Chapter 12 of The Cardinal Moth is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Cardinal Moth is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I have probably the finest collection in England," he replied. "Many of them would tempt a thief, I suppose?" "Well, I dare say. There are orchid collectors all over the world, you see. Once a man gets hold of that passion it seldom leaves him.
Chapter 12 of The Cardinal Moth is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
several things grouped together or considered as a whole
From this reading “"I have probably the finest collection in England," he replied.”
plural of “collector” — a person who collects things
From this reading “There are orchid collectors all over the world, you see.”
superlative of “fine” — being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading “"I have probably the finest collection in England," he replied.”
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading “Once a man gets hold of that passion it seldom leaves him.”
any of numerous plants of the orchid family usually having flowers of unusual shapes and beautiful colors
From this reading “There are orchid collectors all over the world, you see.”
not often
From this reading “Once a man gets hold of that passion it seldom leaves him.”
dispose or incline or entice to
From this reading “"Many of them would tempt a thief, I suppose?"”
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading “"Many of them would tempt a thief, I suppose?"”
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 “"I have probably the finest collection in England," he replied.”
In this reading “Once a man gets hold of that passion it seldom leaves him.”
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 "Many of them would tempt a thief, I suppose?"
(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 There are orchid collectors all over the world, you see.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There are orchid collectors all over the world, you see.
several things grouped together or considered as a whole
From this reading "I have probably the finest collection in England," he replied.
plural of “collector” — a person who collects things
From this reading There are orchid collectors all over the world, you see.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading "Well, I dare say.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading "I have probably the finest collection in England," he replied.
superlative of “fine” — being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading "I have probably the finest collection in England," he replied.
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading Once a man gets hold of that passion it seldom leaves him.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have probably the finest collection in England," he replied.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I have probably the finest collection in England," he replied.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Once a man gets hold of that passion it seldom leaves him.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Once a man gets hold of that passion it seldom leaves him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I have probably the finest collection in England," he replied.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I have probably the finest collection in England," he replied.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Once a man gets hold of that passion it seldom leaves him.
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading Once a man gets hold of that passion it seldom leaves him.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Once a man gets hold of that passion it seldom leaves him.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading "Many of them would tempt a thief, I suppose?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Many of them would tempt a thief, I suppose?"
on one occasion
From this reading Once a man gets hold of that passion it seldom leaves him.
any of numerous plants of the orchid family usually having flowers of unusual shapes and beautiful colors
From this reading There are orchid collectors all over the world, you see.
above and across; more than
From this reading There are orchid collectors all over the world, you see.
a strong feeling or emotion
From this reading Once a man gets hold of that passion it seldom leaves him.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading "I have probably the finest collection in England," he replied.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "I have probably the finest collection in England," he replied.
express in words
From this reading "Well, I dare say.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading There are orchid collectors all over the world, you see.
not often
From this reading Once a man gets hold of that passion it seldom leaves him.
express a supposition
From this reading "Many of them would tempt a thief, I suppose?"
dispose or incline or entice to
From this reading "Many of them would tempt a thief, I suppose?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Once a man gets hold of that passion it seldom leaves him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I have probably the finest collection in England," he replied.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Many of them would tempt a thief, I suppose?"
in or at that place or location
From this reading There are orchid collectors all over the world, you see.
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading "Many of them would tempt a thief, I suppose?"
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, I dare say.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading There are orchid collectors all over the world, you see.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Many of them would tempt a thief, I suppose?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading There are orchid collectors all over the world, you see.
Chapter 12 of The Cardinal Moth by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 408 sentences of The Cardinal Moth, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Cardinal Moth by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Cardinal Moth by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5260 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43674 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43674, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 438 minutes of reading across 1052 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Cardinal Moth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Cardinal Moth 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 Cardinal Moth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
