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The Rover
The Rover

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of The Rover is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Rover
Context Illustration Reading 1/83 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Very simple,” observed Peyrol through his teeth, and then began to sing:
Quoique leurs chapeaux sont bien laids God-dam!
Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:
!
Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.
0:00 / 0:00
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Rover

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of The Rover is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Very simple,” observed Peyrol through his teeth, and then began to sing:
Line 2
Quoique leurs chapeaux sont bien laids God-dam!
Line 3
Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:
Line 4
!
Line 5
Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.

Learner Dictionary

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.

asleep adjective US /əˈsliːp/

in a state of sleep

From this reading “Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.”

confidentially adverb US /ˌkɑːnfəˈdenʃəli/

in a confidential manner

From this reading “Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.”

hail verb US /heɪl/

praise vociferously

From this reading “Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:”

interrupted adjective US /ˌɪntərˈʌptɪd/

discontinued temporarily

From this reading “Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:”

les noun US /les/

plural of “le” — a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)

From this reading “Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:”

remarked verb US /rɪˈmɑːrkt/

past form of “remark” — make mention of

From this reading “Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.”

sing verb US /sɪŋ/

deliver by singing

From this reading ““Very simple,” observed Peyrol through his teeth, and then began to sing:”

teeth noun US /tiːθ/

the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal

From this reading ““Very simple,” observed Peyrol through his teeth, and then began to sing:”

All words in this reading · 52

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading “Very simple,” observed Peyrol through his teeth, and then began to sing:

Anglais

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:

asleepadjectiveUS /əˈsliːp/

in a state of sleep

From this reading Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.

beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading “Very simple,” observed Peyrol through his teeth, and then began to sing:

bien

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Quoique leurs chapeaux sont bien laids God-dam!

bon

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:

caractère

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:

chapeaux

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Quoique leurs chapeaux sont bien laids God-dam!

Citoyen

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.

confidentiallyadverbUS /ˌkɑːnfəˈdenʃəli/

in a confidential manner

From this reading Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.

EnglishnounUS /ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ/

an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries

From this reading Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.

God-dam

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Quoique leurs chapeaux sont bien laids God-dam!

hailverbUS /heɪl/

praise vociferously

From this reading Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading “Very simple,” observed Peyrol through his teeth, and then began to sing:

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Hé!

Ils

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:

interruptedadjectiveUS /ˌɪntərˈʌptɪd/

discontinued temporarily

From this reading Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:

isn't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.

j'aime

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.

laids

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Quoique leurs chapeaux sont bien laids God-dam!

lesnounUS /les/

plural of “le” — a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)

From this reading Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:

leurs

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Quoique leurs chapeaux sont bien laids God-dam!

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.

mauvais

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.

Moi

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:

observedadjectiveUS /əbˈzɜːrvd/

discovered or determined by scientific observation

From this reading “Very simple,” observed Peyrol through his teeth, and then began to sing:

ont

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:

Peyrol

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Very simple,” observed Peyrol through his teeth, and then began to sing:

Quoique

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Quoique leurs chapeaux sont bien laids God-dam!

remarkedverbUS /rɪˈmɑːrkt/

past form of “remark” — make mention of

From this reading Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.

Réal

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.

sacré

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.

Scevola

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:

sinounUS /siː/

a tetravalent nonmetallic element; next to oxygen it is the most abundant element in the earth's crust; occurs in clay and feldspar and granite and quartz and sand; used as a semiconductor in transistors

From this reading Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:

simpleadjectiveUS /ˈsɪmpəl/

having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved

From this reading “Very simple,” observed Peyrol through his teeth, and then began to sing:

singverbUS /sɪŋ/

deliver by singing

From this reading “Very simple,” observed Peyrol through his teeth, and then began to sing:

sont

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Quoique leurs chapeaux sont bien laids God-dam!

suddenlyadverbUS /ˈsʌdənli/

happening unexpectedly

From this reading Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:

teethnounUS /tiːθ/

the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal

From this reading “Very simple,” observed Peyrol through his teeth, and then began to sing:

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading “Very simple,” observed Peyrol through his teeth, and then began to sing:

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading “Very simple,” observed Peyrol through his teeth, and then began to sing:

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading “Very simple,” observed Peyrol through his teeth, and then began to sing:

unnounUS /ʌn/

an organization of independent states formed in 1945 to promote international peace and security

From this reading Moi, j’aime les Anglais Ils ont un si bon caractère!” but interrupted himself suddenly to hail Scevola:

VeryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading “Very simple,” observed Peyrol through his teeth, and then began to sing:

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Citoyen!” and then remarked confidentially to Réal: “He isn’t asleep, you know, but he isn’t like the English, he has a sacré mauvais caractère.

Chapter 12 of The Rover by Joseph Conrad holds 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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.

What does chapter 12 of The Rover contain?

Chapter 12 holds 419 sentences of The Rover, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of The Rover by Joseph Conrad exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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.

How do I study chapter 12 of The Rover?

Work through the 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 84 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.

Can chapter 12 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Rover

Common questions about reading The Rover by Joseph Conrad on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Rover?

Yes. All 5476 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59142 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Rover is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #59142, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Rover take to read?

About 456 minutes of reading across 1096 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Rover section by section

How to work through The Rover section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Rover to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Rover

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Rover, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Sleep
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Rover; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Toyle
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Rover; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stormie
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Rover; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Warre
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Rover; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.