Chapter 12 of The Laughing Girl is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Laughing Girl is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Why? Well, I’ve run with Rooshians enough to know a infernal machine when I see one. And I never dream plain, that way. I can see that darn thing yet—and hear it! And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.
Chapter 12 of The Laughing Girl is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
From this reading “And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.”
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.”
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading “And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.”
repair by sewing
From this reading “I can see that darn thing yet—and hear it!”
characteristic of or resembling Hell
From this reading “Well, I’ve run with Rooshians enough to know a infernal machine when I see one.”
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading “Well, I’ve run with Rooshians enough to know a infernal machine when I see one.”
moving to a position on a surface
From this reading “And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.”
hot enough to burn with or as if with a hissing sound
From this reading “And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.”
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.
a bomb that has a detonating mechanism that can be set to go off at a particular time
In this reading “Well, I’ve run with Rooshians enough to know a infernal machine when I see one.”
In this reading “And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.”
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 Well, I’ve run with Rooshians enough to know a infernal machine when I see one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And I never dream plain, that way.
an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
From this reading And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I can see that darn thing yet—and hear it!
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.
repair by sewing
From this reading I can see that darn thing yet—and hear it!
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading And I never dream plain, that way.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Well, I’ve run with Rooshians enough to know a infernal machine when I see one.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading I can see that darn thing yet—and hear it!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Well, I’ve run with Rooshians enough to know a infernal machine when I see one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, I’ve run with Rooshians enough to know a infernal machine when I see one.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.
characteristic of or resembling Hell
From this reading Well, I’ve run with Rooshians enough to know a infernal machine when I see one.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I can see that darn thing yet—and hear it!
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Well, I’ve run with Rooshians enough to know a infernal machine when I see one.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading Well, I’ve run with Rooshians enough to know a infernal machine when I see one.
the force of workers available
From this reading And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading And I never dream plain, that way.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Well, I’ve run with Rooshians enough to know a infernal machine when I see one.
moving to a position on a surface
From this reading And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading And I never dream plain, that way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, I’ve run with Rooshians enough to know a infernal machine when I see one.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Well, I’ve run with Rooshians enough to know a infernal machine when I see one.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Well, I’ve run with Rooshians enough to know a infernal machine when I see one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.
hot enough to burn with or as if with a hissing sound
From this reading And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And I never dream plain, that way.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.
in or at that place or location
From this reading And I can see them men in there all a settin’ onto chairs in a circle like, and a-watching that there bomb sizzling.
a special situation
From this reading I can see that darn thing yet—and hear it!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Well, I’ve run with Rooshians enough to know a infernal machine when I see one.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading And I never dream plain, that way.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Well, I’ve run with Rooshians enough to know a infernal machine when I see one.
at the time that
From this reading Well, I’ve run with Rooshians enough to know a infernal machine when I see one.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why?
in the company of; together with
From this reading Well, I’ve run with Rooshians enough to know a infernal machine when I see one.
but in spite of that
From this reading I can see that darn thing yet—and hear it!
Chapter 12 of The Laughing Girl by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers holds 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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.
Chapter 12 holds 422 sentences of The Laughing Girl, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Laughing Girl by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Laughing Girl by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5934 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53249 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53249, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 494 minutes of reading across 1187 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Laughing Girl section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Laughing Girl 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 Laughing Girl, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
