Chapter 12 of The Professor's Mystery is here in full — 300 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Professor's Mystery is here in full — 300 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me. "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words. "Sure, I'm obliged to you. An awful weight I must have been." "You were no feather," I grinned.
Chapter 12 of The Professor's Mystery is here in full — 300 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/60 · 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.
someone who pursues a study or sport as a pastime
From this reading “AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.”
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading “An awful weight I must have been."”
United States singer and film actor (1903-1977)
From this reading “"You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.”
difficult to describe
From this reading “"You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.”
join tongue and groove, in carpentry
From this reading “"You were no feather," I grinned.”
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading “"You were no feather," I grinned.”
a mental impression retained and recalled from the past
From this reading “"You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.”
the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading “An awful weight I must have been."”
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 “AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.”
In this reading “"You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.”
In this reading “AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.”
In this reading “"You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.”
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 Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
someone who pursues a study or sport as a pastime
From this reading AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.
eagerly desirous
From this reading AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading An awful weight I must have been."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading An awful weight I must have been."
a thick and heavy shoe
From this reading "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
United States singer and film actor (1903-1977)
From this reading "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.
difficult to describe
From this reading "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
join tongue and groove, in carpentry
From this reading "You were no feather," I grinned.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading "You were no feather," I grinned.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading An awful weight I must have been."
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Sure, I'm obliged to you.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading An awful weight I must have been."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.
not any; not one
From this reading "You were no feather," I grinned.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
under a moral obligation to do something
From this reading "Sure, I'm obliged to you.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
a mental impression retained and recalled from the past
From this reading "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.
express a supposition
From this reading "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "Sure, I'm obliged to you.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Sure, I'm obliged to you.
the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading An awful weight I must have been."
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You were no feather," I grinned.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN AMATEUR MAN-HUNT WHEREIN MY OWN POSITION IS SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS Sheila herself opened the door for me.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
the words that are spoken
From this reading "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Sure, I'm obliged to you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You're Mr. Crosby, I suppose," she said, with that elusive reminiscence of a brogue that may not be put into words.
Chapter 12 of The Professor's Mystery by Wells Hastings holds 300 sentences, grouped into 60 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 300 sentences of The Professor's Mystery, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Professor's Mystery by Wells Hastings exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 300 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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 Professor's Mystery by Wells Hastings on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4630 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34988 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34988, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 385 minutes of reading across 926 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Professor's Mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Professor's Mystery 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 Professor's Mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
