Chapter 12 of The Manchester Man is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Manchester Man is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“India, my love: they are ‘far-fetched and dear-bought,’ and so must be good for you, my lady. I met your uncle Chadwick with an old sea-captain, from whom I bought them. By the way, matrimony seems catching. We are invited to a wedding,” and he began leisurely to undress as he spoke. “A wedding!
Chapter 12 of The Manchester Man is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading ““India, my love: they are ‘far-fetched and dear-bought,’ and so must be good for you, my lady.”
(baseball) playing the position of catcher on a baseball team
From this reading “By the way, matrimony seems catching.”
a republic in the Asian subcontinent in southern Asia; second most populous country in the world; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1947
From this reading ““India, my love: they are ‘far-fetched and dear-bought,’ and so must be good for you, my lady.”
past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of
From this reading “We are invited to a wedding,” and he began leisurely to undress as he spoke.”
in an unhurried way or at one's convenience
From this reading “We are invited to a wedding,” and he began leisurely to undress as he spoke.”
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading “By the way, matrimony seems catching.”
get undressed
From this reading “We are invited to a wedding,” and he began leisurely to undress as he spoke.”
the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed
From this reading “We are invited to a wedding,” and he began leisurely to undress as he spoke.”
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.
introducing a different topic
In this reading “By the way, matrimony seems catching.”
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 We are invited to a wedding,” and he began leisurely to undress as he spoke.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I met your uncle Chadwick with an old sea-captain, from whom I bought them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “India, my love: they are ‘far-fetched and dear-bought,’ and so must be good for you, my lady.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “India, my love: they are ‘far-fetched and dear-bought,’ and so must be good for you, my lady.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading We are invited to a wedding,” and he began leisurely to undress as he spoke.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “India, my love: they are ‘far-fetched and dear-bought,’ and so must be good for you, my lady.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading We are invited to a wedding,” and he began leisurely to undress as he spoke.
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading I met your uncle Chadwick with an old sea-captain, from whom I bought them.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By the way, matrimony seems catching.
(baseball) playing the position of catcher on a baseball team
From this reading By the way, matrimony seems catching.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I met your uncle Chadwick with an old sea-captain, from whom I bought them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “India, my love: they are ‘far-fetched and dear-bought,’ and so must be good for you, my lady.
(of an idea or story) so exaggerated or ludicrous as to be improbable
From this reading “India, my love: they are ‘far-fetched and dear-bought,’ and so must be good for you, my lady.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “India, my love: they are ‘far-fetched and dear-bought,’ and so must be good for you, my lady.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I met your uncle Chadwick with an old sea-captain, from whom I bought them.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “India, my love: they are ‘far-fetched and dear-bought,’ and so must be good for you, my lady.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading We are invited to a wedding,” and he began leisurely to undress as he spoke.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I met your uncle Chadwick with an old sea-captain, from whom I bought them.
a republic in the Asian subcontinent in southern Asia; second most populous country in the world; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1947
From this reading “India, my love: they are ‘far-fetched and dear-bought,’ and so must be good for you, my lady.
past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of
From this reading We are invited to a wedding,” and he began leisurely to undress as he spoke.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading “India, my love: they are ‘far-fetched and dear-bought,’ and so must be good for you, my lady.
in an unhurried way or at one's convenience
From this reading We are invited to a wedding,” and he began leisurely to undress as he spoke.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “India, my love: they are ‘far-fetched and dear-bought,’ and so must be good for you, my lady.
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading By the way, matrimony seems catching.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading I met your uncle Chadwick with an old sea-captain, from whom I bought them.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “India, my love: they are ‘far-fetched and dear-bought,’ and so must be good for you, my lady.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “India, my love: they are ‘far-fetched and dear-bought,’ and so must be good for you, my lady.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading I met your uncle Chadwick with an old sea-captain, from whom I bought them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I met your uncle Chadwick with an old sea-captain, from whom I bought them.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading By the way, matrimony seems catching.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “India, my love: they are ‘far-fetched and dear-bought,’ and so must be good for you, my lady.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading We are invited to a wedding,” and he began leisurely to undress as he spoke.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading By the way, matrimony seems catching.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I met your uncle Chadwick with an old sea-captain, from whom I bought them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “India, my love: they are ‘far-fetched and dear-bought,’ and so must be good for you, my lady.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We are invited to a wedding,” and he began leisurely to undress as he spoke.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading I met your uncle Chadwick with an old sea-captain, from whom I bought them.
get undressed
From this reading We are invited to a wedding,” and he began leisurely to undress as he spoke.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading By the way, matrimony seems catching.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We are invited to a wedding,” and he began leisurely to undress as he spoke.
the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed
From this reading We are invited to a wedding,” and he began leisurely to undress as he spoke.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I met your uncle Chadwick with an old sea-captain, from whom I bought them.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I met your uncle Chadwick with an old sea-captain, from whom I bought them.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “India, my love: they are ‘far-fetched and dear-bought,’ and so must be good for you, my lady.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I met your uncle Chadwick with an old sea-captain, from whom I bought them.
Chapter 12 of The Manchester Man by G. Linnaeus (George Linnaeus), Mrs. Banks holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 404 sentences of The Manchester Man, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Manchester Man by G. Linnaeus (George Linnaeus), Mrs. Banks exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Manchester Man by G. Linnaeus (George Linnaeus), Mrs. Banks on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5246 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64320 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64320, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 437 minutes of reading across 1050 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Manchester Man section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Manchester Man 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 Manchester Man, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
