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The Mayor of Casterbridge

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of The Mayor of Casterbridge is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Thomas Hardy • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Mayor of Casterbridge

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

“Nay, but you do!

It’s the feeling for it rather than the learning of steps that makes pleasant dancers....

I fear I offended your father by getting up this!

And now, perhaps, I’ll have to go to another part o’ the warrld altogether!”

This seemed such a melancholy prospect that Elizabeth-Jane breathed a sigh—letting it off in fragments that he might not hear her.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XII Reading 1/35

The Mayor of Casterbridge

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of The Mayor of Casterbridge is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

“Nay, but you do!

Line 2

It’s the feeling for it rather than the learning of steps that makes pleasant dancers....

Line 3

I fear I offended your father by getting up this!

Line 4

And now, perhaps, I’ll have to go to another part o’ the warrld altogether!”

Line 5

This seemed such a melancholy prospect that Elizabeth-Jane breathed a sigh—letting it off in fragments that he might not hear her.

All words in this reading · 56

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.

a

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

From this reading This seemed such a melancholy prospect that Elizabeth-Jane breathed a sigh—letting it off in fragments that he might not hear her.

altogether

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

From this reading And now, perhaps, I’ll have to go to another part o’ the warrld altogether!”

And

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

From this reading And now, perhaps, I’ll have to go to another part o’ the warrld altogether!”

another

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

From this reading And now, perhaps, I’ll have to go to another part o’ the warrld altogether!”

breathed

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

From this reading This seemed such a melancholy prospect that Elizabeth-Jane breathed a sigh—letting it off in fragments that he might not hear her.

but

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

From this reading “Nay, but you do!

by

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

From this reading I fear I offended your father by getting up this!

dancers

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

From this reading It’s the feeling for it rather than the learning of steps that makes pleasant dancers....

do

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

From this reading “Nay, but you do!

Elizabeth-Jane

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

From this reading This seemed such a melancholy prospect that Elizabeth-Jane breathed a sigh—letting it off in fragments that he might not hear her.

father

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

From this reading I fear I offended your father by getting up this!

fear

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

From this reading I fear I offended your father by getting up this!

feeling

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

From this reading It’s the feeling for it rather than the learning of steps that makes pleasant dancers....

for

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

From this reading It’s the feeling for it rather than the learning of steps that makes pleasant dancers....

fragments

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

From this reading This seemed such a melancholy prospect that Elizabeth-Jane breathed a sigh—letting it off in fragments that he might not hear her.

getting

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

From this reading I fear I offended your father by getting up this!

go

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

From this reading And now, perhaps, I’ll have to go to another part o’ the warrld altogether!”

have

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

From this reading And now, perhaps, I’ll have to go to another part o’ the warrld altogether!”

he

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

From this reading This seemed such a melancholy prospect that Elizabeth-Jane breathed a sigh—letting it off in fragments that he might not hear her.

hear

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

From this reading This seemed such a melancholy prospect that Elizabeth-Jane breathed a sigh—letting it off in fragments that he might not hear her.

her

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

From this reading This seemed such a melancholy prospect that Elizabeth-Jane breathed a sigh—letting it off in fragments that he might not hear her.

I

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

From this reading I fear I offended your father by getting up this!

I'll

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

From this reading And now, perhaps, I’ll have to go to another part o’ the warrld altogether!”

in

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

From this reading This seemed such a melancholy prospect that Elizabeth-Jane breathed a sigh—letting it off in fragments that he might not hear her.

it

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

From this reading It’s the feeling for it rather than the learning of steps that makes pleasant dancers....

It's

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

From this reading It’s the feeling for it rather than the learning of steps that makes pleasant dancers....

learning

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

From this reading It’s the feeling for it rather than the learning of steps that makes pleasant dancers....

letting

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

From this reading This seemed such a melancholy prospect that Elizabeth-Jane breathed a sigh—letting it off in fragments that he might not hear her.

makes

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

From this reading It’s the feeling for it rather than the learning of steps that makes pleasant dancers....

melancholy

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

From this reading This seemed such a melancholy prospect that Elizabeth-Jane breathed a sigh—letting it off in fragments that he might not hear her.

might

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

From this reading This seemed such a melancholy prospect that Elizabeth-Jane breathed a sigh—letting it off in fragments that he might not hear her.

Nay

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

From this reading “Nay, but you do!

not

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

From this reading This seemed such a melancholy prospect that Elizabeth-Jane breathed a sigh—letting it off in fragments that he might not hear her.

now

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

From this reading And now, perhaps, I’ll have to go to another part o’ the warrld altogether!”

o

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

From this reading And now, perhaps, I’ll have to go to another part o’ the warrld altogether!”

of

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

From this reading It’s the feeling for it rather than the learning of steps that makes pleasant dancers....

off

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

From this reading This seemed such a melancholy prospect that Elizabeth-Jane breathed a sigh—letting it off in fragments that he might not hear her.

offended

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

From this reading I fear I offended your father by getting up this!

part

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

From this reading And now, perhaps, I’ll have to go to another part o’ the warrld altogether!”

perhaps

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

From this reading And now, perhaps, I’ll have to go to another part o’ the warrld altogether!”

pleasant

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

From this reading It’s the feeling for it rather than the learning of steps that makes pleasant dancers....

prospect

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

From this reading This seemed such a melancholy prospect that Elizabeth-Jane breathed a sigh—letting it off in fragments that he might not hear her.

rather

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

From this reading It’s the feeling for it rather than the learning of steps that makes pleasant dancers....

seemed

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

From this reading This seemed such a melancholy prospect that Elizabeth-Jane breathed a sigh—letting it off in fragments that he might not hear her.

sigh

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

From this reading This seemed such a melancholy prospect that Elizabeth-Jane breathed a sigh—letting it off in fragments that he might not hear her.

steps

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

From this reading It’s the feeling for it rather than the learning of steps that makes pleasant dancers....

such

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

From this reading This seemed such a melancholy prospect that Elizabeth-Jane breathed a sigh—letting it off in fragments that he might not hear her.

than

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

From this reading It’s the feeling for it rather than the learning of steps that makes pleasant dancers....

that

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

From this reading It’s the feeling for it rather than the learning of steps that makes pleasant dancers....

the

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

From this reading It’s the feeling for it rather than the learning of steps that makes pleasant dancers....

this

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

From this reading I fear I offended your father by getting up this!

to

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

From this reading And now, perhaps, I’ll have to go to another part o’ the warrld altogether!”

up

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

From this reading I fear I offended your father by getting up this!

warrld

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

From this reading And now, perhaps, I’ll have to go to another part o’ the warrld altogether!”

you

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

From this reading “Nay, but you do!

your

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

From this reading I fear I offended your father by getting up this!

Chapter 12 of The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy holds 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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.

What does chapter 12 of The Mayor of Casterbridge contain?

Chapter 12 holds 177 sentences of The Mayor of Casterbridge, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 Mayor of Casterbridge?

Work through the 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 36 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 Mayor of Casterbridge

Common questions about reading The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Mayor of Casterbridge?

Yes. All 6288 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #143 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Mayor of Casterbridge is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #143, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Mayor of Casterbridge take to read?

About 524 minutes of reading across 1258 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Mayor of Casterbridge section by section

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

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 36 chapters of The Mayor of Casterbridge to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in The Mayor of Casterbridge

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Mayor of Casterbridge, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Death: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mayor of Casterbridge; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Character: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mayor of Casterbridge; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Evening: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mayor of Casterbridge; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Summer: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mayor of Casterbridge; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.