Chapter 12 of The Jungle Book is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Jungle Book is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“If I could get up to your nest, I’d roll your babies out!” said Rikki-tikki. “You don’t know when to do the right thing at the right time. You’re safe enough in your nest there, but it’s war for me down here. Stop singing a minute, Darzee.” “For the great, the beautiful Rikki-tikki’s sake I will stop,” said Darzee.
Chapter 12 of The Jungle Book is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
plural of “baby” — a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading ““If I could get up to your nest, I’d roll your babies out!” said Rikki-tikki.”
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading “Stop singing a minute, Darzee.””
a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
From this reading ““If I could get up to your nest, I’d roll your babies out!” said Rikki-tikki.”
move by turning over or rotating
From this reading ““If I could get up to your nest, I’d roll your babies out!” said Rikki-tikki.”
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading “You’re safe enough in your nest there, but it’s war for me down here.”
a reason for wanting something done
From this reading ““For the great, the beautiful Rikki-tikki’s sake I will stop,” said Darzee.”
the act of singing vocal music
From this reading “Stop singing a minute, Darzee.””
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading “Stop singing a minute, Darzee.””
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 Stop singing a minute, Darzee.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “You don’t know when to do the right thing at the right time.
plural of “baby” — a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading “If I could get up to your nest, I’d roll your babies out!” said Rikki-tikki.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading “For the great, the beautiful Rikki-tikki’s sake I will stop,” said Darzee.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading You’re safe enough in your nest there, but it’s war for me down here.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “If I could get up to your nest, I’d roll your babies out!” said Rikki-tikki.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Stop singing a minute, Darzee.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “You don’t know when to do the right thing at the right time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You don’t know when to do the right thing at the right time.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading You’re safe enough in your nest there, but it’s war for me down here.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading You’re safe enough in your nest there, but it’s war for me down here.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading You’re safe enough in your nest there, but it’s war for me down here.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “If I could get up to your nest, I’d roll your babies out!” said Rikki-tikki.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading “For the great, the beautiful Rikki-tikki’s sake I will stop,” said Darzee.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading You’re safe enough in your nest there, but it’s war for me down here.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “If I could get up to your nest, I’d roll your babies out!” said Rikki-tikki.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If I could get up to your nest, I’d roll your babies out!” said Rikki-tikki.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If I could get up to your nest, I’d roll your babies out!” said Rikki-tikki.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading You’re safe enough in your nest there, but it’s war for me down here.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You’re safe enough in your nest there, but it’s war for me down here.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “You don’t know when to do the right thing at the right time.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading You’re safe enough in your nest there, but it’s war for me down here.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading Stop singing a minute, Darzee.”
a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
From this reading “If I could get up to your nest, I’d roll your babies out!” said Rikki-tikki.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “If I could get up to your nest, I’d roll your babies out!” said Rikki-tikki.
precisely, exactly
From this reading “You don’t know when to do the right thing at the right time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If I could get up to your nest, I’d roll your babies out!” said Rikki-tikki.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “For the great, the beautiful Rikki-tikki’s sake I will stop,” said Darzee.
move by turning over or rotating
From this reading “If I could get up to your nest, I’d roll your babies out!” said Rikki-tikki.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading You’re safe enough in your nest there, but it’s war for me down here.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “If I could get up to your nest, I’d roll your babies out!” said Rikki-tikki.
a reason for wanting something done
From this reading “For the great, the beautiful Rikki-tikki’s sake I will stop,” said Darzee.
the act of singing vocal music
From this reading Stop singing a minute, Darzee.”
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading Stop singing a minute, Darzee.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “You don’t know when to do the right thing at the right time.
in or at that place or location
From this reading You’re safe enough in your nest there, but it’s war for me down here.
a special situation
From this reading “You don’t know when to do the right thing at the right time.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “You don’t know when to do the right thing at the right time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “If I could get up to your nest, I’d roll your babies out!” said Rikki-tikki.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “If I could get up to your nest, I’d roll your babies out!” said Rikki-tikki.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading You’re safe enough in your nest there, but it’s war for me down here.
at the time that
From this reading “You don’t know when to do the right thing at the right time.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “For the great, the beautiful Rikki-tikki’s sake I will stop,” said Darzee.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You don’t know when to do the right thing at the right time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You’re safe enough in your nest there, but it’s war for me down here.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “If I could get up to your nest, I’d roll your babies out!” said Rikki-tikki.
Chapter 12 of The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling holds 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 193 sentences of The Jungle Book, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3020 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #236 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #236, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 251 minutes of reading across 604 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Jungle Book section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Jungle Book 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 Jungle Book, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
