Chapter 12 of The Ordeal of Elizabeth is here in full — 405 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 Ordeal of Elizabeth is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh, quite respectable," said Miss Joanna. "They don't look like beggars, certainly. Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous." "Quite ridiculous," echoed Mrs. Bobby. To herself she was saying, "Ah, that trip abroad!"
Chapter 12 of The Ordeal of Elizabeth is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 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.
to or in a foreign country
From this reading “To herself she was saying, "Ah, that trip abroad!"”
plural of “beggar” — a pauper who lives by begging
From this reading “"They don't look like beggars, certainly.”
an informal term for a British policeman
From this reading “"Quite ridiculous," echoed Mrs. Bobby.”
plural of “detective” — a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."”
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading “"Quite ridiculous," echoed Mrs. Bobby.”
easily agitated
From this reading “Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."”
characterized by socially or conventionally acceptable morals
From this reading “"Oh, quite respectable," said Miss Joanna.”
inspiring scornful pity
From this reading “Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."”
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.
as might be expected
In this reading “Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."”
In this reading “"Oh, quite respectable," said Miss Joanna.”
In this reading “Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."”
In this reading “Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."”
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.
to or in a foreign country
From this reading To herself she was saying, "Ah, that trip abroad!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To herself she was saying, "Ah, that trip abroad!"
plural of “beggar” — a pauper who lives by begging
From this reading "They don't look like beggars, certainly.
an informal term for a British policeman
From this reading "Quite ridiculous," echoed Mrs. Bobby.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "They don't look like beggars, certainly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."
plural of “detective” — a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They don't look like beggars, certainly.
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading "Quite ridiculous," echoed Mrs. Bobby.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading To herself she was saying, "Ah, that trip abroad!"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, quite respectable," said Miss Joanna.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "They don't look like beggars, certainly.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "They don't look like beggars, certainly.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Oh, quite respectable," said Miss Joanna.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "Quite ridiculous," echoed Mrs. Bobby.
easily agitated
From this reading Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, quite respectable," said Miss Joanna.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading "Oh, quite respectable," said Miss Joanna.
on the contrary
From this reading Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."
characterized by socially or conventionally acceptable morals
From this reading "Oh, quite respectable," said Miss Joanna.
inspiring scornful pity
From this reading Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Oh, quite respectable," said Miss Joanna.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading To herself she was saying, "Ah, that trip abroad!"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They don't look like beggars, certainly.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Cornelia thought they looked rather like detectives--she said they made her feel nervous; but that, of course, is quite ridiculous."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To herself she was saying, "Ah, that trip abroad!"
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading To herself she was saying, "Ah, that trip abroad!"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To herself she was saying, "Ah, that trip abroad!"
Chapter 12 of The Ordeal of Elizabeth by Anonymous holds 405 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 405 sentences of The Ordeal of Elizabeth, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Ordeal of Elizabeth by Anonymous exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 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 Ordeal of Elizabeth by Anonymous on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6098 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40495 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40495, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 508 minutes of reading across 1220 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ordeal of Elizabeth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Ordeal of Elizabeth 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 Ordeal of Elizabeth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
