Chapter 12 of Still—William is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Still—William is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest. It was due to excess of zeal rather than to lack of zeal. William liked to experiment. He liked to experiment with his experiments. He liked to put in one or two extra things and see what happened.
Chapter 12 of Still—William is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
a quantity much larger than is needed
From this reading “It was due to excess of zeal rather than to lack of zeal.”
the act of conducting a controlled test or investigation
From this reading “William liked to experiment.”
plural of “experiment” — the act of conducting a controlled test or investigation
From this reading “He liked to experiment with his experiments.”
more than is needed, desired, or required
From this reading “He liked to put in one or two extra things and see what happened.”
any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails
From this reading “THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.”
a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution
From this reading “THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.”
possessive form of “williams” — United States country singer and songwriter (1923-1953)
a feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause)
From this reading “It was due to excess of zeal rather than to lack of zeal.”
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 THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.
owed and payable immediately or on demand
From this reading THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.
a quantity much larger than is needed
From this reading It was due to excess of zeal rather than to lack of zeal.
the act of conducting a controlled test or investigation
From this reading William liked to experiment.
plural of “experiment” — the act of conducting a controlled test or investigation
From this reading He liked to experiment with his experiments.
more than is needed, desired, or required
From this reading He liked to put in one or two extra things and see what happened.
an act that fails
From this reading THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading He liked to put in one or two extra things and see what happened.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He liked to experiment with his experiments.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He liked to experiment with his experiments.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He liked to put in one or two extra things and see what happened.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was due to excess of zeal rather than to lack of zeal.
the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
From this reading THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading William liked to experiment.
any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails
From this reading THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He liked to put in one or two extra things and see what happened.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He liked to put in one or two extra things and see what happened.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He liked to put in one or two extra things and see what happened.
on the contrary
From this reading It was due to excess of zeal rather than to lack of zeal.
a particular branch of scientific knowledge
From this reading THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He liked to put in one or two extra things and see what happened.
any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
From this reading THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.
a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution
From this reading THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It was due to excess of zeal rather than to lack of zeal.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading He liked to put in one or two extra things and see what happened.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He liked to put in one or two extra things and see what happened.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He liked to put in one or two extra things and see what happened.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading William liked to experiment.
possessive form of “williams” — United States country singer and songwriter (1923-1953)
From this reading THE CAT AND THE MOUSE William’s signal failure as a student of science was not due to any lack of interest.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He liked to experiment with his experiments.
a feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause)
From this reading It was due to excess of zeal rather than to lack of zeal.
Chapter 12 of Still—William by Richmal Crompton holds 178 sentences, grouped into 36 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 178 sentences of Still—William, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Still—William by Richmal Crompton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 178 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 Still—William by Richmal Crompton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4853 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #67238 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #67238, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 404 minutes of reading across 971 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Still—William section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Still—William 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 Still—William, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
