Chapter 12 of The Tragic Muse is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Tragic Muse is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I should indeed be very happy to hear that you've arranged to take a wife." "Mrs. Dallow has been so good as to say she'll marry me," Nick returned. "That's very suitable. I should think it would answer." "It's very jolly," said Nick.
Chapter 12 of The Tragic Muse is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
react verbally
From this reading “I should think it would answer."”
disposed or placed in a particular kind of order
From this reading “"I should indeed be very happy to hear that you've arranged to take a wife."”
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading “"I should indeed be very happy to hear that you've arranged to take a wife."”
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading “"It's very jolly," said Nick.”
take in marriage
From this reading “"Mrs. Dallow has been so good as to say she'll marry me," Nick returned.”
cut slightly, with a razor
From this reading “"Mrs. Dallow has been so good as to say she'll marry me," Nick returned.”
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “"Mrs. Dallow has been so good as to say she'll marry me," Nick returned.”
meant or adapted for an occasion or use
From this reading “"That's very suitable.”
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 "I should indeed be very happy to hear that you've arranged to take a wife."
react verbally
From this reading I should think it would answer."
disposed or placed in a particular kind of order
From this reading "I should indeed be very happy to hear that you've arranged to take a wife."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Mrs. Dallow has been so good as to say she'll marry me," Nick returned.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I should indeed be very happy to hear that you've arranged to take a wife."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Mrs. Dallow has been so good as to say she'll marry me," Nick returned.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mrs. Dallow has been so good as to say she'll marry me," Nick returned.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Mrs. Dallow has been so good as to say she'll marry me," Nick returned.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading "I should indeed be very happy to hear that you've arranged to take a wife."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Mrs. Dallow has been so good as to say she'll marry me," Nick returned.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "I should indeed be very happy to hear that you've arranged to take a wife."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I should indeed be very happy to hear that you've arranged to take a wife."
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading "I should indeed be very happy to hear that you've arranged to take a wife."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I should think it would answer."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's very jolly," said Nick.
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading "It's very jolly," said Nick.
take in marriage
From this reading "Mrs. Dallow has been so good as to say she'll marry me," Nick returned.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Mrs. Dallow has been so good as to say she'll marry me," Nick returned.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "Mrs. Dallow has been so good as to say she'll marry me," Nick returned.
cut slightly, with a razor
From this reading "Mrs. Dallow has been so good as to say she'll marry me," Nick returned.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "Mrs. Dallow has been so good as to say she'll marry me," Nick returned.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It's very jolly," said Nick.
express in words
From this reading "Mrs. Dallow has been so good as to say she'll marry me," Nick returned.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mrs. Dallow has been so good as to say she'll marry me," Nick returned.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "I should indeed be very happy to hear that you've arranged to take a wife."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Mrs. Dallow has been so good as to say she'll marry me," Nick returned.
meant or adapted for an occasion or use
From this reading "That's very suitable.
carry out
From this reading "I should indeed be very happy to hear that you've arranged to take a wife."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I should indeed be very happy to hear that you've arranged to take a wife."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's very suitable.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I should think it would answer."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I should indeed be very happy to hear that you've arranged to take a wife."
precisely as stated
From this reading "I should indeed be very happy to hear that you've arranged to take a wife."
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "I should indeed be very happy to hear that you've arranged to take a wife."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I should think it would answer."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I should indeed be very happy to hear that you've arranged to take a wife."
Chapter 12 of The Tragic Muse by Henry James holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of The Tragic Muse, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Tragic Muse by Henry James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Tragic Muse by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11417 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20085 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20085, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2284 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Tragic Muse section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Tragic Muse 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 Tragic Muse, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
