Chapter 12 of The Dinner Club 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 Dinner Club is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
His smile grew a trifle more pronounced though his eyes were set and steady. “Know her?” He beckoned to the waiter for more brandy. “No, I can’t say I know her. In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Chapter 12 of The Dinner Club 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.
a relationship less intimate than friendship
From this reading “In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.”
past form of “beckon” — signal with the hands or nod
From this reading “He beckoned to the waiter for more brandy.”
distilled from wine or fermented fruit juice
From this reading “He beckoned to the waiter for more brandy.”
plural of “potato” — an edible tuber native to South America; a staple food of Ireland
From this reading “In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.”
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading “His smile grew a trifle more pronounced though his eyes were set and steady.”
a bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases
From this reading “In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.”
inflected form of “sling” — hurl as if with a sling
From this reading “In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.”
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading “He beckoned to the waiter for more brandy.”
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 “In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.”
In this reading “In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.”
in reality or actuality
In this reading “In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.”
In this reading “In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.”
In this reading “In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.”
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 His smile grew a trifle more pronounced though his eyes were set and steady.
a relationship less intimate than friendship
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His smile grew a trifle more pronounced though his eyes were set and steady.
past form of “beckon” — signal with the hands or nod
From this reading He beckoned to the waiter for more brandy.
distilled from wine or fermented fruit juice
From this reading He beckoned to the waiter for more brandy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No, I can’t say I know her.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
an assertion of a right (as to money or property)
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His smile grew a trifle more pronounced though his eyes were set and steady.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He beckoned to the waiter for more brandy.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading His smile grew a trifle more pronounced though his eyes were set and steady.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He beckoned to the waiter for more brandy.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Know her?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His smile grew a trifle more pronounced though his eyes were set and steady.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “No, I can’t say I know her.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Know her?”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading His smile grew a trifle more pronounced though his eyes were set and steady.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
not any; not one
From this reading “No, I can’t say I know her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
above and across; more than
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
plural of “potato” — an edible tuber native to South America; a staple food of Ireland
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading His smile grew a trifle more pronounced though his eyes were set and steady.
a bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
express in words
From this reading “No, I can’t say I know her.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading His smile grew a trifle more pronounced though his eyes were set and steady.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
inflected form of “sling” — hurl as if with a sling
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading His smile grew a trifle more pronounced though his eyes were set and steady.
the underside of footwear or a golf club
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
make steady
From this reading His smile grew a trifle more pronounced though his eyes were set and steady.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He beckoned to the waiter for more brandy.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading His smile grew a trifle more pronounced though his eyes were set and steady.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading In fact, my sole claim to acquaintanceship is that I carried her for three miles in the dark one night, slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He beckoned to the waiter for more brandy.
a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading His smile grew a trifle more pronounced though his eyes were set and steady.
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading He beckoned to the waiter for more brandy.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His smile grew a trifle more pronounced though his eyes were set and steady.
Chapter 12 of The Dinner Club by H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile 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 Dinner Club, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Dinner Club by H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile 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 Dinner Club by H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4821 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60525 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60525, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 401 minutes of reading across 965 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dinner Club section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Dinner Club 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 Dinner Club, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
