Chapter 12 of The Man on the Box is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Man on the Box is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Good morning, James," she said pleasantly. James touched his hat. What was it, he wondered. Somehow her eyes looked unfamiliar to him. Had I been there I could have read the secret easily enough.
Chapter 12 of The Man on the Box is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading “Had I been there I could have read the secret easily enough.”
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading “James touched his hat.”
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading “"Good morning, James," she said pleasantly.”
in a cheerful manner
From this reading “"Good morning, James," she said pleasantly.”
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading “Somehow her eyes looked unfamiliar to him.”
having come into contact
From this reading “James touched his hat.”
not known or well known
From this reading “Somehow her eyes looked unfamiliar to him.”
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading “What was it, he wondered.”
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.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Had I been there I could have read the secret easily enough.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Had I been there I could have read the secret easily enough.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading Had I been there I could have read the secret easily enough.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Had I been there I could have read the secret easily enough.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Somehow her eyes looked unfamiliar to him.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Good morning, James," she said pleasantly.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had I been there I could have read the secret easily enough.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading James touched his hat.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Had I been there I could have read the secret easily enough.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading What was it, he wondered.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Somehow her eyes looked unfamiliar to him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Somehow her eyes looked unfamiliar to him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading James touched his hat.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Had I been there I could have read the secret easily enough.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading What was it, he wondered.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading "Good morning, James," she said pleasantly.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Somehow her eyes looked unfamiliar to him.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "Good morning, James," she said pleasantly.
in a cheerful manner
From this reading "Good morning, James," she said pleasantly.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading Had I been there I could have read the secret easily enough.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Good morning, James," she said pleasantly.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading Had I been there I could have read the secret easily enough.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Good morning, James," she said pleasantly.
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading Somehow her eyes looked unfamiliar to him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Had I been there I could have read the secret easily enough.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Had I been there I could have read the secret easily enough.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Somehow her eyes looked unfamiliar to him.
having come into contact
From this reading James touched his hat.
not known or well known
From this reading Somehow her eyes looked unfamiliar to him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What was it, he wondered.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What was it, he wondered.
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading What was it, he wondered.
Chapter 12 of The Man on the Box by Harold MacGrath holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 415 sentences of The Man on the Box, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Man on the Box by Harold MacGrath exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Man on the Box by Harold MacGrath on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5683 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6578 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6578, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 473 minutes of reading across 1137 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Man on the Box section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Man on the Box 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 Man on the Box, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
