Chapter XII of Tattered Tom, “The Vanquished Bully,” is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter XII of Tattered Tom, “The Vanquished Bully,” is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Notwithstanding Tom’s mistake, she was still intrusted with the duty of answering the bell. At length, to her satisfaction, she opened the door to her friend of the morning. He looked at her in surprise. “What, is this Tom?” he asked. “Yes,” she said, enjoying his surprise.
Chapter XII of Tattered Tom, “The Vanquished Bully,” is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
replying
From this reading “Notwithstanding Tom’s mistake, she was still intrusted with the duty of answering the bell.”
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading “Notwithstanding Tom’s mistake, she was still intrusted with the duty of answering the bell.”
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading “Notwithstanding Tom’s mistake, she was still intrusted with the duty of answering the bell.”
-ing form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading ““Yes,” she said, enjoying his surprise.”
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading “Notwithstanding Tom’s mistake, she was still intrusted with the duty of answering the bell.”
despite anything to the contrary (usually preceding a concession)
From this reading “Notwithstanding Tom’s mistake, she was still intrusted with the duty of answering the bell.”
the contentment one feels when one has fulfilled a desire, need, or expectation
From this reading “At length, to her satisfaction, she opened the door to her friend of the morning.”
possessive form of “tom” — male cat
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 a lengthy or prolix manner
In this reading “At length, to her satisfaction, she opened the door to her friend of the morning.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “He looked at her in surprise.”
In this reading “He looked at her in surprise.”
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.
replying
From this reading Notwithstanding Tom’s mistake, she was still intrusted with the duty of answering the bell.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “What, is this Tom?” he asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At length, to her satisfaction, she opened the door to her friend of the morning.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading Notwithstanding Tom’s mistake, she was still intrusted with the duty of answering the bell.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading At length, to her satisfaction, she opened the door to her friend of the morning.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading Notwithstanding Tom’s mistake, she was still intrusted with the duty of answering the bell.
-ing form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading “Yes,” she said, enjoying his surprise.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading At length, to her satisfaction, she opened the door to her friend of the morning.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked at her in surprise.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading At length, to her satisfaction, she opened the door to her friend of the morning.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Yes,” she said, enjoying his surprise.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He looked at her in surprise.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Notwithstanding Tom’s mistake, she was still intrusted with the duty of answering the bell.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What, is this Tom?” he asked.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading At length, to her satisfaction, she opened the door to her friend of the morning.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked at her in surprise.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading Notwithstanding Tom’s mistake, she was still intrusted with the duty of answering the bell.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading At length, to her satisfaction, she opened the door to her friend of the morning.
despite anything to the contrary (usually preceding a concession)
From this reading Notwithstanding Tom’s mistake, she was still intrusted with the duty of answering the bell.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Notwithstanding Tom’s mistake, she was still intrusted with the duty of answering the bell.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading At length, to her satisfaction, she opened the door to her friend of the morning.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Yes,” she said, enjoying his surprise.
the contentment one feels when one has fulfilled a desire, need, or expectation
From this reading At length, to her satisfaction, she opened the door to her friend of the morning.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Notwithstanding Tom’s mistake, she was still intrusted with the duty of answering the bell.
not in physical motion
From this reading Notwithstanding Tom’s mistake, she was still intrusted with the duty of answering the bell.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading He looked at her in surprise.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Notwithstanding Tom’s mistake, she was still intrusted with the duty of answering the bell.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “What, is this Tom?” he asked.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At length, to her satisfaction, she opened the door to her friend of the morning.
male cat
From this reading “What, is this Tom?” he asked.
possessive form of “tom” — male cat
From this reading Notwithstanding Tom’s mistake, she was still intrusted with the duty of answering the bell.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Notwithstanding Tom’s mistake, she was still intrusted with the duty of answering the bell.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What, is this Tom?” he asked.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Notwithstanding Tom’s mistake, she was still intrusted with the duty of answering the bell.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes,” she said, enjoying his surprise.
Chapter 12 of Tattered Tom by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 150 sentences of Tattered Tom, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Tattered Tom by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Tattered Tom by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3613 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54006 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54006, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 301 minutes of reading across 723 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tattered Tom section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Tattered Tom 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 Tattered Tom, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
