Chapter 12 of Show Boat is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Show Boat is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“But Mis’ Means is going with me. I promised her I’d go. She wants to get some ointment for Mr. Means’ chest. And a yard of elastic. And half a dozen oranges.
Chapter 12 of Show Boat is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading “She wants to get some ointment for Mr. Means’ chest.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading “And half a dozen oranges.”
capable of resuming original shape after stretching or compression; springy
From this reading “And a yard of elastic.”
plural of “mi” — destruction of heart tissue resulting from obstruction of the blood supply to the heart muscle
From this reading ““But Mis’ Means is going with me.”
semisolid preparation (usually containing a medicine) applied externally as a remedy or for soothing an irritation
From this reading “She wants to get some ointment for Mr. Means’ chest.”
plural of “orange” — round yellow to orange fruit of any of several citrus trees
From this reading “And half a dozen oranges.”
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading “She wants to get some ointment for Mr. Means’ chest.”
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading “And a yard of elastic.”
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 “She wants to get some ointment for Mr. Means’ chest.”
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 And a yard of elastic.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And a yard of elastic.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But Mis’ Means is going with me.
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading She wants to get some ointment for Mr. Means’ chest.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading And half a dozen oranges.
capable of resuming original shape after stretching or compression; springy
From this reading And a yard of elastic.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She wants to get some ointment for Mr. Means’ chest.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading She wants to get some ointment for Mr. Means’ chest.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I promised her I’d go.
the act of departing
From this reading “But Mis’ Means is going with me.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading And half a dozen oranges.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I promised her I’d go.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I promised her I’d go.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I promised her I’d go.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “But Mis’ Means is going with me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “But Mis’ Means is going with me.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading “But Mis’ Means is going with me.
plural of “mi” — destruction of heart tissue resulting from obstruction of the blood supply to the heart muscle
From this reading “But Mis’ Means is going with me.
a form of address for a man
From this reading She wants to get some ointment for Mr. Means’ chest.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And a yard of elastic.
semisolid preparation (usually containing a medicine) applied externally as a remedy or for soothing an irritation
From this reading She wants to get some ointment for Mr. Means’ chest.
plural of “orange” — round yellow to orange fruit of any of several citrus trees
From this reading And half a dozen oranges.
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading I promised her I’d go.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She wants to get some ointment for Mr. Means’ chest.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading She wants to get some ointment for Mr. Means’ chest.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She wants to get some ointment for Mr. Means’ chest.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading She wants to get some ointment for Mr. Means’ chest.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “But Mis’ Means is going with me.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading And a yard of elastic.
Chapter 12 of Show Boat by Edna Ferber holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of Show Boat, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Show Boat by Edna Ferber exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Show Boat by Edna Ferber on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Show Boat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Show Boat 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 Show Boat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
