Chapter 12 of The Forsyte saga, Volume 1 is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Forsyte saga, Volume 1 is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Dinner began in silence; the women facing one another, and the men. In silence the soup was finished—excellent, if a little thick; and fish was brought. In silence it was handed. Bosinney ventured: “It’s the first spring day.” Irene echoed softly: “Yes—the first spring day.”
Chapter 12 of The Forsyte saga, Volume 1 is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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 “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading “Irene echoed softly: “Yes—the first spring day.””
very good; of the highest quality
From this reading “In silence the soup was finished—excellent, if a little thick; and fish was brought.”
a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening
From this reading “Dinner began in silence; the women facing one another, and the men.”
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading “In silence the soup was finished—excellent, if a little thick; and fish was brought.”
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading “In silence it was handed.”
with low volume
From this reading “Irene echoed softly: “Yes—the first spring day.””
liquid food especially of meat or fish or vegetable stock often containing pieces of solid food
From this reading “In silence the soup was finished—excellent, if a little thick; and fish was brought.”
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading “Bosinney ventured: “It’s the first spring day.””
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 In silence the soup was finished—excellent, if a little thick; and fish was brought.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Dinner began in silence; the women facing one another, and the men.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Dinner began in silence; the women facing one another, and the men.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Dinner began in silence; the women facing one another, and the men.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bosinney ventured: “It’s the first spring day.”
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading In silence the soup was finished—excellent, if a little thick; and fish was brought.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Bosinney ventured: “It’s the first spring day.”
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading Dinner began in silence; the women facing one another, and the men.
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading Irene echoed softly: “Yes—the first spring day.”
very good; of the highest quality
From this reading In silence the soup was finished—excellent, if a little thick; and fish was brought.
a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening
From this reading Dinner began in silence; the women facing one another, and the men.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading In silence the soup was finished—excellent, if a little thick; and fish was brought.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Bosinney ventured: “It’s the first spring day.”
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading In silence the soup was finished—excellent, if a little thick; and fish was brought.
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading In silence it was handed.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading In silence the soup was finished—excellent, if a little thick; and fish was brought.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Dinner began in silence; the women facing one another, and the men.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Irene echoed softly: “Yes—the first spring day.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading In silence it was handed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bosinney ventured: “It’s the first spring day.”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading In silence the soup was finished—excellent, if a little thick; and fish was brought.
the force of workers available
From this reading Dinner began in silence; the women facing one another, and the men.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Dinner began in silence; the women facing one another, and the men.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Dinner began in silence; the women facing one another, and the men.
with low volume
From this reading Irene echoed softly: “Yes—the first spring day.”
liquid food especially of meat or fish or vegetable stock often containing pieces of solid food
From this reading In silence the soup was finished—excellent, if a little thick; and fish was brought.
the season of growth
From this reading Bosinney ventured: “It’s the first spring day.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Dinner began in silence; the women facing one another, and the men.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading In silence the soup was finished—excellent, if a little thick; and fish was brought.
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading Bosinney ventured: “It’s the first spring day.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In silence the soup was finished—excellent, if a little thick; and fish was brought.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Dinner began in silence; the women facing one another, and the men.
an affirmative
From this reading Irene echoed softly: “Yes—the first spring day.”
Chapter 12 of The Forsyte saga, Volume 1 by John Galsworthy holds 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 183 sentences of The Forsyte saga, Volume 1, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Forsyte saga, Volume 1 by John Galsworthy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 Forsyte saga, Volume 1 by John Galsworthy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6040 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2559 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2559, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 503 minutes of reading across 1208 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Forsyte saga, Volume 1 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of The Forsyte saga, Volume 1 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 Forsyte saga, Volume 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
