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The Fall of a Nation
The Fall of a Nation

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of The Fall of a Nation is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Fall of a Nation
Context Illustration Reading 1/27 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.
He had never taken a vacation; nor had his father.
It was time to adopt this good custom of the country.
It was mid-July.
The campaign would not really be under way until October.
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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 Fall of a Nation

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of The Fall of a Nation is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/27 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.
Line 2
He had never taken a vacation; nor had his father.
/hiː hæd ˈnevər ˈteɪkən ə veɪˈkeɪʃən nɔːr hæd hɪz ˈfɑːðər/
Line 3
It was time to adopt this good custom of the country.
/ɪt wɑːz taɪm tuː əˈdɑːpt ðɪs ɡʊd ˈkʌstəm ʌv ðə ˈkʌntri/
Line 4
It was mid-July.
Line 5
The campaign would not really be under way until October.
/ðə kæmˈpeɪn wʊd nɑːt ˈrɪli biː ˈʌndər weɪ ənˈtɪl ɑːkˈtoʊbər/

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.

adopt verb US /əˈdɑːpt/

choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans

From this reading “It was time to adopt this good custom of the country.”

Babylon noun US /ˈbæbəlɑːn/

the chief city of ancient Mesopotamia and capital of the ancient kingdom of Babylonia

From this reading “Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.”

campaign noun US /kæmˈpeɪn/

a race between candidates for elective office

From this reading “The campaign would not really be under way until October.”

custom noun US /ˈkʌstəm/

accepted or habitual practice

From this reading “It was time to adopt this good custom of the country.”

determined adjective US /dɪˈtɜːrmənd/

characterized by great determination

From this reading “Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.”

lettered adjective US /ˈletərd/

highly educated; having extensive information or understanding

From this reading “Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.”

October noun US /ɑːkˈtoʊbər/

the month following September and preceding November

From this reading “The campaign would not really be under way until October.”

vacation noun US /veɪˈkeɪʃən/

leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure

From this reading “He had never taken a vacation; nor had his father.”

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.

two weeks noun + noun counted as “two week”

In this reading “Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.”

under way preposition + noun

in motion; set in motion

In this reading “The campaign would not really be under way until October.”

All words in this reading · 44

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 He had never taken a vacation; nor had his father.

adoptverbUS /əˈdɑːpt/

choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans

From this reading It was time to adopt this good custom of the country.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.

BabylonnounUS /ˈbæbəlɑːn/

the chief city of ancient Mesopotamia and capital of the ancient kingdom of Babylonia

From this reading Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.

campaignnounUS /kæmˈpeɪn/

a race between candidates for elective office

From this reading The campaign would not really be under way until October.

countrynounUS /ˈkʌntri/

a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading It was time to adopt this good custom of the country.

customnounUS /ˈkʌstəm/

accepted or habitual practice

From this reading It was time to adopt this good custom of the country.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.

determinedadjectiveUS /dɪˈtɜːrmənd/

characterized by great determination

From this reading Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading He had never taken a vacation; nor had his father.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading It was time to adopt this good custom of the country.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He had never taken a vacation; nor had his father.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He had never taken a vacation; nor had his father.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was time to adopt this good custom of the country.

letteredadjectiveUS /ˈletərd/

highly educated; having extensive information or understanding

From this reading Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.

mid-Julynoun

the middle part of July

From this reading It was mid-July.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading He had never taken a vacation; nor had his father.

norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading He had never taken a vacation; nor had his father.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The campaign would not really be under way until October.

OctobernounUS /ɑːkˈtoʊbər/

the month following September and preceding November

From this reading The campaign would not really be under way until October.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.

reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading The campaign would not really be under way until October.

rednounUS /red/

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

From this reading Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading He had never taken a vacation; nor had his father.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading It was time to adopt this good custom of the country.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading It was time to adopt this good custom of the country.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading It was time to adopt this good custom of the country.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading The campaign would not really be under way until October.

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading The campaign would not really be under way until October.

vacationnounUS /veɪˈkeɪʃən/

leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure

From this reading He had never taken a vacation; nor had his father.

Vassar

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

From this reading Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was time to adopt this good custom of the country.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading The campaign would not really be under way until October.

weeksnounUS /wiːks/

plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days

From this reading Vassar determined that every day of the two weeks at Babylon should be red lettered in his life.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading The campaign would not really be under way until October.

Chapter 12 of The Fall of a Nation by Thomas, Jr. Dixon holds 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 Fall of a Nation contain?

Chapter 12 holds 135 sentences of The Fall of a Nation, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of The Fall of a Nation by Thomas, Jr. Dixon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 Fall of a Nation?

Work through the 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 27 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.

Can chapter 12 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Fall of a Nation

Common questions about reading The Fall of a Nation by Thomas, Jr. Dixon on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Fall of a Nation?

Yes. All 4991 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48089 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Fall of a Nation is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #48089, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Fall of a Nation take to read?

About 415 minutes of reading across 999 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Fall of a Nation section by section

How to work through The Fall of a Nation section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Fall of a Nation to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Fall of a Nation

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Fall of a Nation, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fall of a Nation; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Clansman
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fall of a Nation; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Southerner
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fall of a Nation; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Foolish
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fall of a Nation; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.