Chapter 12 of The Claw is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Claw is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It is all I ever promised you," I broke out at him then. "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career. You swore you would ask nothing more of me." "A likely story," he answered. "Who ever means those tom-fool things?"
Chapter 12 of The Claw is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
an agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each
From this reading “"I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.”
lacking funds
From this reading “"It is all I ever promised you," I broke out at him then.”
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading “"I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.”
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “"I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.”
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading “"A likely story," he answered.”
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading “"I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.”
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading “"It is all I ever promised you," I broke out at him then.”
inflected form of “swear” — utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading “You swore you would ask nothing more of 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.
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 "A likely story," he answered.
(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 "It is all I ever promised you," I broke out at him then.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "A likely story," he answered.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading You swore you would ask nothing more of me."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "It is all I ever promised you," I broke out at him then.
an agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
lacking funds
From this reading "It is all I ever promised you," I broke out at him then.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
at any time
From this reading "It is all I ever promised you," I broke out at him then.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "A likely story," he answered.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "It is all I ever promised you," I broke out at him then.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "It is all I ever promised you," I broke out at him then.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is all I ever promised you," I broke out at him then.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is all I ever promised you," I broke out at him then.
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading "A likely story," he answered.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading "Who ever means those tom-fool things?"
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading You swore you would ask nothing more of me."
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading You swore you would ask nothing more of me."
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "It is all I ever promised you," I broke out at him then.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading "It is all I ever promised you," I broke out at him then.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading "A likely story," he answered.
inflected form of “swear” — utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading You swore you would ask nothing more of me."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "It is all I ever promised you," I broke out at him then.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "Who ever means those tom-fool things?"
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading "Who ever means those tom-fool things?"
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who ever means those tom-fool things?"
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
at the time that
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
which person or people
From this reading "Who ever means those tom-fool things?"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading You swore you would ask nothing more of me."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "It is all I ever promised you," I broke out at him then.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I told you when we made our bargain that you must expect nothing from me but my presence in your house, and my help in your career.
Chapter 12 of The Claw by Cynthia Stockley holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 411 sentences of The Claw, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Claw by Cynthia Stockley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Claw by Cynthia Stockley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5799 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37257 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37257, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 483 minutes of reading across 1160 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Claw section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Claw 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 Claw, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
