Chapter 12 of The Wonderful Adventures of Nils is here in full — 401 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 Wonderful Adventures of Nils is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged." Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump. "Stay where you are!" Karr concluded. "We'll manage to drive out the caterpillars without your help."
Chapter 12 of The Wonderful Adventures of Nils is here in full — 401 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.
for which vengeance has been taken
From this reading “"He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged."”
plural of “caterpillar” — a wormlike and often brightly colored and hairy or spiny larva of a butterfly or moth
From this reading “"We'll manage to drive out the caterpillars without your help."”
run or move very quickly or hastily
From this reading “Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.”
any cold-blooded vertebrate of the class Reptilia including tortoises, turtles, snakes, lizards, alligators, crocodiles, and extinct forms
From this reading “Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.”
with safety; in a safe manner
From this reading “Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.”
people who have been slain (as in battle)
From this reading “"He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged."”
limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading “"He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged."”
the base part of a tree that remains standing after the tree has been felled
From this reading “Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.”
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 Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Stay where you are!"
for which vengeance has been taken
From this reading "He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading "He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.
plural of “caterpillar” — a wormlike and often brightly colored and hairy or spiny larva of a butterfly or moth
From this reading "We'll manage to drive out the caterpillars without your help."
having come or been brought to a conclusion
From this reading Karr concluded.
run or move very quickly or hastily
From this reading Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading "He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged."
operate or control a vehicle
From this reading "We'll manage to drive out the caterpillars without your help."
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged."
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "We'll manage to drive out the caterpillars without your help."
not accessible to view
From this reading Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.
held dear
From this reading "He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged."
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.
be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading "We'll manage to drive out the caterpillars without your help."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "We'll manage to drive out the caterpillars without your help."
any cold-blooded vertebrate of the class Reptilia including tortoises, turtles, snakes, lizards, alligators, crocodiles, and extinct forms
From this reading Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.
with safety; in a safe manner
From this reading Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.
people who have been slain (as in battle)
From this reading "He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged."
limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading "He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged."
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading "Stay where you are!"
the base part of a tree that remains standing after the tree has been felled
From this reading Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged."
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Before the snake had finished speaking, Karr made a dash for him; but the reptile lay safely hidden under the tree stump.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We'll manage to drive out the caterpillars without your help."
in or at the place that
From this reading "Stay where you are!"
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "He has slain the one whom I loved best," the snake declared, "and I want to be avenged."
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading "We'll manage to drive out the caterpillars without your help."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Stay where you are!"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "We'll manage to drive out the caterpillars without your help."
Chapter 12 of The Wonderful Adventures of Nils by Selma Lagerlöf holds 401 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 401 sentences of The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Wonderful Adventures of Nils by Selma Lagerlöf exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 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 Wonderful Adventures of Nils by Selma Lagerlöf on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8624 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10935 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10935, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1725 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Wonderful Adventures of Nils section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Wonderful Adventures of Nils 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 Wonderful Adventures of Nils, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
