Chapter 12 of The Middle of the Road: A Novel is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Middle of the Road: A Novel is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard. “You’re a traitor in my own household. I’ll be glad when you leave my house before I have to turn you out.” It was the second time that Bertram had been called traitor. Once it was his wife who called him that.
Chapter 12 of The Middle of the Road: A Novel is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
third-person singular of “convince” — make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something
From this reading ““Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.”
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading “I’ll be glad when you leave my house before I have to turn you out.””
a social unit living together
From this reading ““You’re a traitor in my own household.”
(Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading ““Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.”
a tree with limbs cut back to promote a more bushy growth of foliage
From this reading ““Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.”
plural of “rebel” — “Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading ““Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.”
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading “It was the second time that Bertram had been called traitor.”
someone who betrays his country by committing treason
From this reading ““You’re a traitor in my own household.”
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.
In this reading “It was the second time that Bertram had been called traitor.”
In this reading ““You’re a traitor in my own household.”
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 “You’re a traitor in my own household.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I’ll be glad when you leave my house before I have to turn you out.”
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It was the second time that Bertram had been called traitor.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I’ll be glad when you leave my house before I have to turn you out.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the second time that Bertram had been called traitor.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading It was the second time that Bertram had been called traitor.
third-person singular of “convince” — make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something
From this reading “Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading “Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading I’ll be glad when you leave my house before I have to turn you out.”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was the second time that Bertram had been called traitor.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I’ll be glad when you leave my house before I have to turn you out.”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Once it was his wife who called him that.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Once it was his wife who called him that.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading I’ll be glad when you leave my house before I have to turn you out.”
a social unit living together
From this reading “You’re a traitor in my own household.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I’ll be glad when you leave my house before I have to turn you out.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’ll be glad when you leave my house before I have to turn you out.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “You’re a traitor in my own household.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the second time that Bertram had been called traitor.
go away from a place
From this reading I’ll be glad when you leave my house before I have to turn you out.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.
(Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading “Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “You’re a traitor in my own household.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.
on one occasion
From this reading Once it was his wife who called him that.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I’ll be glad when you leave my house before I have to turn you out.”
have ownership or possession of
From this reading “You’re a traitor in my own household.
a tree with limbs cut back to promote a more bushy growth of foliage
From this reading “Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.
plural of “rebel” — “Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading “Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.
express in words
From this reading “Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading It was the second time that Bertram had been called traitor.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading “Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It was the second time that Bertram had been called traitor.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I’ll be glad when you leave my house before I have to turn you out.”
someone who betrays his country by committing treason
From this reading “You’re a traitor in my own household.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading I’ll be glad when you leave my house before I have to turn you out.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the second time that Bertram had been called traitor.
at the time that
From this reading I’ll be glad when you leave my house before I have to turn you out.”
which person or people
From this reading Once it was his wife who called him that.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading Once it was his wife who called him that.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading “Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Every word you say convinces me that you’re on the side of the rebels,” said Michael Pollard.
Chapter 12 of The Middle of the Road: A Novel by Philip Gibbs holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 409 sentences of The Middle of the Road: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Middle of the Road: A Novel by Philip Gibbs exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Middle of the Road: A Novel by Philip Gibbs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9816 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59960 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59960, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1964 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Middle of the Road: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Middle of the Road: A Novel 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 Middle of the Road: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
