Chapter 12 of The Spinners is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Spinners is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CONFUSION Mr. Churchouse was standing in his porch, when a postman brought him a parcel. It was a book, and Ernest displayed mild interest. "What should that be, I wonder?" he said. Then he asked a question. "Have you seen Bert, the newspaper boy?
Chapter 12 of The Spinners is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably
From this reading “CONFUSION Mr. Churchouse was standing in his porch, when a postman brought him a parcel.”
past form of “display” — to show, make visible or apparent
From this reading “It was a book, and Ernest displayed mild interest.”
moderate in type or degree or effect or force; far from extreme
From this reading “It was a book, and Ernest displayed mild interest.”
a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading “"Have you seen Bert, the newspaper boy?”
a wrapped container
From this reading “CONFUSION Mr. Churchouse was standing in his porch, when a postman brought him a parcel.”
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading “CONFUSION Mr. Churchouse was standing in his porch, when a postman brought him a parcel.”
a man who delivers the mail
From this reading “CONFUSION Mr. Churchouse was standing in his porch, when a postman brought him a parcel.”
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading “"What should that be, I wonder?" he said.”
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 CONFUSION Mr. Churchouse was standing in his porch, when a postman brought him a parcel.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a book, and Ernest displayed mild interest.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Then he asked a question.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "What should that be, I wonder?" he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Have you seen Bert, the newspaper boy?
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading It was a book, and Ernest displayed mild interest.
a youthful male person
From this reading "Have you seen Bert, the newspaper boy?
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading CONFUSION Mr. Churchouse was standing in his porch, when a postman brought him a parcel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CONFUSION Mr. Churchouse was standing in his porch, when a postman brought him a parcel.
disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably
From this reading CONFUSION Mr. Churchouse was standing in his porch, when a postman brought him a parcel.
past form of “display” — to show, make visible or apparent
From this reading It was a book, and Ernest displayed mild interest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a book, and Ernest displayed mild interest.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have you seen Bert, the newspaper boy?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What should that be, I wonder?" he said.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading CONFUSION Mr. Churchouse was standing in his porch, when a postman brought him a parcel.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading CONFUSION Mr. Churchouse was standing in his porch, when a postman brought him a parcel.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "What should that be, I wonder?" he said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading CONFUSION Mr. Churchouse was standing in his porch, when a postman brought him a parcel.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading It was a book, and Ernest displayed mild interest.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a book, and Ernest displayed mild interest.
moderate in type or degree or effect or force; far from extreme
From this reading It was a book, and Ernest displayed mild interest.
a form of address for a man
From this reading CONFUSION Mr. Churchouse was standing in his porch, when a postman brought him a parcel.
a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading "Have you seen Bert, the newspaper boy?
a wrapped container
From this reading CONFUSION Mr. Churchouse was standing in his porch, when a postman brought him a parcel.
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading CONFUSION Mr. Churchouse was standing in his porch, when a postman brought him a parcel.
a man who delivers the mail
From this reading CONFUSION Mr. Churchouse was standing in his porch, when a postman brought him a parcel.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading Then he asked a question.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "What should that be, I wonder?" he said.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Have you seen Bert, the newspaper boy?
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "What should that be, I wonder?" he said.
having a supporting base
From this reading CONFUSION Mr. Churchouse was standing in his porch, when a postman brought him a parcel.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "What should that be, I wonder?" he said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Have you seen Bert, the newspaper boy?
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he asked a question.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading CONFUSION Mr. Churchouse was standing in his porch, when a postman brought him a parcel.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What should that be, I wonder?" he said.
at the time that
From this reading CONFUSION Mr. Churchouse was standing in his porch, when a postman brought him a parcel.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading "What should that be, I wonder?" he said.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Have you seen Bert, the newspaper boy?
Chapter 12 of The Spinners by Eden Phillpotts holds 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 166 sentences of The Spinners, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Spinners by Eden Phillpotts exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Spinners by Eden Phillpotts on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9393 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15416 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15416, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1879 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Spinners section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Spinners 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 Spinners, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
