Chapter 12 of The Wife, and Other Stories is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Wife, and Other Stories is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay. As he lets me in he clears his throat and says: “A frost, your Excellency!” Or, if my great-coat is wet: “Rain, your Excellency!”
Chapter 12 of The Wife, and Other Stories is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
plural of “clear” — the state of being free of suspicion
From this reading “As he lets me in he clears his throat and says:”
an associate that one works with
From this reading “When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.”
characteristic of the present
From this reading “When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.”
a title used to address dignitaries (such as ambassadors or governors); usually preceded by “Your” or “His” or “Her”
From this reading ““A frost, your Excellency!””
ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
From this reading ““A frost, your Excellency!””
plural of “let” — a brutal terrorist group active in Kashmir; fights against India with the goal of restoring Islamic rule of India
From this reading “As he lets me in he clears his throat and says:”
a person with the same name as another
From this reading “When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.”
a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading “When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.”
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 “A frost, your Excellency!”
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As he lets me in he clears his throat and says:
showing who or what does the action
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
plural of “clear” — the state of being free of suspicion
From this reading As he lets me in he clears his throat and says:
an associate that one works with
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
characteristic of the present
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
a title used to address dignitaries (such as ambassadors or governors); usually preceded by “Your” or “His” or “Her”
From this reading “A frost, your Excellency!”
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
From this reading “A frost, your Excellency!”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Or, if my great-coat is wet:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As he lets me in he clears his throat and says:
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As he lets me in he clears his throat and says:
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Or, if my great-coat is wet:
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As he lets me in he clears his throat and says:
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
plural of “let” — a brutal terrorist group active in Kashmir; fights against India with the goal of restoring Islamic rule of India
From this reading As he lets me in he clears his throat and says:
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As he lets me in he clears his throat and says:
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
a person with the same name as another
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Or, if my great-coat is wet:
have ownership or possession of
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading “Rain, your Excellency!”
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading As he lets me in he clears his throat and says:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading As he lets me in he clears his throat and says:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading Or, if my great-coat is wet:
at the time that
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading When I go to my own entrance the door is flung wide open, and I am met by my colleague, contemporary, and namesake, the porter Nikolay.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “A frost, your Excellency!”
Chapter 12 of The Wife, and Other Stories by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov holds 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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 187 sentences of The Wife, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Wife, and Other Stories by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Wife, and Other Stories by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4371 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1883 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1883, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 364 minutes of reading across 875 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Wife, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Wife, and Other Stories 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 Wife, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
