Chapter 12 of The Foolish Virgin is here in full — 316 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Foolish Virgin is here in full — 316 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door. They had just finished breakfast. The bride was clearing up the table, humming a song of her childhood. Jim caught her in his arms. “Once more before she comes!”
Chapter 12 of The Foolish Virgin is here in full — 316 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/63 · 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 woman who has recently been married
From this reading “The bride was clearing up the table, humming a song of her childhood.”
the time of person's life when they are a child
From this reading “The bride was clearing up the table, humming a song of her childhood.”
a tract of land with few or no trees in the middle of a wooded area
From this reading “The bride was clearing up the table, humming a song of her childhood.”
being one more than ten
From this reading “It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door.”
a humming noise
From this reading “The bride was clearing up the table, humming a song of her childhood.”
according to the clock
From this reading “It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door.”
a reproach for some lapse or misdeed
From this reading “It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door.”
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading “It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door.”
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 The bride was clearing up the table, humming a song of her childhood.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading Jim caught her in his arms.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading They had just finished breakfast.
a woman who has recently been married
From this reading The bride was clearing up the table, humming a song of her childhood.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Jim caught her in his arms.
the time of person's life when they are a child
From this reading The bride was clearing up the table, humming a song of her childhood.
a tract of land with few or no trees in the middle of a wooded area
From this reading The bride was clearing up the table, humming a song of her childhood.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading “Once more before she comes!”
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door.
being one more than ten
From this reading It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading They had just finished breakfast.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had just finished breakfast.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The bride was clearing up the table, humming a song of her childhood.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Jim caught her in his arms.
a humming noise
From this reading The bride was clearing up the table, humming a song of her childhood.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Jim caught her in his arms.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim caught her in his arms.
and nothing more
From this reading They had just finished breakfast.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “Once more before she comes!”
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door.
according to the clock
From this reading It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The bride was clearing up the table, humming a song of her childhood.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door.
on one occasion
From this reading “Once more before she comes!”
a reproach for some lapse or misdeed
From this reading It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Once more before she comes!”
with low volume
From this reading It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door.
a short musical composition with words
From this reading The bride was clearing up the table, humming a song of her childhood.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading The bride was clearing up the table, humming a song of her childhood.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had just finished breakfast.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The bride was clearing up the table, humming a song of her childhood.
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was eleven o'clock next morning before Ella ventured to rap softly on the door.
Chapter 12 of The Foolish Virgin by Thomas, Jr. Dixon holds 316 sentences, grouped into 64 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 316 sentences of The Foolish Virgin, unabridged, divided into 64 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Foolish Virgin by Thomas, Jr. Dixon exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 316 sentences, grouped into 64 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 64 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 64 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 Foolish Virgin by Thomas, Jr. Dixon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5614 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1634 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1634, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 467 minutes of reading across 1123 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Foolish Virgin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Foolish Virgin 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 Foolish Virgin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
