Chapter 12 of The Penalty 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 Penalty is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat. "Get busy, Abe. Can take your own things along in a suit-case. I don't look, see? I'm looking out duds for you.
Chapter 12 of The Penalty 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.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading “Can take your own things along in a suit-case.”
a youthful male person
From this reading “The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat.”
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading “"Get busy, Abe.”
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading “The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat.”
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading “The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat.”
informal terms for clothing
From this reading “I'm looking out duds for you.”
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading “The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat.”
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading “I'm looking out duds for you.”
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 The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Get busy, Abe.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Can take your own things along in a suit-case.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat.
a youthful male person
From this reading The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading "Get busy, Abe.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Can take your own things along in a suit-case.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat.
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't look, see?
informal terms for clothing
From this reading I'm looking out duds for you.
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I'm looking out duds for you.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Get busy, Abe.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I don't look, see?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm looking out duds for you.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Can take your own things along in a suit-case.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading I don't look, see?
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading I'm looking out duds for you.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I'm looking out duds for you.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Can take your own things along in a suit-case.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I don't look, see?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Can take your own things along in a suit-case.
carry out
From this reading The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Can take your own things along in a suit-case.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat.
the words that are spoken
From this reading The words were a command, and the boy, much embarrassed, began to take off his coat.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I'm looking out duds for you.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Can take your own things along in a suit-case.
Chapter 12 of The Penalty by Gouverneur Morris 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 Penalty, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Penalty by Gouverneur Morris 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 Penalty by Gouverneur Morris on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5676 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12557 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12557, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 473 minutes of reading across 1136 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Penalty section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Penalty 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 Penalty, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
