Chapter 12 of The Efficiency Expert is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Efficiency Expert is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
UP OR DOWN? After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him. "We seen that little mix-up in there," said one of them. "You handle your mitts like you been there before." "Yes," said Jimmy, smiling, "I've had a little experience in the manly art of self-defense."
Chapter 12 of The Efficiency Expert is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
past form of “approach” — move towards
From this reading “After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.”
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading “After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.”
be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
From this reading “"You handle your mitts like you been there before."”
to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
From this reading “After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.”
possessing qualities befitting a man
From this reading “"Yes," said Jimmy, smiling, "I've had a little experience in the manly art of self-defense."”
plural of “mitt” — the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading “"You handle your mitts like you been there before."”
a mistake that results from taking one thing to be another
From this reading “"We seen that little mix-up in there," said one of them.”
the act of defending yourself
From this reading “"Yes," said Jimmy, smiling, "I've had a little experience in the manly art of self-defense."”
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 After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.
later than; following
From this reading After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.
past form of “approach” — move towards
From this reading After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.
an old form of “are”, used with “thou”
From this reading "Yes," said Jimmy, smiling, "I've had a little experience in the manly art of self-defense."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "You handle your mitts like you been there before."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "You handle your mitts like you been there before."
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading UP OR DOWN?
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading "Yes," said Jimmy, smiling, "I've had a little experience in the manly art of self-defense."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.
be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
From this reading "You handle your mitts like you been there before."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes," said Jimmy, smiling, "I've had a little experience in the manly art of self-defense."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "We seen that little mix-up in there," said one of them.
to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
From this reading After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.
go away from a place
From this reading After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "You handle your mitts like you been there before."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "We seen that little mix-up in there," said one of them.
possessing qualities befitting a man
From this reading "Yes," said Jimmy, smiling, "I've had a little experience in the manly art of self-defense."
the force of workers available
From this reading After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.
plural of “mitt” — the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading "You handle your mitts like you been there before."
a mistake that results from taking one thing to be another
From this reading "We seen that little mix-up in there," said one of them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "We seen that little mix-up in there," said one of them.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading UP OR DOWN?
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "We seen that little mix-up in there," said one of them.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "We seen that little mix-up in there," said one of them.
the act of defending yourself
From this reading "Yes," said Jimmy, smiling, "I've had a little experience in the manly art of self-defense."
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading "Yes," said Jimmy, smiling, "I've had a little experience in the manly art of self-defense."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "We seen that little mix-up in there," said one of them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Yes," said Jimmy, smiling, "I've had a little experience in the manly art of self-defense."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "We seen that little mix-up in there," said one of them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "We seen that little mix-up in there," said one of them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading UP OR DOWN?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading After Jimmy had received his check and was about to leave, a couple of men approached him.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We seen that little mix-up in there," said one of them.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," said Jimmy, smiling, "I've had a little experience in the manly art of self-defense."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You handle your mitts like you been there before."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You handle your mitts like you been there before."
Chapter 12 of The Efficiency Expert by Edgar Rice Burroughs holds 78 sentences, grouped into 16 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 78 sentences of The Efficiency Expert, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Efficiency Expert by Edgar Rice Burroughs exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 78 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 Efficiency Expert by Edgar Rice Burroughs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2877 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3475 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3475, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 239 minutes of reading across 576 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Efficiency Expert section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Efficiency Expert 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 Efficiency Expert, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
