Tales from the Operas

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of Tales from the Operas is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By George Frederick [Editor] Pardon • Curated US English Learning Edition

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English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

In fact he hardly knew himself, and felt rather taller.

But he was not comfortable, and indeed as he gave his servants orders to admit none but the doctor and the person who might be with him, he blushed rather red, which last word is superfluous, for no don in the world could blush blue!

Well, the servants departed; he danced again, and then growing tired he was fatigued with waiting.

Soon they arrived.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XII Reading 1/39

Tales from the Operas George Frederick [Editor] Pardon

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of Tales from the Operas is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him. In fact he hardly knew himself, and felt rather taller. But he was not comfortable, and indeed as he gave his servants orders to admit none but the doctor and the person who might be with him, he blushed rather red, which last word is superfluous, for no don in the world could blush blue! Well, the servants departed; he danced again, and then growing tired he was fatigued with waiting. Soon they arrived.

Tales from the Operas

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of Tales from the Operas is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

Line 2

In fact he hardly knew himself, and felt rather taller.

/ɪn fækt hiː ˈhɑːrdli nuː hɪmˈself ənd felt ˈræðər ˈtɔːlər/

Line 3

/bʌt hiː wɑːz nɑːt ˈkʌmfərtəbəl ənd ˌɪnˈdiːd æz hiː ɡeɪv hɪz ˈsɜːrvənts ˈɔːrdərz tuː ədˈmɪt nʌn bʌt ðə ˈdɑːktər ənd ðə ˈpɜːrsən huː maɪt biː wɪð hɪm hiː blʌʃt ˈræðər red wɪtʃ læst wɜːrd ɪz ˈsuːpərflwʌs fɔːr noʊ dɑːn ɪn ðə wɜːrld kʊd blʌʃ bluː/

Line 4

Well, the servants departed; he danced again, and then growing tired he was fatigued with waiting.

/wel ðə ˈsɜːrvənts dɪˈpɑːrtɪd hiː dænst əˈɡen ənd ðen ˈɡroʊɪŋ ˈtaɪərd hiː wɑːz fəˈtiːɡd wɪð ˈweɪtɪŋ/

Line 5

Soon they arrived.

/suːn ðeɪ ərˈaɪvd/

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.

blush verb US /blʌʃ/

turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame

From this reading “But he was not comfortable, and indeed as he gave his servants orders to admit none but the doctor and the person who might be with him, he blushed rather red, which last word is superfluous, for no don in the world could blush blue!”

blushed verb US /blʌʃt/

past form of “blush” — turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame

bride noun US /braɪd/

a woman who has recently been married

From this reading “Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.”

danced verb US /dænst/

past form of “dance” — move in a graceful and rhythmical way

From this reading “Well, the servants departed; he danced again, and then growing tired he was fatigued with waiting.”

fatigued adjective US /fəˈtiːɡd/

drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted

From this reading “Well, the servants departed; he danced again, and then growing tired he was fatigued with waiting.”

reception noun US /rɪˈsepʃən/

the manner in which something is greeted

From this reading “Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.”

superfluous adjective US /ˈsuːpərflwʌs/

serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being

taller adjective US /ˈtɔːlər/

comparative of “tall” — great in vertical dimension; high in stature

From this reading “In fact he hardly knew himself, and felt rather taller.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

last word adjective + noun

the final statement in a verbal argument

In this reading “But he was not comfortable, and indeed as he gave his servants orders to admit none but the doctor and the person who might be with him, he blushed rather red, which last word is superfluous, for no don in the world could blush blue!”

In fact preposition + noun

in reality or actuality

In this reading “In fact he hardly knew himself, and felt rather taller.”

in the world preposition + article + noun counted as “in … world”

felt rather verb + particle

In this reading “In fact he hardly knew himself, and felt rather taller.”

for the reception preposition + article + noun counted as “for … reception”

In this reading “Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.”

All words in this reading · 69

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.

admitverbUS /ədˈmɪt/

declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of

From this reading But he was not comfortable, and indeed as he gave his servants orders to admit none but the doctor and the person who might be with him, he blushed rather red, which last word is superfluous, for no don in the world could blush blue!

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading Well, the servants departed; he danced again, and then growing tired he was fatigued with waiting.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading In fact he hardly knew himself, and felt rather taller.

arrivedverbUS /ərˈaɪvd/

past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading Soon they arrived.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

blueadjectiveUS /bluː/

of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky

blushverbUS /blʌʃ/

turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame

blushedverbUS /blʌʃt/

past form of “blush” — turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame

bridenounUS /braɪd/

a woman who has recently been married

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

comfortableadjectiveUS /ˈkʌmfərtəbəl/

providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

dancedverbUS /dænst/

past form of “dance” — move in a graceful and rhythmical way

From this reading Well, the servants departed; he danced again, and then growing tired he was fatigued with waiting.

departedadjectiveUS /dɪˈpɑːrtɪd/

well in the past; former

From this reading Well, the servants departed; he danced again, and then growing tired he was fatigued with waiting.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

doctornounUS /ˈdɑːktər/

a licensed medical practitioner

DonnounUS /dɑːn/

a Spanish gentleman or nobleman

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

factnounUS /fækt/

a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred

From this reading In fact he hardly knew himself, and felt rather taller.

fatiguedadjectiveUS /fəˈtiːɡd/

drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted

From this reading Well, the servants departed; he danced again, and then growing tired he was fatigued with waiting.

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading In fact he hardly knew himself, and felt rather taller.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

gaveverbUS /ɡeɪv/

inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

growingnounUS /ˈɡroʊɪŋ/

(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level

From this reading Well, the servants departed; he danced again, and then growing tired he was fatigued with waiting.

hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/

only a very short time before

From this reading In fact he hardly knew himself, and felt rather taller.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading In fact he hardly knew himself, and felt rather taller.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

indeedadverbUS /ˌɪnˈdiːd/

in truth (often tends to intensify)

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading In fact he hardly knew himself, and felt rather taller.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

nonepronounUS /nʌn/

not one, and not any

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

ordersnounUS /ˈɔːrdərz/

plural of “order” — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

Pasquale

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

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

personnounUS /ˈpɜːrsən/

a human being

ratheradverbUS /ˈræðər/

on the contrary

From this reading In fact he hardly knew himself, and felt rather taller.

receptionnounUS /rɪˈsepʃən/

the manner in which something is greeted

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

rednounUS /red/

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

servantsnounUS /ˈsɜːrvənts/

plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

SoonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading Soon they arrived.

stylenounUS /staɪl/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

superfluousadjectiveUS /ˈsuːpərflwʌs/

serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being

talleradjectiveUS /ˈtɔːlər/

comparative of “tall” — great in vertical dimension; high in stature

From this reading In fact he hardly knew himself, and felt rather taller.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Well, the servants departed; he danced again, and then growing tired he was fatigued with waiting.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading Soon they arrived.

tiredadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪərd/

depleted of strength or energy

From this reading Well, the servants departed; he danced again, and then growing tired he was fatigued with waiting.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Don Pasquale got himself up in such style for the reception of his bride that his own servants did not know him.

waitingnounUS /ˈweɪtɪŋ/

the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)

From this reading Well, the servants departed; he danced again, and then growing tired he was fatigued with waiting.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

WelladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading Well, the servants departed; he danced again, and then growing tired he was fatigued with waiting.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

wordnounUS /wɜːrd/

a unit of language that native speakers can identify

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

Chapter 12 of Tales from the Operas by George Frederick [Editor] Pardon holds 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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.

What does chapter 12 of Tales from the Operas contain?

Chapter 12 holds 196 sentences of Tales from the Operas, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of Tales from the Operas by George Frederick [Editor] Pardon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 Tales from the Operas?

Work through the 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 40 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.

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Is this the complete text of Tales from the Operas?

Yes. All 6271 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57605 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Tales from the Operas is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #57605, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Tales from the Operas take to read?

About 522 minutes of reading across 1255 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Tales from the Operas

Words and structures a reader meets early in Tales from the Operas, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Tales: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tales from the Operas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Operas: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tales from the Operas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
George: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tales from the Operas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Frederick: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tales from the Operas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XII

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