Chapter 12 of The World of Chance is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The World of Chance is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not. She merely said: “I suppose that’s the way our work always seems to us when it’s done. There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?” “Yes; that is true! How generous you are!
Chapter 12 of The World of Chance is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
declare untrue; contradict
From this reading “He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not.”
willing to give and share unstintingly
From this reading “How generous you are!”
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading “There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?””
and nothing more
From this reading “She merely said: “I suppose that’s the way our work always seems to us when it’s done.”
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading “There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?””
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading “There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?””
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “She merely said: “I suppose that’s the way our work always seems to us when it’s done.”
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading “He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not.”
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.
In this reading “He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not.”
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 There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?”
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading She merely said: “I suppose that’s the way our work always seems to us when it’s done.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading How generous you are!
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not.
declare untrue; contradict
From this reading He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading She merely said: “I suppose that’s the way our work always seems to us when it’s done.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?”
willing to give and share unstintingly
From this reading How generous you are!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How generous you are!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading She merely said: “I suppose that’s the way our work always seems to us when it’s done.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Yes; that is true!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She merely said: “I suppose that’s the way our work always seems to us when it’s done.
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?”
go away from a place
From this reading There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?”
and nothing more
From this reading She merely said: “I suppose that’s the way our work always seems to us when it’s done.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?”
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?”
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading She merely said: “I suppose that’s the way our work always seems to us when it’s done.
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?”
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading She merely said: “I suppose that’s the way our work always seems to us when it’s done.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading She merely said: “I suppose that’s the way our work always seems to us when it’s done.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?”
express a supposition
From this reading She merely said: “I suppose that’s the way our work always seems to us when it’s done.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She merely said: “I suppose that’s the way our work always seems to us when it’s done.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She merely said: “I suppose that’s the way our work always seems to us when it’s done.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?”
in or at that place or location
From this reading There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?”
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading “Yes; that is true!
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She merely said: “I suppose that’s the way our work always seems to us when it’s done.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading She merely said: “I suppose that’s the way our work always seems to us when it’s done.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?”
at the time that
From this reading She merely said: “I suppose that’s the way our work always seems to us when it’s done.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading There must be a time when we ought to leave what we’ve done to others; it’s for them, not for ourselves; why shouldn’t they judge it?”
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading He wished her to deny that it was bad in any part, but she did not.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading She merely said: “I suppose that’s the way our work always seems to us when it’s done.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes; that is true!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading How generous you are!
Chapter 12 of The World of Chance by William Dean Howells holds 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 396 sentences of The World of Chance, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The World of Chance by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 World of Chance by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5220 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66584 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66584, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 435 minutes of reading across 1044 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The World of Chance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The World of Chance 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 World of Chance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
