Chapter 12 of Ready About is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Ready About is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DORY DORNWOOD RESORTS TO STRATEGY. "Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror. "Is this a Sunday-school accomplishment?" "I said I was going to keep the money for you. Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.
Chapter 12 of Ready About is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
the action of accomplishing something
From this reading “"Is this a Sunday-school accomplishment?"”
someone who is victorious by force of arms
From this reading “"Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.”
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading “Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.”
a small boat of shallow draft with cross thwarts for seats and rowlocks for oars with which it is propelled
From this reading “DORY DORNWOOD RESORTS TO STRATEGY.”
past form of “kick” — drive or propel with the foot
From this reading “"Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.”
plural of “resort” — a hotel located in a resort area
From this reading “DORY DORNWOOD RESORTS TO STRATEGY.”
take something away by force or without the consent of the owner
From this reading “"Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.”
an elaborate and systematic plan of action
From this reading “DORY DORNWOOD RESORTS TO STRATEGY.”
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 “Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.”
In this reading “Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.”
a cheerful, obliging disposition
In this reading “Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.”
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 "Is this a Sunday-school accomplishment?"
the action of accomplishing something
From this reading "Is this a Sunday-school accomplishment?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.
someone who is victorious by force of arms
From this reading "Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DORY DORNWOOD RESORTS TO STRATEGY.
a small boat of shallow draft with cross thwarts for seats and rowlocks for oars with which it is propelled
From this reading DORY DORNWOOD RESORTS TO STRATEGY.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I said I was going to keep the money for you.
the act of departing
From this reading "I said I was going to keep the money for you.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I said I was going to keep the money for you.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is this a Sunday-school accomplishment?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "I said I was going to keep the money for you.
past form of “kick” — drive or propel with the foot
From this reading "Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.
staying power
From this reading "Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading "I said I was going to keep the money for you.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.
plural of “resort” — a hotel located in a resort area
From this reading DORY DORNWOOD RESORTS TO STRATEGY.
take something away by force or without the consent of the owner
From this reading "Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I said I was going to keep the money for you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.
an elaborate and systematic plan of action
From this reading DORY DORNWOOD RESORTS TO STRATEGY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Is this a Sunday-school accomplishment?"
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Is this a Sunday-school accomplishment?"
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading DORY DORNWOOD RESORTS TO STRATEGY.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I said I was going to keep the money for you.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Besides, as I said before, it is better to have two thousand dollars than one thousand," replied Dory, with his usual good nature.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do you mean to rob me, Squillipod?" demanded Angy, and he kicked away at the legs of his conqueror.
Chapter 12 of Ready About by Oliver Optic holds 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 122 sentences of Ready About, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Ready About by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Ready About by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3382 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55557 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55557, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 281 minutes of reading across 677 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ready About section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Ready About 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 Ready About, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
