Chapter 12 of Over the Border: A Novel is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Over the Border: A Novel is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Bah!" he snorted his disgust. "Don't talk to me of republics. Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here? For centuries John Bull has been ruling brown peoples and he knows his job. 'Be good and you'll be happy!' he tells them.
Chapter 12 of Over the Border: A Novel is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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 state of lawlessness and disorder (usually resulting from a failure of government)
From this reading “Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here?”
plural of “century” — a period of 100 years
From this reading “For centuries John Bull has been ruling brown peoples and he knows his job.”
fill with distaste
From this reading “"Bah!" he snorted his disgust.”
a republic in central Europe; split into East Germany and West Germany after World War II and reunited in 1990
From this reading “Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here?”
the human beings of a particular nation or community or ethnic group
From this reading “For centuries John Bull has been ruling brown peoples and he knows his job.”
plural of “republic” — a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them
From this reading “"Don't talk to me of republics.”
the reason for a court's judgment (as opposed to the decision itself)
From this reading “For centuries John Bull has been ruling brown peoples and he knows his job.”
past form of “snort” — indicate contempt by breathing noisily and forcefully through the nose
From this reading “"Bah!" he snorted his disgust.”
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 “For centuries John Bull has been ruling brown peoples and he knows his job.”
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.
a state of lawlessness and disorder (usually resulting from a failure of government)
From this reading Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For centuries John Bull has been ruling brown peoples and he knows his job.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Bah!" he snorted his disgust.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading 'Be good and you'll be happy!' he tells them.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading For centuries John Bull has been ruling brown peoples and he knows his job.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading For centuries John Bull has been ruling brown peoples and he knows his job.
uncastrated adult male of domestic cattle
From this reading For centuries John Bull has been ruling brown peoples and he knows his job.
plural of “century” — a period of 100 years
From this reading For centuries John Bull has been ruling brown peoples and he knows his job.
fill with distaste
From this reading "Bah!" he snorted his disgust.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't talk to me of republics.
one or the other of two
From this reading Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here?
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here?
a republic in central Europe; split into East Germany and West Germany after World War II and reunited in 1990
From this reading Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here?
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading 'Be good and you'll be happy!' he tells them.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading 'Be good and you'll be happy!' he tells them.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For centuries John Bull has been ruling brown peoples and he knows his job.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Bah!" he snorted his disgust.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Bah!" he snorted his disgust.
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading For centuries John Bull has been ruling brown peoples and he knows his job.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading For centuries John Bull has been ruling brown peoples and he knows his job.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading For centuries John Bull has been ruling brown peoples and he knows his job.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Don't talk to me of republics.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Don't talk to me of republics.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here?
the human beings of a particular nation or community or ethnic group
From this reading For centuries John Bull has been ruling brown peoples and he knows his job.
plural of “republic” — a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them
From this reading "Don't talk to me of republics.
plural of “rule” — a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here?
the reason for a court's judgment (as opposed to the decision itself)
From this reading For centuries John Bull has been ruling brown peoples and he knows his job.
past form of “snort” — indicate contempt by breathing noisily and forcefully through the nose
From this reading "Bah!" he snorted his disgust.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here?
express a supposition
From this reading Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here?
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "Don't talk to me of republics.
plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer
From this reading 'Be good and you'll be happy!' he tells them.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here?
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading 'Be good and you'll be happy!' he tells them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Don't talk to me of republics.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Do you suppose that either England or Germany would have stood for the anarchy which rules here?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Be good and you'll be happy!' he tells them.
Chapter 12 of Over the Border: A Novel by Herman Whitaker holds 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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 395 sentences of Over the Border: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Over the Border: A Novel by Herman Whitaker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Over the Border: A Novel by Herman Whitaker on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8009 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40600 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40600, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1602 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Over the Border: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Over the Border: A Novel 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 Over the Border: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
