Chapter 12 of The Rectory Children is here in full — 295 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Rectory Children is here in full — 295 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ANOTHER BIRTHDAY 'Rare as is true love, true friendship is still rarer.' LA ROCHEFOUCAULD. Bridget's birthday came in May--the middle of May. From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse. But it did seem very slow.
Chapter 12 of The Rectory Children is here in full — 295 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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.
an anniversary of the day on which a person was born (or the celebration of it)
From this reading “ANOTHER BIRTHDAY 'Rare as is true love, true friendship is still rarer.'”
possessive form of “bridget” — Irish abbess; a patron saint of Ireland (453-523)
From this reading “Bridget's birthday came in May--the middle of May.”
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading “From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.”
the state of being friends (or friendly)
From this reading “ANOTHER BIRTHDAY 'Rare as is true love, true friendship is still rarer.'”
not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
From this reading “ANOTHER BIRTHDAY 'Rare as is true love, true friendship is still rarer.'”
comparative of “rare” — not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
From this reading “ANOTHER BIRTHDAY 'Rare as is true love, true friendship is still rarer.'”
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading “But it did seem very slow.”
mechanical device attached to an elevated structure; rotates freely to show the direction of the wind
From this reading “From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading ANOTHER BIRTHDAY 'Rare as is true love, true friendship is still rarer.'
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading ANOTHER BIRTHDAY 'Rare as is true love, true friendship is still rarer.'
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
an anniversary of the day on which a person was born (or the celebration of it)
From this reading ANOTHER BIRTHDAY 'Rare as is true love, true friendship is still rarer.'
possessive form of “bridget” — Irish abbess; a patron saint of Ireland (453-523)
From this reading Bridget's birthday came in May--the middle of May.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it did seem very slow.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Bridget's birthday came in May--the middle of May.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading But it did seem very slow.
the state of being friends (or friendly)
From this reading ANOTHER BIRTHDAY 'Rare as is true love, true friendship is still rarer.'
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Bridget's birthday came in May--the middle of May.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ANOTHER BIRTHDAY 'Rare as is true love, true friendship is still rarer.'
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But it did seem very slow.
a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth
From this reading LA ROCHEFOUCAULD.
immediately past
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading ANOTHER BIRTHDAY 'Rare as is true love, true friendship is still rarer.'
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Bridget's birthday came in May--the middle of May.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading Bridget's birthday came in May--the middle of May.
a form of address for a man
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
not any; not one
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Bridget's birthday came in May--the middle of May.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
From this reading ANOTHER BIRTHDAY 'Rare as is true love, true friendship is still rarer.'
comparative of “rare” — not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
From this reading ANOTHER BIRTHDAY 'Rare as is true love, true friendship is still rarer.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LA ROCHEFOUCAULD.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading But it did seem very slow.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading But it did seem very slow.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
not in physical motion
From this reading ANOTHER BIRTHDAY 'Rare as is true love, true friendship is still rarer.'
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Bridget's birthday came in May--the middle of May.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading ANOTHER BIRTHDAY 'Rare as is true love, true friendship is still rarer.'
mechanical device attached to an elevated structure; rotates freely to show the direction of the wind
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
precisely as stated
From this reading But it did seem very slow.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading From the time I have told you about in the last chapter Mr. Vane went on getting slowly better; at least he got no worse.
Chapter 12 of The Rectory Children by Mrs. Molesworth holds 295 sentences, grouped into 59 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 295 sentences of The Rectory Children, unabridged, divided into 59 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Rectory Children by Mrs. Molesworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 295 sentences, grouped into 59 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 59 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 59 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 Rectory Children by Mrs. Molesworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2551 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18275 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18275, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 212 minutes of reading across 511 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Rectory Children section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Rectory Children 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 Rectory Children, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
