Chapter 12 of The Yellow Claw is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Yellow Claw is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Slowly, as a man awaking from a stupor, Soames gazed around the library. It contained no door. He rested his hand upon one of the shelves and closed his eyes. Beyond doubt he was going mad! The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.
Chapter 12 of The Yellow Claw is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
capability to perform or produce
From this reading “The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.”
gotten under control
From this reading “It contained no door.”
having its true character concealed with the intent of misleading
From this reading “The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.”
involving the mind or an intellectual process
From this reading “The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.”
not tired; refreshed as by sleeping or relaxing
From this reading “He rested his hand upon one of the shelves and closed his eyes.”
Plural of shelf; the vast wooden or stone structures holding archives.
From this reading “He rested his hand upon one of the shelves and closed his eyes.”
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading “Slowly, as a man awaking from a stupor, Soames gazed around the library.”
very sad; especially involving grief or death or destruction
From this reading “The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.”
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 Slowly, as a man awaking from a stupor, Soames gazed around the library.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He rested his hand upon one of the shelves and closed his eyes.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Slowly, as a man awaking from a stupor, Soames gazed around the library.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Slowly, as a man awaking from a stupor, Soames gazed around the library.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Slowly, as a man awaking from a stupor, Soames gazed around the library.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading Beyond doubt he was going mad!
capability to perform or produce
From this reading The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading He rested his hand upon one of the shelves and closed his eyes.
gotten under control
From this reading It contained no door.
having its true character concealed with the intent of misleading
From this reading The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading It contained no door.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading Beyond doubt he was going mad!
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He rested his hand upon one of the shelves and closed his eyes.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Slowly, as a man awaking from a stupor, Soames gazed around the library.
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Slowly, as a man awaking from a stupor, Soames gazed around the library.
the act of departing
From this reading Beyond doubt he was going mad!
highest in quality
From this reading The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He rested his hand upon one of the shelves and closed his eyes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He rested his hand upon one of the shelves and closed his eyes.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He rested his hand upon one of the shelves and closed his eyes.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It contained no door.
a room where books are kept
From this reading Slowly, as a man awaking from a stupor, Soames gazed around the library.
roused to anger
From this reading Beyond doubt he was going mad!
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Slowly, as a man awaking from a stupor, Soames gazed around the library.
involving the mind or an intellectual process
From this reading The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.
not any; not one
From this reading It contained no door.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He rested his hand upon one of the shelves and closed his eyes.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He rested his hand upon one of the shelves and closed his eyes.
established beyond doubt
From this reading The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.
not tired; refreshed as by sleeping or relaxing
From this reading He rested his hand upon one of the shelves and closed his eyes.
Plural of shelf; the vast wooden or stone structures holding archives.
From this reading He rested his hand upon one of the shelves and closed his eyes.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Slowly, as a man awaking from a stupor, Soames gazed around the library.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Slowly, as a man awaking from a stupor, Soames gazed around the library.
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading Slowly, as a man awaking from a stupor, Soames gazed around the library.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Slowly, as a man awaking from a stupor, Soames gazed around the library.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.
very sad; especially involving grief or death or destruction
From this reading The tragic events of that night had proved too much for him; he had never disguised from himself the fact that his mental capacity was not of the greatest.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He rested his hand upon one of the shelves and closed his eyes.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Beyond doubt he was going mad!
Chapter 12 of The Yellow Claw by Sax Rohmer holds 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 194 sentences of The Yellow Claw, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Yellow Claw by Sax Rohmer exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Yellow Claw by Sax Rohmer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5398 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2028 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2028, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 449 minutes of reading across 1080 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Yellow Claw section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Yellow Claw 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 Yellow Claw, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
