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The Belfry
The Belfry

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of The Belfry is here in full — 575 sentences across 115 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/115 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.
Oh no--it's impossible.
He had altered.
If he had been like this we must have seen it.
What Viola had seen--if she had seen anything--was only the foreshadowing, the bare possibility of this.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Belfry

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of The Belfry is here in full — 575 sentences across 115 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/115 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.
Line 2
Oh no--it's impossible.
Line 3
He had altered.
/hiː hæd ˈɔːltərd/
Line 4
If he had been like this we must have seen it.
/ɪf hiː hæd bɪn laɪk ðɪs wiː mʌst hæv siːn ɪt/
Line 5
What Viola had seen--if she had seen anything--was only the foreshadowing, the bare possibility of this.

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.

altered adjective US /ˈɔːltərd/

changed in form or character without becoming something else

From this reading “And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.”

bare adjective US /ber/

completely unclothed

From this reading “What Viola had seen--if she had seen anything--was only the foreshadowing, the bare possibility of this.”

except preposition US /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading “And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.”

foreshadowing noun US /fɔːrˈʃædoʊɪŋ/

the act of providing vague advance indications; representing beforehand

From this reading “What Viola had seen--if she had seen anything--was only the foreshadowing, the bare possibility of this.”

impossible adjective US /ˌɪmˈpɑːsəbəl/

not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with

From this reading “Oh no--it's impossible.”

possibility noun US /ˌpɑːsəˈbɪlətiː/

a future prospect or potential

From this reading “What Viola had seen--if she had seen anything--was only the foreshadowing, the bare possibility of this.”

shown verb US /ʃoʊn/

inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading “And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.”

Viola noun US /vaɪˈoʊlə/

any of the numerous plants of the genus Viola

From this reading “And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.”

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.

bare possibility adjective + noun

In this reading “What Viola had seen--if she had seen anything--was only the foreshadowing, the bare possibility of this.”

All words in this reading · 46

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.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

alteredadjectiveUS /ˈɔːltərd/

changed in form or character without becoming something else

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

Amershott

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

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading What Viola had seen--if she had seen anything--was only the foreshadowing, the bare possibility of this.

bareadjectiveUS /ber/

completely unclothed

From this reading What Viola had seen--if she had seen anything--was only the foreshadowing, the bare possibility of this.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

cannot

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

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

exceptprepositionUS /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

foreshadowingnounUS /fɔːrˈʃædoʊɪŋ/

the act of providing vague advance indications; representing beforehand

From this reading What Viola had seen--if she had seen anything--was only the foreshadowing, the bare possibility of this.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading If he had been like this we must have seen it.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If he had been like this we must have seen it.

impossibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɑːsəbəl/

not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with

From this reading Oh no--it's impossible.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

it's

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

From this reading Oh no--it's impossible.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading If he had been like this we must have seen it.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Oh no--it's impossible.

nonepronounUS /nʌn/

not one, and not any

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading Oh no--it's impossible.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading What Viola had seen--if she had seen anything--was only the foreshadowing, the bare possibility of this.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

possibilitynounUS /ˌpɑːsəˈbɪlətiː/

a future prospect or potential

From this reading What Viola had seen--if she had seen anything--was only the foreshadowing, the bare possibility of this.

reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading What Viola had seen--if she had seen anything--was only the foreshadowing, the bare possibility of this.

shownverbUS /ʃoʊn/

inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading If he had been like this we must have seen it.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

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

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

ViolanounUS /vaɪˈoʊlə/

any of the numerous plants of the genus Viola

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading If he had been like this we must have seen it.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What Viola had seen--if she had seen anything--was only the foreshadowing, the bare possibility of this.

whetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading And I cannot tell you whether he was really altered, or whether he had been like that all the time before Amershott had shown him up, and none of us had seen it except Viola.

Chapter 12 of The Belfry by May Sinclair holds 575 sentences, grouped into 115 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 The Belfry contain?

Chapter 12 holds 575 sentences of The Belfry, unabridged, divided into 115 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of The Belfry by May Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 575 sentences, grouped into 115 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 The Belfry?

Work through the 115 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 115 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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Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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