Chapter 12 of The "B. O. W. C." is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The "B. O. W. C." is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Yes, that’s a consideration. What would become of us if our appetites were left?” As they spoke, Mr. Long drew near. They were within a stone’s throw of the cliff, and were drifting slowly by. He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.
Chapter 12 of The "B. O. W. C." is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
plural of “appetite” — a feeling of craving something
From this reading “What would become of us if our appetites were left?””
a steep high face of rock
From this reading “They were within a stone’s throw of the cliff, and were drifting slowly by.”
the process of giving careful thought to something
From this reading ““Yes, that’s a consideration.”
aimless wandering from place to place
From this reading “They were within a stone’s throw of the cliff, and were drifting slowly by.”
possessive form of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
From this reading “He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.”
propel through the air
From this reading “They were within a stone’s throw of the cliff, and were drifting slowly by.”
past form of “tower” — appear very large or occupy a commanding position
From this reading “He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.”
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.
seek information from
In this reading “He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.”
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 “Yes, that’s a consideration.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They were within a stone’s throw of the cliff, and were drifting slowly by.
plural of “appetite” — a feeling of craving something
From this reading What would become of us if our appetites were left?”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As they spoke, Mr. Long drew near.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading What would become of us if our appetites were left?”
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They were within a stone’s throw of the cliff, and were drifting slowly by.
a steep high face of rock
From this reading They were within a stone’s throw of the cliff, and were drifting slowly by.
the process of giving careful thought to something
From this reading “Yes, that’s a consideration.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading As they spoke, Mr. Long drew near.
aimless wandering from place to place
From this reading They were within a stone’s throw of the cliff, and were drifting slowly by.
the organ of sight
From this reading He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading What would become of us if our appetites were left?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading What would become of us if our appetites were left?”
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 As they spoke, Mr. Long drew near.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.
a form of address for a man
From this reading As they spoke, Mr. Long drew near.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading As they spoke, Mr. Long drew near.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What would become of us if our appetites were left?”
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading What would become of us if our appetites were left?”
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading They were within a stone’s throw of the cliff, and were drifting slowly by.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading As they spoke, Mr. Long drew near.
possessive form of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading They were within a stone’s throw of the cliff, and were drifting slowly by.
the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
From this reading He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Yes, that’s a consideration.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They were within a stone’s throw of the cliff, and were drifting slowly by.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As they spoke, Mr. Long drew near.
propel through the air
From this reading They were within a stone’s throw of the cliff, and were drifting slowly by.
past form of “tower” — appear very large or occupy a commanding position
From this reading He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He looked up at the summit, as it. towered far above him, and then ran his eye along the black, tempest-torn sides.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading What would become of us if our appetites were left?”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What would become of us if our appetites were left?”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What would become of us if our appetites were left?”
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading They were within a stone’s throw of the cliff, and were drifting slowly by.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading What would become of us if our appetites were left?”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, that’s a consideration.
Chapter 12 of The "B. O. W. C." by James De Mille holds 387 sentences, grouped into 78 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 387 sentences of The "B. O. W. C.", unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The "B. O. W. C." by James De Mille exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 387 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 The "B. O. W. C." by James De Mille on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5287 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56231 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56231, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 440 minutes of reading across 1058 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The "B. O. W. C." section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The "B. O. W. C." 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 The "B. O. W. C.", each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
