Chapter 12 of The White Virgin is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The White Virgin is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder. "What is it, then? And, confound you, don't you forget your place, sir." "No fear. I've done your dirty work, and helped you to get your position here."
Chapter 12 of The White Virgin is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
inflected form of “clap” — put quickly or forcibly
From this reading “"I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.”
be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly
From this reading “And, confound you, don't you forget your place, sir."”
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading “I've done your dirty work, and helped you to get your position here."”
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading “And, confound you, don't you forget your place, sir."”
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “I've done your dirty work, and helped you to get your position here."”
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading “I've done your dirty work, and helped you to get your position here."”
(of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct
From this reading “"I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.”
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading “"I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.”
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.
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And, confound you, don't you forget your place, sir."
inflected form of “clap” — put quickly or forcibly
From this reading "I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.
be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly
From this reading And, confound you, don't you forget your place, sir."
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading I've done your dirty work, and helped you to get your position here."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And, confound you, don't you forget your place, sir."
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading I've done your dirty work, and helped you to get your position here."
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading "No fear.
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading And, confound you, don't you forget your place, sir."
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I've done your dirty work, and helped you to get your position here."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading I've done your dirty work, and helped you to get your position here."
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading I've done your dirty work, and helped you to get your position here."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I've done your dirty work, and helped you to get your position here."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is it, then?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "What is it, then?
not any; not one
From this reading "No fear.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading And, confound you, don't you forget your place, sir."
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading I've done your dirty work, and helped you to get your position here."
(of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct
From this reading "I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading "I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.
term of address for a man
From this reading And, confound you, don't you forget your place, sir."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading "I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "What is it, then?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is it, then?
which person or people
From this reading "I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading I've done your dirty work, and helped you to get your position here."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I want to talk to you, guv'nor," said Sturgess, who had suddenly clapped him roughly on the shoulder.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And, confound you, don't you forget your place, sir."
Chapter 12 of The White Virgin by George Manville Fenn holds 403 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.
Chapter 12 holds 403 sentences of The White Virgin, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The White Virgin by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 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.
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.
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 White Virgin by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5773 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40672 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40672, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 481 minutes of reading across 1155 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The White Virgin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The White Virgin 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 White Virgin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
