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The Vertical City
The Vertical City

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of The Vertical City is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Vertical City
Context Illustration Reading 1/81 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."
"My husband brags to me about his indiscretioncies."
"_Na, na_, Mamma, right away when I open my mouth you make out a case against me.
I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."
"L-Leo didn't have 'em."
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Vertical City

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of The Vertical City is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."
Line 2
"My husband brags to me about his indiscretioncies."
Line 3
"_Na, na_, Mamma, right away when I open my mouth you make out a case against me.
/nɑː nɑː ˈmɑːmə raɪt əˈweɪ wen aɪ ˈoʊ.pən maɪ maʊθ juː meɪk aʊt ə keɪs əˈɡenst miː/
Line 4
I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."
Line 5
"L-Leo didn't have 'em."

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.

angel noun US /ˈeɪndʒəl/

spiritual being attendant upon God

From this reading “"Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."”

ashamed adjective US /əˈʃeɪmd/

feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse

From this reading “"Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."”

brags noun US /bræɡz/

plural of “brag” — an instance of boastful talk

From this reading “"My husband brags to me about his indiscretioncies."”

Mamma noun US /ˈmɑːmə/

informal terms for a mother

From this reading “"_Na, na_, Mamma, right away when I open my mouth you make out a case against me.”

maybe adverb US /ˈmeɪbi/

by chance

From this reading “I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."”

minute noun US /ˈmɪnət/

a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour

From this reading “"Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."”

natural adjective US /ˈnætʃərəl/

in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature

From this reading “I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."”

oats noun US /oʊts/

plural of “oat” — annual grass of Europe and North Africa; grains used as food and fodder (referred to primarily in the plural: “oats”)

From this reading “I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."”

All words in this reading · 57

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 "_Na, na_, Mamma, right away when I open my mouth you make out a case against me.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading "My husband brags to me about his indiscretioncies."

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading "_Na, na_, Mamma, right away when I open my mouth you make out a case against me.

ain't

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

From this reading "Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading "Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."

angelnounUS /ˈeɪndʒəl/

spiritual being attendant upon God

From this reading "Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."

ashamedadjectiveUS /əˈʃeɪmd/

feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse

From this reading "Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading "_Na, na_, Mamma, right away when I open my mouth you make out a case against me.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading "Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."

BelieveverbUS /bɪˈliːv/

accept as true; take to be true

From this reading "Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."

bragsnounUS /bræɡz/

plural of “brag” — an instance of boastful talk

From this reading "My husband brags to me about his indiscretioncies."

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."

casenounUS /keɪs/

an occurrence of something

From this reading "_Na, na_, Mamma, right away when I open my mouth you make out a case against me.

didn't

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

From this reading "L-Leo didn't have 'em."

don't

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

From this reading I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."

emnounUS /em/

a quad with a square body

From this reading "L-Leo didn't have 'em."

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading "Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "L-Leo didn't have 'em."

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading "My husband brags to me about his indiscretioncies."

how

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

From this reading I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."

husbandnounUS /ˈhʌzbənd/

a married man; a woman's partner in marriage

From this reading "My husband brags to me about his indiscretioncies."

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."

indiscretioncies

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

From this reading "My husband brags to me about his indiscretioncies."

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."

L-Leo

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

From this reading "L-Leo didn't have 'em."

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading "_Na, na_, Mamma, right away when I open my mouth you make out a case against me.

MammanounUS /ˈmɑːmə/

informal terms for a mother

From this reading "_Na, na_, Mamma, right away when I open my mouth you make out a case against me.

marriedadjectiveUS /ˈmerid/

joined in matrimony

From this reading "Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."

maybeadverbUS /ˈmeɪbi/

by chance

From this reading I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."

minutenounUS /ˈmɪnət/

a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour

From this reading "Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."

mouthnounUS /maʊθ/

the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge

From this reading "_Na, na_, Mamma, right away when I open my mouth you make out a case against me.

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "My husband brags to me about his indiscretioncies."

NanounUS /nɑː/

a silvery soft waxy metallic element of the alkali metal group

From this reading "_Na, na_, Mamma, right away when I open my mouth you make out a case against me.

naturaladjectiveUS /ˈnætʃərəl/

in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature

From this reading I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."

neitherdeterminerUS /ˈniːðər/

not one and not the other of two

From this reading "Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."

oatsnounUS /oʊts/

plural of “oat” — annual grass of Europe and North Africa; grains used as food and fodder (referred to primarily in the plural: “oats”)

From this reading I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading "_Na, na_, Mamma, right away when I open my mouth you make out a case against me.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading "_Na, na_, Mamma, right away when I open my mouth you make out a case against me.

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading "_Na, na_, Mamma, right away when I open my mouth you make out a case against me.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading "Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."

showverbUS /ʃoʊ/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading "Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."

understandverbUS /ˌʌndərˈstænd/

know and comprehend the nature or meaning of

From this reading I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."

wasn't

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

From this reading "Believe me, and I ain't ashamed to say it, I wasn't an angel, neither, every minute before I was married."

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading "_Na, na_, Mamma, right away when I open my mouth you make out a case against me.

wildadjectiveUS /waɪld/

marked by extreme lack of restraint or control

From this reading I only say it to show you how a mother maybe don't understand as well as a father how natural a few wild oats can be."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "_Na, na_, Mamma, right away when I open my mouth you make out a case against me.

Chapter 12 of The Vertical City by Fannie Hurst holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 Vertical City contain?

Chapter 12 holds 405 sentences of The Vertical City, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of The Vertical City by Fannie Hurst exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 Vertical City?

Work through the 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 81 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 Vertical City

Common questions about reading The Vertical City by Fannie Hurst on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Vertical City?

Yes. All 5193 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12659 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Vertical City is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #12659, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Vertical City take to read?

About 432 minutes of reading across 1039 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Vertical City section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Vertical City 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 Vertical City

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

Architectural
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Vertical City; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Gesture
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Vertical City; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Grief
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Vertical City; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Caused
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Vertical City; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.