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Roughing It
Roughing It

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of Roughing It is here in full — 550 sentences across 110 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Roughing It
Context Illustration Reading 1/110 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The flush times held bravely on.
Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.
They found the _Territorial Enterprise_, a poverty-stricken weekly journal, gasping for breath and likely to die.
They bought it, type, fixtures, good-will and all, for a thousand dollars, on long time.
The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Roughing It

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of Roughing It is here in full — 550 sentences across 110 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/110 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Theflush timesheld bravely on.
/ðə flʌʃ taɪmz held ˈbreɪvli ɑːn/
Line 2
Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.
Line 3
They found the _Territorial Enterprise_, a poverty-stricken weekly journal, gasping for breath and likely to die.
Line 4
They bought it, type, fixtures, good-will and all, for a thousand dollars, on long time.
Line 5
The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.

Learner Dictionary

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.

compressed adjective US /kəmˈprest/

pressed tightly together

From this reading “The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.”

editorial adjective US /ˌedəˈtɔːriəl/

of or relating to an article stating opinions or giving perspectives

From this reading “The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.”

fixtures noun US /ˈfɪkstʃərz/

plural of “fixture” — an object firmly fixed in place (especially in a household)

From this reading “They bought it, type, fixtures, good-will and all, for a thousand dollars, on long time.”

Goodman noun US /ˈɡʊdmən/

United States clarinetist who in 1934 formed a big band (including black as well as white musicians) and introduced a kind of jazz known as swing (1909-1986)

From this reading “Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.”

journeyman noun US /ˈdʒɜːrnimæn/

a skilled worker who practices some trade or handicraft

From this reading “Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.”

printer noun US /ˈprɪntər/

someone whose occupation is printing

From this reading “Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.”

sanctum noun US /ˈsæŋktəm/

a place of inviolable privacy

From this reading “The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.”

Territorial adjective US /ˌterɪˈtɔːriəl/

of or relating to a territory

All words in this reading · 75

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading They found the _Territorial Enterprise_, a poverty-stricken weekly journal, gasping for breath and likely to die.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 They bought it, type, fixtures, good-will and all, for a thousand dollars, on long time.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

apartmentnounUS /əˈpɑːrtmənt/

a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house

From this reading The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.

bednounUS /bed/

a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep

From this reading The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

borrowedverbUS /ˈbɑːroʊd/

past form of “borrow” — get temporarily

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

boughtverbUS /bɑːt/

inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction

From this reading They bought it, type, fixtures, good-will and all, for a thousand dollars, on long time.

bravelyadverbUS /ˈbreɪvli/

in a courageous manner

From this reading The “flush times” held bravely on.

breathnounUS /breθ/

the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing

From this reading They found the _Territorial Enterprise_, a poverty-stricken weekly journal, gasping for breath and likely to die.

chambernounUS /ˈtʃeɪmbər/

a natural or artificial enclosed space

From this reading The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.

citynounUS /ˈsɪti/

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

compressedadjectiveUS /kəmˈprest/

pressed tightly together

From this reading The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.

dieverbUS /daɪ/

pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading They found the _Territorial Enterprise_, a poverty-stricken weekly journal, gasping for breath and likely to die.

dollarsnounUS /ˈdɑːlərz/

plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

editorialadjectiveUS /ˌedəˈtɔːriəl/

of or relating to an article stating opinions or giving perspectives

From this reading The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.

EnterprisenounUS /ˈentərpraɪz/

a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness)

From this reading They found the _Territorial Enterprise_, a poverty-stricken weekly journal, gasping for breath and likely to die.

fixturesnounUS /ˈfɪkstʃərz/

plural of “fixture” — an object firmly fixed in place (especially in a household)

From this reading They bought it, type, fixtures, good-will and all, for a thousand dollars, on long time.

flushnounUS /flʌʃ/

the period of greatest prosperity or productivity

From this reading The “flush times” held bravely on.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading They found the _Territorial Enterprise_, a poverty-stricken weekly journal, gasping for breath and likely to die.

fortunesnounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃənz/

plural of “fortune” — an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

fortyadjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrti/

being ten more than thirty

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading They found the _Territorial Enterprise_, a poverty-stricken weekly journal, gasping for breath and likely to die.

Francisco

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

gaspingverbUS /ˈɡæspɪŋ/

-ing form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted

From this reading They found the _Territorial Enterprise_, a poverty-stricken weekly journal, gasping for breath and likely to die.

good-will

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They bought it, type, fixtures, good-will and all, for a thousand dollars, on long time.

GoodmannounUS /ˈɡʊdmən/

United States clarinetist who in 1934 formed a big band (including black as well as white musicians) and introduced a kind of jazz known as swing (1909-1986)

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

heldadjectiveUS /held/

occupied or in the control of; often used in combination

From this reading The “flush times” held bravely on.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading They bought it, type, fixtures, good-will and all, for a thousand dollars, on long time.

journalnounUS /ˈdʒɜːrnəl/

a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations

From this reading They found the _Territorial Enterprise_, a poverty-stricken weekly journal, gasping for breath and likely to die.

journeymannounUS /ˈdʒɜːrnimæn/

a skilled worker who practices some trade or handicraft

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

kitchennounUS /ˈkɪtʃən/

a room equipped for preparing meals

From this reading The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.

likelyadjectiveUS /ˈlaɪkli/

has a good chance of being the case or of coming about

From this reading They found the _Territorial Enterprise_, a poverty-stricken weekly journal, gasping for breath and likely to die.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading They bought it, type, fixtures, good-will and all, for a thousand dollars, on long time.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

news-room

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

officenounUS /ˈɔːfɪs/

place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed

From this reading The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The “flush times” held bravely on.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

parlornounUS /ˈpɑːrlər/

reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received

From this reading The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.

poverty-strickenadjective

poor enough to need help from others

From this reading They found the _Territorial Enterprise_, a poverty-stricken weekly journal, gasping for breath and likely to die.

press-room

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.

printernounUS /ˈprɪntər/

someone whose occupation is printing

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

publicationnounUS /ˌpʌblɪˈkeɪʃən/

a copy of a printed work offered for distribution

From this reading The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.

San

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

sanctumnounUS /ˈsæŋktəm/

a place of inviolable privacy

From this reading The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.

setverbUS /set/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.

SomethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

TerritorialadjectiveUS /ˌterɪˈtɔːriəl/

of or relating to a territory

From this reading They found the _Territorial Enterprise_, a poverty-stricken weekly journal, gasping for breath and likely to die.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The “flush times” held bravely on.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They found the _Territorial Enterprise_, a poverty-stricken weekly journal, gasping for breath and likely to die.

thousandnounUS /ˈθaʊzənd/

the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100

From this reading They bought it, type, fixtures, good-will and all, for a thousand dollars, on long time.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading They bought it, type, fixtures, good-will and all, for a thousand dollars, on long time.

timesnounUS /taɪmz/

a more or less definite period of time now or previously present

From this reading The “flush times” held bravely on.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.

tryverbUS /traɪ/

make an effort or attempt

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

typenounUS /taɪp/

a subdivision of a particular kind of thing

From this reading They bought it, type, fixtures, good-will and all, for a thousand dollars, on long time.

VirginianounUS /vərˈdʒɪnjə/

a state in the eastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies; one of the Confederate States in the American Civil War

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.

weeklynounUS /ˈwiːkli/

a periodical that is published every week (or 52 issues per year)

From this reading They found the _Territorial Enterprise_, a poverty-stricken weekly journal, gasping for breath and likely to die.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The editorial sanctum, news-room, press-room, publication office, bed- chamber, parlor, and kitchen were all compressed into one apartment and it was a small one, too.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading Something over two years before, Mr. Goodman and another journeyman printer, had borrowed forty dollars and set out from San Francisco to try their fortunes in the new city of Virginia.

Chapter 12 of Roughing It by Mark Twain holds 550 sentences, grouped into 110 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 12 of Roughing It contain?

Chapter 12 holds 550 sentences of Roughing It, unabridged, divided into 110 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of Roughing It by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 550 sentences, grouped into 110 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.

How do I study chapter 12 of Roughing It?

Work through the 110 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 110 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.

Can chapter 12 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Roughing It

Common questions about reading Roughing It by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Roughing It?

Yes. All 7335 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3177 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Roughing It is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3177, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Roughing It take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1467 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Roughing It section by section

How to work through Roughing It section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 20 chapters of Roughing It to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Roughing It

Words and structures a reader meets early in Roughing It, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

California
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Roughing It; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Again
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Roughing It; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Great
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Roughing It; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Changes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Roughing It; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.