It, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Our Square and the People in It by Samuel Hopkins Adams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Square and the People in It by Samuel Hopkins Adams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5058 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44328 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44328, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 421 minutes of reading across 1012 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Our Square and the People in It section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Our Square and the People in It 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 Square and the People in It, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
