Chapter 12 of Rodmoor: A Romance is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Rodmoor: A Romance is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“It’s only ten now,” he said. “The clock in here is fast.” As he spoke there was a loud ring at the entrance door. The brother and sister stared blankly at one another and then Philippa gave a low unnatural laugh. “We might be criminals,” she whispered.
Chapter 12 of Rodmoor: A Romance is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
in a blank and uncomprehending manner
From this reading “The brother and sister stared blankly at one another and then Philippa gave a low unnatural laugh.”
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading ““The clock in here is fast.””
plural of “criminal” — someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
From this reading ““We might be criminals,” she whispered.”
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading “As he spoke there was a loud ring at the entrance door.”
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading “As he spoke there was a loud ring at the entrance door.”
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “As he spoke there was a loud ring at the entrance door.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “The brother and sister stared blankly at one another and then Philippa gave a low unnatural laugh.”
not in accordance with or determined by nature; contrary to nature
From this reading “The brother and sister stared blankly at one another and then Philippa gave a low unnatural laugh.”
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 “The brother and sister stared blankly at one another and then Philippa gave a low unnatural laugh.”
In this reading “As he spoke there was a loud ring at the entrance door.”
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 As he spoke there was a loud ring at the entrance door.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The brother and sister stared blankly at one another and then Philippa gave a low unnatural laugh.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading The brother and sister stared blankly at one another and then Philippa gave a low unnatural laugh.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As he spoke there was a loud ring at the entrance door.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading As he spoke there was a loud ring at the entrance door.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “We might be criminals,” she whispered.
in a blank and uncomprehending manner
From this reading The brother and sister stared blankly at one another and then Philippa gave a low unnatural laugh.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading The brother and sister stared blankly at one another and then Philippa gave a low unnatural laugh.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading “The clock in here is fast.”
plural of “criminal” — someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
From this reading “We might be criminals,” she whispered.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading As he spoke there was a loud ring at the entrance door.
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading As he spoke there was a loud ring at the entrance door.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading “The clock in here is fast.”
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The brother and sister stared blankly at one another and then Philippa gave a low unnatural laugh.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “It’s only ten now,” he said.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “The clock in here is fast.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “The clock in here is fast.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “The clock in here is fast.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s only ten now,” he said.
the sound of laughing
From this reading The brother and sister stared blankly at one another and then Philippa gave a low unnatural laugh.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading As he spoke there was a loud ring at the entrance door.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The brother and sister stared blankly at one another and then Philippa gave a low unnatural laugh.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading “We might be criminals,” she whispered.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “It’s only ten now,” he said.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The brother and sister stared blankly at one another and then Philippa gave a low unnatural laugh.
and nothing more
From this reading “It’s only ten now,” he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The brother and sister stared blankly at one another and then Philippa gave a low unnatural laugh.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading As he spoke there was a loud ring at the entrance door.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “It’s only ten now,” he said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “We might be criminals,” she whispered.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading The brother and sister stared blankly at one another and then Philippa gave a low unnatural laugh.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading As he spoke there was a loud ring at the entrance door.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading The brother and sister stared blankly at one another and then Philippa gave a low unnatural laugh.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading “It’s only ten now,” he said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The clock in here is fast.”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The brother and sister stared blankly at one another and then Philippa gave a low unnatural laugh.
in or at that place or location
From this reading As he spoke there was a loud ring at the entrance door.
not in accordance with or determined by nature; contrary to nature
From this reading The brother and sister stared blankly at one another and then Philippa gave a low unnatural laugh.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As he spoke there was a loud ring at the entrance door.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We might be criminals,” she whispered.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “We might be criminals,” she whispered.
Chapter 12 of Rodmoor: A Romance by John Cowper Powys holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 406 sentences of Rodmoor: A Romance, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Rodmoor: A Romance by John Cowper Powys exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Rodmoor: A Romance by John Cowper Powys on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7296 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53339 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53339, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1460 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Rodmoor: A Romance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Rodmoor: A Romance 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 Rodmoor: A Romance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
