Chapter 12 of The case-book of Sherlock Holmes is here in full — 402 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 case-book of Sherlock Holmes is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Holmes stopped at a post office and sent off a telegram on our way. The answer reached us in the evening, and he tossed it across to me. "Have visited the Commercial Road and seen Dorak. Suave person, Bohemian, elderly. Keeps large general store.--Mercer."
Chapter 12 of The case-book of Sherlock Holmes is here in full — 402 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.
a member of a people with dark skin and hair who speak Romany and who traditionally live by seasonal work and fortunetelling
From this reading “Suave person, Bohemian, elderly.”
connected with or engaged in or sponsored by or used in commerce or commercial enterprises
From this reading “"Have visited the Commercial Road and seen Dorak.”
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading “Suave person, Bohemian, elderly.”
a fictitious detective in stories by A. Conan Doyle
From this reading “Holmes stopped at a post office and sent off a telegram on our way.”
a dealer in textiles (especially silks)
From this reading “Keeps large general store.--Mercer."”
having a sophisticated charm
From this reading “Suave person, Bohemian, elderly.”
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading “Holmes stopped at a post office and sent off a telegram on our way.”
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading “The answer reached us in the evening, and he tossed it across to me.”
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.
a local branch where postal services are available
In this reading “Holmes stopped at a post office and sent off a telegram on our way.”
a retail store serving a sparsely populated region; usually stocked with a wide variety of merchandise
In this reading “Keeps large general store.--Mercer."”
In this reading “The answer reached us in the evening, and he tossed it across to me.”
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 Holmes stopped at a post office and sent off a telegram on our way.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading The answer reached us in the evening, and he tossed it across to me.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Holmes stopped at a post office and sent off a telegram on our way.
react verbally
From this reading The answer reached us in the evening, and he tossed it across to me.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Holmes stopped at a post office and sent off a telegram on our way.
a member of a people with dark skin and hair who speak Romany and who traditionally live by seasonal work and fortunetelling
From this reading Suave person, Bohemian, elderly.
connected with or engaged in or sponsored by or used in commerce or commercial enterprises
From this reading "Have visited the Commercial Road and seen Dorak.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Have visited the Commercial Road and seen Dorak.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading Suave person, Bohemian, elderly.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading The answer reached us in the evening, and he tossed it across to me.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading Keeps large general store.--Mercer."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have visited the Commercial Road and seen Dorak.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The answer reached us in the evening, and he tossed it across to me.
a fictitious detective in stories by A. Conan Doyle
From this reading Holmes stopped at a post office and sent off a telegram on our way.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The answer reached us in the evening, and he tossed it across to me.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The answer reached us in the evening, and he tossed it across to me.
plural of “keep” — the financial means whereby one lives
From this reading Keeps large general store.--Mercer."
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Keeps large general store.--Mercer."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The answer reached us in the evening, and he tossed it across to me.
a dealer in textiles (especially silks)
From this reading Keeps large general store.--Mercer."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Holmes stopped at a post office and sent off a telegram on our way.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Holmes stopped at a post office and sent off a telegram on our way.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Holmes stopped at a post office and sent off a telegram on our way.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Holmes stopped at a post office and sent off a telegram on our way.
a human being
From this reading Suave person, Bohemian, elderly.
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading Holmes stopped at a post office and sent off a telegram on our way.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading The answer reached us in the evening, and he tossed it across to me.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading "Have visited the Commercial Road and seen Dorak.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Have visited the Commercial Road and seen Dorak.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading Holmes stopped at a post office and sent off a telegram on our way.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading Holmes stopped at a post office and sent off a telegram on our way.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading Keeps large general store.--Mercer."
having a sophisticated charm
From this reading Suave person, Bohemian, elderly.
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading Holmes stopped at a post office and sent off a telegram on our way.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The answer reached us in the evening, and he tossed it across to me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The answer reached us in the evening, and he tossed it across to me.
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading The answer reached us in the evening, and he tossed it across to me.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The answer reached us in the evening, and he tossed it across to me.
past form of “visit” — go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading "Have visited the Commercial Road and seen Dorak.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Holmes stopped at a post office and sent off a telegram on our way.
Chapter 12 of The case-book of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle holds 402 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 402 sentences of The case-book of Sherlock Holmes, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The case-book of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 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 case-book of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
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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 case-book of Sherlock Holmes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The case-book of Sherlock Holmes to begin.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The case-book of Sherlock Holmes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
