Chapter 12 of The Berkeleys and their neighbors is here in full — 210 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Berkeleys and their neighbors is here in full — 210 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE winter had lapsed into spring. It was April--the May of colder climates. In a week--a day--Nature had rushed into bloom. Even Madame Koller, who cared little for these things, was awakened to the beauty surrounding her. She spent hours walking in the fresh morning air and thinking--thinking.
Chapter 12 of The Berkeleys and their neighbors is here in full — 210 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading “It was April--the May of colder climates.”
aroused or activated
From this reading “Even Madame Koller, who cared little for these things, was awakened to the beauty surrounding her.”
the organic process of bearing flowers
From this reading “In a week--a day--Nature had rushed into bloom.”
past form of “care” — feel concern or interest
From this reading “Even Madame Koller, who cared little for these things, was awakened to the beauty surrounding her.”
plural of “climate” — the weather in some location averaged over some long period of time
From this reading “It was April--the May of colder climates.”
comparative of “cold” — having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading “It was April--the May of colder climates.”
no longer active or practicing
From this reading “THE winter had lapsed into spring.”
closely encircling
From this reading “Even Madame Koller, who cared little for these things, was awakened to the beauty surrounding her.”
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 this reading “It was April--the May of colder climates.”
In this reading “She spent hours walking in the fresh morning air and thinking--thinking.”
In this reading “She spent hours walking in the fresh morning air and thinking--thinking.”
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 In a week--a day--Nature had rushed into bloom.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading She spent hours walking in the fresh morning air and thinking--thinking.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She spent hours walking in the fresh morning air and thinking--thinking.
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading It was April--the May of colder climates.
aroused or activated
From this reading Even Madame Koller, who cared little for these things, was awakened to the beauty surrounding her.
the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading Even Madame Koller, who cared little for these things, was awakened to the beauty surrounding her.
the organic process of bearing flowers
From this reading In a week--a day--Nature had rushed into bloom.
past form of “care” — feel concern or interest
From this reading Even Madame Koller, who cared little for these things, was awakened to the beauty surrounding her.
plural of “climate” — the weather in some location averaged over some long period of time
From this reading It was April--the May of colder climates.
comparative of “cold” — having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading It was April--the May of colder climates.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading In a week--a day--Nature had rushed into bloom.
divisible by two
From this reading Even Madame Koller, who cared little for these things, was awakened to the beauty surrounding her.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Even Madame Koller, who cared little for these things, was awakened to the beauty surrounding her.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading She spent hours walking in the fresh morning air and thinking--thinking.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE winter had lapsed into spring.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Even Madame Koller, who cared little for these things, was awakened to the beauty surrounding her.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading She spent hours walking in the fresh morning air and thinking--thinking.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a week--a day--Nature had rushed into bloom.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading THE winter had lapsed into spring.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was April--the May of colder climates.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Even Madame Koller, who cared little for these things, was awakened to the beauty surrounding her.
no longer active or practicing
From this reading THE winter had lapsed into spring.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Even Madame Koller, who cared little for these things, was awakened to the beauty surrounding her.
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading Even Madame Koller, who cared little for these things, was awakened to the beauty surrounding her.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading It was April--the May of colder climates.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading She spent hours walking in the fresh morning air and thinking--thinking.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading In a week--a day--Nature had rushed into bloom.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was April--the May of colder climates.
done under pressure
From this reading In a week--a day--Nature had rushed into bloom.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She spent hours walking in the fresh morning air and thinking--thinking.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading She spent hours walking in the fresh morning air and thinking--thinking.
the season of growth
From this reading THE winter had lapsed into spring.
closely encircling
From this reading Even Madame Koller, who cared little for these things, was awakened to the beauty surrounding her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE winter had lapsed into spring.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Even Madame Koller, who cared little for these things, was awakened to the beauty surrounding her.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Even Madame Koller, who cared little for these things, was awakened to the beauty surrounding her.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading She spent hours walking in the fresh morning air and thinking--thinking.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Even Madame Koller, who cared little for these things, was awakened to the beauty surrounding her.
close enough to be walked to
From this reading She spent hours walking in the fresh morning air and thinking--thinking.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was April--the May of colder climates.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading In a week--a day--Nature had rushed into bloom.
which person or people
From this reading Even Madame Koller, who cared little for these things, was awakened to the beauty surrounding her.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading THE winter had lapsed into spring.
Chapter 12 of The Berkeleys and their neighbors by Molly Elliot Seawell holds 210 sentences, grouped into 42 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 210 sentences of The Berkeleys and their neighbors, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Berkeleys and their neighbors by Molly Elliot Seawell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 210 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 Berkeleys and their neighbors by Molly Elliot Seawell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Berkeleys and their neighbors section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Berkeleys and their neighbors 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 Berkeleys and their neighbors, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
