Chapter 12 of Pencil Sketches is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Pencil Sketches is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"In what way?" asked Sophia. "Oh, with their swords. A military salute is superb--Bob showed us all the motions. Look now, aunt Sophia, I'll do it with the fly-brush. That's exactly the way."
Chapter 12 of Pencil Sketches is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “A military salute is superb--Bob showed us all the motions.”
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading “That's exactly the way."”
of or relating to the study of the principles of warfare
From this reading “A military salute is superb--Bob showed us all the motions.”
plural of “motion” — the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
From this reading “A military salute is superb--Bob showed us all the motions.”
propose a toast to
From this reading “A military salute is superb--Bob showed us all the motions.”
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading “A military salute is superb--Bob showed us all the motions.”
of surpassing excellence
From this reading “A military salute is superb--Bob showed us all the motions.”
plural of “sword” — a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading “"Oh, with their swords.”
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.
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 A military salute is superb--Bob showed us all the motions.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading A military salute is superb--Bob showed us all the motions.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "In what way?" asked Sophia.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading Look now, aunt Sophia, I'll do it with the fly-brush.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading A military salute is superb--Bob showed us all the motions.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Look now, aunt Sophia, I'll do it with the fly-brush.
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading That's exactly the way."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Look now, aunt Sophia, I'll do it with the fly-brush.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Look now, aunt Sophia, I'll do it with the fly-brush.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "In what way?" asked Sophia.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A military salute is superb--Bob showed us all the motions.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Look now, aunt Sophia, I'll do it with the fly-brush.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Look now, aunt Sophia, I'll do it with the fly-brush.
of or relating to the study of the principles of warfare
From this reading A military salute is superb--Bob showed us all the motions.
plural of “motion” — the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
From this reading A military salute is superb--Bob showed us all the motions.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Look now, aunt Sophia, I'll do it with the fly-brush.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, with their swords.
propose a toast to
From this reading A military salute is superb--Bob showed us all the motions.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading A military salute is superb--Bob showed us all the motions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "In what way?" asked Sophia.
of surpassing excellence
From this reading A military salute is superb--Bob showed us all the motions.
plural of “sword” — a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading "Oh, with their swords.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's exactly the way."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A military salute is superb--Bob showed us all the motions.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading "Oh, with their swords.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A military salute is superb--Bob showed us all the motions.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "In what way?" asked Sophia.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "In what way?" asked Sophia.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Oh, with their swords.
Chapter 12 of Pencil Sketches by Eliza Leslie holds 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 401 sentences of Pencil Sketches, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Pencil Sketches by Eliza Leslie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Pencil Sketches by Eliza Leslie on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6729 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37573 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37573, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 560 minutes of reading across 1346 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Pencil Sketches section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Pencil Sketches 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 Pencil Sketches, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
