Chapter 12 of The Underdogs is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Underdogs is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He returned to his former position, he whirled about, and shot without aiming. But he hit the waiter's ear instead of the bottle. Holding his sides with laughter, he said to the young waiter: "Here, kid, take these bills. It ain't much.
Chapter 12 of The Underdogs is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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 “He returned to his former position, he whirled about, and shot without aiming.”
plural of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “"Here, kid, take these bills.”
a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped
From this reading “But he hit the waiter's ear instead of the bottle.”
cause to move by striking
From this reading “But he hit the waiter's ear instead of the bottle.”
tell false information to for fun
From this reading “"Here, kid, take these bills.”
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading “But he hit the waiter's ear instead of the bottle.”
possessive form of “waiter” — a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading “But he hit the waiter's ear instead of the bottle.”
past form of “whirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading “He returned to his former position, he whirled about, and shot without 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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He returned to his former position, he whirled about, and shot without aiming.
-ing form of “aim” — point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
From this reading He returned to his former position, he whirled about, and shot without aiming.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It ain't much.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He returned to his former position, he whirled about, and shot without aiming.
plural of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading "Here, kid, take these bills.
a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped
From this reading But he hit the waiter's ear instead of the bottle.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he hit the waiter's ear instead of the bottle.
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading But he hit the waiter's ear instead of the bottle.
referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)
From this reading He returned to his former position, he whirled about, and shot without aiming.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He returned to his former position, he whirled about, and shot without aiming.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Here, kid, take these bills.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He returned to his former position, he whirled about, and shot without aiming.
cause to move by striking
From this reading But he hit the waiter's ear instead of the bottle.
the act of retaining something
From this reading Holding his sides with laughter, he said to the young waiter:
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading But he hit the waiter's ear instead of the bottle.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It ain't much.
tell false information to for fun
From this reading "Here, kid, take these bills.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Holding his sides with laughter, he said to the young waiter:
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It ain't much.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But he hit the waiter's ear instead of the bottle.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading He returned to his former position, he whirled about, and shot without aiming.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading He returned to his former position, he whirled about, and shot without aiming.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Holding his sides with laughter, he said to the young waiter:
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading He returned to his former position, he whirled about, and shot without aiming.
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Holding his sides with laughter, he said to the young waiter:
carry out
From this reading "Here, kid, take these bills.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But he hit the waiter's ear instead of the bottle.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading "Here, kid, take these bills.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He returned to his former position, he whirled about, and shot without aiming.
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading Holding his sides with laughter, he said to the young waiter:
possessive form of “waiter” — a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading But he hit the waiter's ear instead of the bottle.
past form of “whirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading He returned to his former position, he whirled about, and shot without aiming.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Holding his sides with laughter, he said to the young waiter:
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading He returned to his former position, he whirled about, and shot without aiming.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Holding his sides with laughter, he said to the young waiter:
Chapter 12 of The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela holds 236 sentences, grouped into 48 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 236 sentences of The Underdogs, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 236 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 Underdogs by Mariano Azuela on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3037 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #549 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #549, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 253 minutes of reading across 608 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Underdogs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Underdogs 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 Underdogs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
