Chapter 12 of The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Elsie came in a little later to say, sympathetically: "Are you tired, Captain Curtis?" He pushed his writing away. "Yes, a little. The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
Chapter 12 of The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
English botanical writer and publisher (1746-1799)
From this reading “"Are you tired, Captain Curtis?"”
third-person singular of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.”
superlative of “hard” — with effort or force or vigor
From this reading “The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.”
past form of “push” — move with force
From this reading “He pushed his writing away.”
with respect to the sympathetic nervous system
From this reading “Elsie came in a little later to say, sympathetically:”
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading “"Are you tired, Captain Curtis?"”
the least favorable outcome
From this reading “The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.”
the act of creating written works
From this reading “He pushed his writing away.”
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 “The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.”
to come or go into
In this reading “Elsie came in a little later to say, sympathetically:”
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 Elsie came in a little later to say, sympathetically:
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are you tired, Captain Curtis?"
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He pushed his writing away.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Elsie came in a little later to say, sympathetically:
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading "Are you tired, Captain Curtis?"
English botanical writer and publisher (1746-1799)
From this reading "Are you tired, Captain Curtis?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Elsie came in a little later to say, sympathetically:
third-person singular of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
superlative of “hard” — with effort or force or vigor
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He pushed his writing away.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He pushed his writing away.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Elsie came in a little later to say, sympathetically:
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Elsie came in a little later to say, sympathetically:
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Elsie came in a little later to say, sympathetically:
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
past form of “push” — move with force
From this reading He pushed his writing away.
express in words
From this reading Elsie came in a little later to say, sympathetically:
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
with respect to the sympathetic nervous system
From this reading Elsie came in a little later to say, sympathetically:
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading "Are you tired, Captain Curtis?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Elsie came in a little later to say, sympathetically:
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
the least favorable outcome
From this reading The worst of it is, I keep saying: _If so and so happens, then I must do thus and thus_, and that is the hardest work in the world.
the act of creating written works
From this reading He pushed his writing away.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, a little.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Are you tired, Captain Curtis?"
Chapter 12 of The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop by Hamlin Garland holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop by Hamlin Garland exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop by Hamlin Garland on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7576 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33458 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33458, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1516 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop 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 Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
