Chapter 12 of The Starvel Hollow tragedy is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Starvel Hollow tragedy is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming. “That’s it, French. Now will you start in and do it?” French stared. “Me, sir?” he exclaimed as if unable to believe his ears.
Chapter 12 of The Starvel Hollow tragedy 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
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.
-ing form of “aim” — point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
From this reading “The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.”
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading ““Me, sir?” he exclaimed as if unable to believe his ears.”
the state of affairs that a plan is intended to achieve and that (when achieved) terminates behavior intended to achieve it
From this reading “The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.”
a high ranking police officer
From this reading “The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “French stared.”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Now will you start in and do it?””
(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how
From this reading ““Me, sir?” he exclaimed as if unable to believe his ears.”
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 “The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.”
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.
-ing form of “aim” — point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
From this reading The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Now will you start in and do it?”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading “Me, sir?” he exclaimed as if unable to believe his ears.
a person who is in charge
From this reading The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Now will you start in and do it?”
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading “Me, sir?” he exclaimed as if unable to believe his ears.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Me, sir?” he exclaimed as if unable to believe his ears.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading “That’s it, French.
the state of affairs that a plan is intended to achieve and that (when achieved) terminates behavior intended to achieve it
From this reading The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Me, sir?” he exclaimed as if unable to believe his ears.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Now will you start in and do it?”
a high ranking police officer
From this reading The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “That’s it, French.
immediately past
From this reading The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Me, sir?” he exclaimed as if unable to believe his ears.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now will you start in and do it?”
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.
term of address for a man
From this reading “Me, sir?” he exclaimed as if unable to believe his ears.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading French stared.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Now will you start in and do it?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s it, French.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Me, sir?” he exclaimed as if unable to believe his ears.
(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how
From this reading “Me, sir?” he exclaimed as if unable to believe his ears.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The Chief Inspector nodded as if he had at last reached the goal for which he had so long been aiming.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Now will you start in and do it?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Now will you start in and do it?”
Chapter 12 of The Starvel Hollow tragedy by Freeman Wills Crofts 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.
Chapter 12 holds 419 sentences of The Starvel Hollow tragedy, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Starvel Hollow tragedy by Freeman Wills Crofts 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.
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.
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 Starvel Hollow tragedy by Freeman Wills Crofts on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5436 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71073 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #71073, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 453 minutes of reading across 1088 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Starvel Hollow tragedy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Starvel Hollow tragedy 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 Starvel Hollow tragedy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
