Chapter 12 of The Custom of the Country is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Custom of the Country is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mrs. Rolliver's expression changed from vague sympathy to concentrated interest. "I suppose it's awfully gay here? Do you go round a great deal with the American set?" Undine hesitated for a fraction of a moment. "There are a few of them who are rather jolly.
Chapter 12 of The Custom of the Country is here in full — 413 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.
used as intensifiers
From this reading “"I suppose it's awfully gay here?”
gathered together or made less diffuse
From this reading “Mrs. Rolliver's expression changed from vague sympathy to concentrated interest.”
a component of a mixture that has been separated by a fractional process
From this reading “Undine hesitated for a fraction of a moment.”
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading “"I suppose it's awfully gay here?”
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading “Undine hesitated for a fraction of a moment.”
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading “"There are a few of them who are rather jolly.”
any of various female water spirits
From this reading “Undine hesitated for a fraction of a moment.”
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading “Mrs. Rolliver's expression changed from vague sympathy to concentrated interest.”
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 Do you go round a great deal with the American set?"
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading Do you go round a great deal with the American set?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "There are a few of them who are rather jolly.
used as intensifiers
From this reading "I suppose it's awfully gay here?
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading Mrs. Rolliver's expression changed from vague sympathy to concentrated interest.
gathered together or made less diffuse
From this reading Mrs. Rolliver's expression changed from vague sympathy to concentrated interest.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading Do you go round a great deal with the American set?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do you go round a great deal with the American set?"
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading Mrs. Rolliver's expression changed from vague sympathy to concentrated interest.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading "There are a few of them who are rather jolly.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Undine hesitated for a fraction of a moment.
a component of a mixture that has been separated by a fractional process
From this reading Undine hesitated for a fraction of a moment.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Mrs. Rolliver's expression changed from vague sympathy to concentrated interest.
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading "I suppose it's awfully gay here?
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Do you go round a great deal with the American set?"
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Do you go round a great deal with the American set?"
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "I suppose it's awfully gay here?
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading Undine hesitated for a fraction of a moment.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I suppose it's awfully gay here?
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading Mrs. Rolliver's expression changed from vague sympathy to concentrated interest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I suppose it's awfully gay here?
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading "There are a few of them who are rather jolly.
a particular point in time
From this reading Undine hesitated for a fraction of a moment.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Rolliver's expression changed from vague sympathy to concentrated interest.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Undine hesitated for a fraction of a moment.
on the contrary
From this reading "There are a few of them who are rather jolly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Rolliver's expression changed from vague sympathy to concentrated interest.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Do you go round a great deal with the American set?"
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Do you go round a great deal with the American set?"
express a supposition
From this reading "I suppose it's awfully gay here?
an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion
From this reading Mrs. Rolliver's expression changed from vague sympathy to concentrated interest.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Do you go round a great deal with the American set?"
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "There are a few of them who are rather jolly.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There are a few of them who are rather jolly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mrs. Rolliver's expression changed from vague sympathy to concentrated interest.
any of various female water spirits
From this reading Undine hesitated for a fraction of a moment.
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading Mrs. Rolliver's expression changed from vague sympathy to concentrated interest.
which person or people
From this reading "There are a few of them who are rather jolly.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Do you go round a great deal with the American set?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Do you go round a great deal with the American set?"
Chapter 12 of The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton holds 413 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 413 sentences of The Custom of the Country, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 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 Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7166 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11052 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11052, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 597 minutes of reading across 1434 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Custom of the Country section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Custom of the Country 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 Custom of the Country, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
