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The curse of gold
The curse of gold

Chapter XII · The Odd Ear-Ring

Chapter XII of The curse of gold, “The Odd Ear-Ring,” is here in full — 128 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The curse of gold
Context Illustration Reading 1/25 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.
Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.
“Oh, there he is.”
As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.
“Burglary—burglary!
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The curse of gold

Chapter XII · The Odd Ear-Ring

Chapter XII of The curse of gold, “The Odd Ear-Ring,” is here in full — 128 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/25 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.
Line 2
Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.
/ˈveri fjuː ˈpɜːrsənz wɜːr ɪn ðə striːt æt ðæt taɪm ʌv ðə ˈiːvnɪŋ fɔːr ðoʊ nɑːt ˈveri leɪt ðə ˈbɪldɪŋ wɑːz diːp ɪn ðə kəˈmɜːrʃəl hɑːrt ʌv ðə ˈsɪti ənd fjuː ˈpɜːrsənz ˈevər spent ðə naɪt ðer/
Line 3
“Oh, there he is.”
/oʊ ðer hiː ɪz/
Line 4
As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.
/æz ðə oʊld ˈwʊmən ˈʌtərd ðiːz wɜːrdz ʃiː ˈdɑːrtɪd əˈkrɔːs ðə striːt ənd siːzd ə pəˈliːsmən baɪ ðə ɑːrm/
Line 5
“Burglary—burglary!

Learner Dictionary

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.

burglary noun US /ˈbɜːrɡləri/

entering a building unlawfully with intent to commit a felony or to steal valuable property

From this reading ““Burglary—burglary!”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
commercial adjective US /kəˈmɜːrʃəl/

connected with or engaged in or sponsored by or used in commerce or commercial enterprises

From this reading “Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
darted verb US /ˈdɑːrtɪd/

past form of “dart” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart

From this reading “As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Kelly noun US /ˈkeli/

United States circus clown (1898-1979)

From this reading “Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
outer adjective US /ˈaʊtər/

being on the outside or further from a center

From this reading “Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
paces noun US /ˈpeɪsɪz/

plural of “pace” — the rate of moving (especially walking or running)

From this reading “Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pavement noun US /ˈpeɪvmənt/

the paved surface of a thoroughfare

From this reading “Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
policeman noun US /pəˈliːsmən/

a member of a police force

From this reading “As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

outer door adjective + noun

In this reading “Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.”

3,473 times in 426,211 chapters
few paces adjective + noun counted as “few pace”

In this reading “Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.”

4,101 times in 426,211 chapters
darted across verb + particle counted as “dart across”

In this reading “As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.”

657 times in 426,211 chapters
across the street preposition + article + noun counted as “across … street”

In this reading “As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.”

4,303 times in 426,211 chapters
old woman adjective + noun

a woman who is old

In this reading “As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.”

49,305 times in 426,211 chapters
by the arm preposition + article + noun counted as “by … arm”

In this reading “As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.”

9,247 times in 426,211 chapters
in the street preposition + article + noun counted as “in … street”

In this reading “Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.”

27,424 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 58

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
armnounUS /ɑːrm/

a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb

From this reading As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
buildingnounUS /ˈbɪldɪŋ/

a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BurglarynounUS /ˈbɜːrɡləri/

entering a building unlawfully with intent to commit a felony or to steal valuable property

From this reading “Burglary—burglary!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
citynounUS /ˈsɪti/

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
commercialadjectiveUS /kəˈmɜːrʃəl/

connected with or engaged in or sponsored by or used in commerce or commercial enterprises

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dartedverbUS /ˈdɑːrtɪd/

past form of “dart” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart

From this reading As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
deepadjectiveUS /diːp/

relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “Oh, there he is.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “Oh, there he is.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Jane

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.

Pending verification
KellynounUS /ˈkeli/

United States circus clown (1898-1979)

From this reading Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lateadjectiveUS /leɪt/

being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MadamenounUS /ˈmædəm/

title used for a married Frenchwoman

From this reading Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading “Oh, there he is.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
outeradjectiveUS /ˈaʊtər/

being on the outside or further from a center

From this reading Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pacesnounUS /ˈpeɪsɪz/

plural of “pace” — the rate of moving (especially walking or running)

From this reading Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pavementnounUS /ˈpeɪvmənt/

the paved surface of a thoroughfare

From this reading Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
personsnounUS /ˈpɜːrsənz/

plural of “person” — a human being

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
policemannounUS /pəˈliːsmən/

a member of a police force

From this reading As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
proceededverbUS /prəˈsiːdɪd/

past form of “proceed” — continue talking

From this reading Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
reachedverbUS /riːtʃt/

past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract

From this reading Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seizedverbUS /siːzd/

past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab

From this reading As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
spentadjectiveUS /spent/

depleted of energy, force, or strength

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
streetnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
utteredadjectiveUS /ˈʌtərd/

communicated in words

From this reading As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
VeryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Very few persons were in the street at that time of the evening; for, though not very late, the building was deep in the commercial heart of the city, and few persons ever spent the night there.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Jane Kelly had proceeded but a few paces from the outer door, when Madame reached the pavement.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wordsnounUS /wɜːrdz/

the words that are spoken

From this reading As the old woman uttered these words, she darted across the street and seized a policeman by the arm.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 12 of The curse of gold by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens holds 128 sentences, grouped into 26 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.

What does chapter 12 of The curse of gold contain?

Chapter 12 holds 128 sentences of The curse of gold, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of The curse of gold by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 128 sentences, grouped into 26 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.

How do I study chapter 12 of The curse of gold?

Work through the 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

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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.

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