Chapter 12 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it. "You shall not act like this. I've been nearly thirty years building this up, and do you think I will have it crushed down like that? Say a word if you dare!" "If I dare!" exclaimed Richard.
Chapter 12 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
with anger
From this reading “"Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.”
treated so as to have a permanently wrinkled appearance
From this reading “I've been nearly thirty years building this up, and do you think I will have it crushed down like that?”
past form of “hiss” — make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
From this reading “"Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.”
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading “"Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.”
United States comic actor in silent films; he used physical danger as a source of comedy (1893-1971)
From this reading “"Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.”
small stuff that is used for lashing two or more ropes together
From this reading “"Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.”
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading “"Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.”
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading “I've been nearly thirty years building this up, and do you think I will have it crushed down like that?”
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 “I've been nearly thirty years building this up, and do you think I will have it crushed down like that?”
In this reading “Say a word if you dare!"”
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 Say a word if you dare!"
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading "You shall not act like this.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.
with anger
From this reading "Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading "Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I've been nearly thirty years building this up, and do you think I will have it crushed down like that?
a youthful male person
From this reading "Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading I've been nearly thirty years building this up, and do you think I will have it crushed down like that?
treated so as to have a permanently wrinkled appearance
From this reading I've been nearly thirty years building this up, and do you think I will have it crushed down like that?
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading Say a word if you dare!"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I've been nearly thirty years building this up, and do you think I will have it crushed down like that?
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading I've been nearly thirty years building this up, and do you think I will have it crushed down like that?
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "If I dare!" exclaimed Richard.
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading "Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I've been nearly thirty years building this up, and do you think I will have it crushed down like that?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.
past form of “hiss” — make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
From this reading "Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I've been nearly thirty years building this up, and do you think I will have it crushed down like that?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I've been nearly thirty years building this up, and do you think I will have it crushed down like that?
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading "Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Say a word if you dare!"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "You shall not act like this.
United States comic actor in silent films; he used physical danger as a source of comedy (1893-1971)
From this reading "Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.
roused to anger
From this reading "Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading I've been nearly thirty years building this up, and do you think I will have it crushed down like that?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "You shall not act like this.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If I dare!" exclaimed Richard.
express in words
From this reading Say a word if you dare!"
small stuff that is used for lashing two or more ropes together
From this reading "Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading "Fool--idiot--mad boy!" hissed Mrs Lloyd, seizing his arm angrily, and shaking it.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "You shall not act like this.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I've been nearly thirty years building this up, and do you think I will have it crushed down like that?
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I've been nearly thirty years building this up, and do you think I will have it crushed down like that?
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading I've been nearly thirty years building this up, and do you think I will have it crushed down like that?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "You shall not act like this.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I've been nearly thirty years building this up, and do you think I will have it crushed down like that?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I've been nearly thirty years building this up, and do you think I will have it crushed down like that?
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Say a word if you dare!"
a late time of life
From this reading I've been nearly thirty years building this up, and do you think I will have it crushed down like that?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You shall not act like this.
Chapter 12 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One by George Manville Fenn holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6449 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32929 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32929, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 537 minutes of reading across 1290 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One 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 Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
