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The martyr of the catacombs
The martyr of the catacombs

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of The martyr of the catacombs is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The martyr of the catacombs
Context Illustration Reading 1/32 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
POLLIO'S TRIAL.
"Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise."
It was a large room in a building not far from the imperial palace.
The pavement was of polished marble, and columns of porphyry supported a paneled dome.
An altar with a statue of a heathen deity was at one end of the apartment.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The martyr of the catacombs

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of The martyr of the catacombs is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
POLLIO'S TRIAL.
Line 2
"Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise."
Line 3
It was a large room in a building not far from the imperial palace.
/ɪt wɑːz ə lɑːrdʒ ruːm ɪn ə ˈbɪldɪŋ nɑːt fɑːr frʌm ðə ˌɪmˈpɪriəl ˈpæləs/
Line 4
The pavement was of polished marble, and columns of porphyry supported a paneled dome.
/ðə ˈpeɪvmənt wɑːz ʌv ˈpɑːlɪʃt ˈmɑːrbəl ənd ˈkɑːləmz ʌv ˈpɔːrfəri səˈpɔːrtɪd ə ˈpænəld doʊm/
Line 5
An altar with a statue of a heathen deity was at one end of the apartment.
/æn ˈɔːltər wɪð ə ˈstætʃuː ʌv ə ˈhiːðən ˈdiːəti wɑːz æt wʌn end ʌv ðə əˈpɑːrtmənt/

Learner Dictionary

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.

babes noun US /beɪbz/

plural of “babe” — a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk

From this reading “"Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise."”

deity noun US /ˈdiːəti/

any supernatural being worshipped as controlling some part of the world or some aspect of life or who is the personification of a force

From this reading “An altar with a statue of a heathen deity was at one end of the apartment.”

dome noun US /doʊm/

a concave shape whose distinguishing characteristic is that the concavity faces downward

From this reading “The pavement was of polished marble, and columns of porphyry supported a paneled dome.”

heathen noun US /ˈhiːðən/

a person who does not acknowledge your god

From this reading “An altar with a statue of a heathen deity was at one end of the apartment.”

mouths noun US /maʊðz/

plural of “mouth” — the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge

From this reading “"Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise."”

ordained adjective US /ɔːrˈdeɪnd/

fixed or established especially by order or command

From this reading “"Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise."”

paneled adjective US /ˈpænəld/

fitted or decorated with panels or wainscoting

From this reading “The pavement was of polished marble, and columns of porphyry supported a paneled dome.”

porphyry noun US /ˈpɔːrfəri/

any igneous rock with crystals embedded in a finer groundmass of minerals

From this reading “The pavement was of polished marble, and columns of porphyry supported a paneled dome.”

All words in this reading · 43

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading It was a large room in a building not far from the imperial palace.

altarnounUS /ˈɔːltər/

the table in Christian churches where communion is given

From this reading An altar with a statue of a heathen deity was at one end of the apartment.

AndeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading An altar with a statue of a heathen deity was at one end of the apartment.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise."

apartmentnounUS /əˈpɑːrtmənt/

a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house

From this reading An altar with a statue of a heathen deity was at one end of the apartment.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading An altar with a statue of a heathen deity was at one end of the apartment.

babesnounUS /beɪbz/

plural of “babe” — a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk

From this reading "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise."

buildingnounUS /ˈbɪldɪŋ/

a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place

From this reading It was a large room in a building not far from the imperial palace.

columnsnounUS /ˈkɑːləmz/

plural of “column” — a line of units following one after another

From this reading The pavement was of polished marble, and columns of porphyry supported a paneled dome.

deitynounUS /ˈdiːəti/

any supernatural being worshipped as controlling some part of the world or some aspect of life or who is the personification of a force

From this reading An altar with a statue of a heathen deity was at one end of the apartment.

domenounUS /doʊm/

a concave shape whose distinguishing characteristic is that the concavity faces downward

From this reading The pavement was of polished marble, and columns of porphyry supported a paneled dome.

endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading An altar with a statue of a heathen deity was at one end of the apartment.

faradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading It was a large room in a building not far from the imperial palace.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading It was a large room in a building not far from the imperial palace.

hastauxiliary verbUS /hæst/

an old form of “have”, used with “thou”

From this reading "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise."

heathennounUS /ˈhiːðən/

a person who does not acknowledge your god

From this reading An altar with a statue of a heathen deity was at one end of the apartment.

imperialadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɪriəl/

relating to or associated with an empire

From this reading It was a large room in a building not far from the imperial palace.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading It was a large room in a building not far from the imperial palace.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was a large room in a building not far from the imperial palace.

largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading It was a large room in a building not far from the imperial palace.

marblenounUS /ˈmɑːrbəl/

a hard crystalline metamorphic rock that takes a high polish; used for sculpture and as building material

From this reading The pavement was of polished marble, and columns of porphyry supported a paneled dome.

mouthsnounUS /maʊðz/

plural of “mouth” — the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge

From this reading "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise."

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading It was a large room in a building not far from the imperial palace.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise."

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading An altar with a statue of a heathen deity was at one end of the apartment.

ordainedadjectiveUS /ɔːrˈdeɪnd/

fixed or established especially by order or command

From this reading "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise."

OutadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise."

palacenounUS /ˈpæləs/

a large and stately mansion

From this reading It was a large room in a building not far from the imperial palace.

paneledadjectiveUS /ˈpænəld/

fitted or decorated with panels or wainscoting

From this reading The pavement was of polished marble, and columns of porphyry supported a paneled dome.

pavementnounUS /ˈpeɪvmənt/

the paved surface of a thoroughfare

From this reading The pavement was of polished marble, and columns of porphyry supported a paneled dome.

polishedadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːlɪʃt/

perfected or made shiny and smooth

From this reading The pavement was of polished marble, and columns of porphyry supported a paneled dome.

POLLIO'S

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading POLLIO'S TRIAL.

porphyrynounUS /ˈpɔːrfəri/

any igneous rock with crystals embedded in a finer groundmass of minerals

From this reading The pavement was of polished marble, and columns of porphyry supported a paneled dome.

praisenounUS /preɪz/

an expression of approval and commendation

From this reading "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise."

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading It was a large room in a building not far from the imperial palace.

statuenounUS /ˈstætʃuː/

a sculpture representing a human or animal

From this reading An altar with a statue of a heathen deity was at one end of the apartment.

sucklings

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise."

supportedadjectiveUS /səˈpɔːrtɪd/

sustained or maintained by aid (as distinct from physical support)

From this reading The pavement was of polished marble, and columns of porphyry supported a paneled dome.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise."

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise."

TRIALnounUS /ˈtraɪəl/

the act of testing something

From this reading POLLIO'S TRIAL.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was a large room in a building not far from the imperial palace.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading An altar with a statue of a heathen deity was at one end of the apartment.

Chapter 12 of The martyr of the catacombs by James De Mille holds 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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.

What does chapter 12 of The martyr of the catacombs contain?

Chapter 12 holds 162 sentences of The martyr of the catacombs, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of The martyr of the catacombs by James De Mille exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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.

How do I study chapter 12 of The martyr of the catacombs?

Work through the 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 33 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.

Can chapter 12 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The martyr of the catacombs

Common questions about reading The martyr of the catacombs by James De Mille on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The martyr of the catacombs?

Yes. All 2330 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24680 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The martyr of the catacombs is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #24680, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The martyr of the catacombs take to read?

About 194 minutes of reading across 466 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The martyr of the catacombs section by section

How to work through The martyr of the catacombs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The martyr of the catacombs

Words and structures a reader meets early in The martyr of the catacombs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Manner
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The martyr of the catacombs; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fought
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The martyr of the catacombs; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Beasts
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The martyr of the catacombs; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ephesus
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The martyr of the catacombs; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.