Chapter 12 of The Purchase of the North Pole is here in full — 125 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Purchase of the North Pole is here in full — 125 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HEROIC SILENCE. It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis! The cannon! Always the cannon! Barbicane and Co. evidently suffered from chronic attacks of aggravated “cannonism”!
Chapter 12 of The Purchase of the North Pole is here in full — 125 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
made more severe or intense especially in law
From this reading “Barbicane and Co. evidently suffered from chronic attacks of aggravated “cannonism”!”
plural of “attack” — (military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading “Barbicane and Co. evidently suffered from chronic attacks of aggravated “cannonism”!”
a straight line through a body or figure that satisfies certain conditions
From this reading “It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis!”
being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering
From this reading “Barbicane and Co. evidently suffered from chronic attacks of aggravated “cannonism”!”
very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale)
From this reading “HEROIC SILENCE.”
past form of “hurl” — throw forcefully
From this reading “It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis!”
a weapon that is forcibly thrown or projected at a targets but is not self-propelled
From this reading “It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis!”
of or relating to or inhabiting the land as opposed to the sea or air
From this reading “It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis!”
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 “Barbicane and Co. evidently suffered from chronic attacks of aggravated “cannonism”!”
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 It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis!
made more severe or intense especially in law
From this reading Barbicane and Co. evidently suffered from chronic attacks of aggravated “cannonism”!
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Always the cannon!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Barbicane and Co. evidently suffered from chronic attacks of aggravated “cannonism”!
plural of “attack” — (military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading Barbicane and Co. evidently suffered from chronic attacks of aggravated “cannonism”!
a straight line through a body or figure that satisfies certain conditions
From this reading It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Barbicane and Co. evidently suffered from chronic attacks of aggravated “cannonism”!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis!
a large artillery gun that is usually on wheels
From this reading It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Barbicane and Co. evidently suffered from chronic attacks of aggravated “cannonism”!
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis!
being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering
From this reading Barbicane and Co. evidently suffered from chronic attacks of aggravated “cannonism”!
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading Barbicane and Co. evidently suffered from chronic attacks of aggravated “cannonism”!
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Barbicane and Co. evidently suffered from chronic attacks of aggravated “cannonism”!
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Barbicane and Co. evidently suffered from chronic attacks of aggravated “cannonism”!
very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale)
From this reading HEROIC SILENCE.
past form of “hurl” — throw forcefully
From this reading It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis!
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Barbicane and Co. evidently suffered from chronic attacks of aggravated “cannonism”!
a weapon that is forcibly thrown or projected at a targets but is not self-propelled
From this reading It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis!
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading HEROIC SILENCE.
past form of “suffer” — undergo or be subjected to
From this reading Barbicane and Co. evidently suffered from chronic attacks of aggravated “cannonism”!
of or relating to or inhabiting the land as opposed to the sea or air
From this reading It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a cannon that hurled the projectile up to the Moon; it was to be a cannon that was to change the terrestrial axis!
Chapter 12 of The Purchase of the North Pole by Jules Verne holds 125 sentences, grouped into 25 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 125 sentences of The Purchase of the North Pole, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Purchase of the North Pole by Jules Verne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 125 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Purchase of the North Pole by Jules Verne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1947 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60242 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60242, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 162 minutes of reading across 390 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Purchase of the North Pole section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Purchase of the North Pole 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 Purchase of the North Pole, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
