Chapter 12 of To the Highest Bidder is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of To the Highest Bidder is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side. “But I know somebody that’ll be a heap sweeter—when she’s a bride.” “Oh, Mis-ter Whitcomb!” breathed the girl, the pink brightening in her round cheeks. “But, of course, you meant—her. She’s awful good-lookin’.”
Chapter 12 of To the Highest Bidder is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
uttered without voice
From this reading ““Oh, Mis-ter Whitcomb!” breathed the girl, the pink brightening in her round cheeks.”
a woman who has recently been married
From this reading ““A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.”
-ing form of “brighten” — make more cheerful through the use of color
From this reading ““Oh, Mis-ter Whitcomb!” breathed the girl, the pink brightening in her round cheeks.”
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading ““But I know somebody that’ll be a heap sweeter—when she’s a bride.””
a light shade of red
From this reading ““Oh, Mis-ter Whitcomb!” breathed the girl, the pink brightening in her round cheeks.”
the act of smacking something; a blow delivered with an open hand
From this reading ““A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.”
a white crystalline carbohydrate used as a sweetener and preservative
From this reading ““A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.”
comparative of “sweet” — having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading ““But I know somebody that’ll be a heap sweeter—when she’s a bride.””
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.
as might be expected
In this reading ““But, of course, you meant—her.”
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 bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading She’s awful good-lookin’.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
uttered without voice
From this reading “Oh, Mis-ter Whitcomb!” breathed the girl, the pink brightening in her round cheeks.
a woman who has recently been married
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
-ing form of “brighten” — make more cheerful through the use of color
From this reading “Oh, Mis-ter Whitcomb!” breathed the girl, the pink brightening in her round cheeks.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But I know somebody that’ll be a heap sweeter—when she’s a bride.”
plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading “Oh, Mis-ter Whitcomb!” breathed the girl, the pink brightening in her round cheeks.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “But, of course, you meant—her.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
devoid of good sense or judgment
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
a young female
From this reading “Oh, Mis-ter Whitcomb!” breathed the girl, the pink brightening in her round cheeks.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She’s awful good-lookin’.”
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading “But I know somebody that’ll be a heap sweeter—when she’s a bride.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Oh, Mis-ter Whitcomb!” breathed the girl, the pink brightening in her round cheeks.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “But I know somebody that’ll be a heap sweeter—when she’s a bride.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Oh, Mis-ter Whitcomb!” breathed the girl, the pink brightening in her round cheeks.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “But I know somebody that’ll be a heap sweeter—when she’s a bride.”
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “But, of course, you meant—her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, Mis-ter Whitcomb!” breathed the girl, the pink brightening in her round cheeks.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, Mis-ter Whitcomb!” breathed the girl, the pink brightening in her round cheeks.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
a light shade of red
From this reading “Oh, Mis-ter Whitcomb!” breathed the girl, the pink brightening in her round cheeks.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading “Oh, Mis-ter Whitcomb!” breathed the girl, the pink brightening in her round cheeks.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But I know somebody that’ll be a heap sweeter—when she’s a bride.”
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
the act of smacking something; a blow delivered with an open hand
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
a person, without saying who
From this reading “But I know somebody that’ll be a heap sweeter—when she’s a bride.”
a white crystalline carbohydrate used as a sweetener and preservative
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
comparative of “sweet” — having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading “But I know somebody that’ll be a heap sweeter—when she’s a bride.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But I know somebody that’ll be a heap sweeter—when she’s a bride.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “A bride made out of sugar must be pretty sweet,” said David, smacking his lips and smiling down into the pretty, foolish face at his side.
at the time that
From this reading “But I know somebody that’ll be a heap sweeter—when she’s a bride.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, Mis-ter Whitcomb!” breathed the girl, the pink brightening in her round cheeks.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “But, of course, you meant—her.
Chapter 12 of To the Highest Bidder by Florence Morse Kingsley holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of To the Highest Bidder, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of To the Highest Bidder by Florence Morse Kingsley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 To the Highest Bidder by Florence Morse Kingsley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4909 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51797 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51797, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 409 minutes of reading across 982 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through To the Highest Bidder section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of To the Highest Bidder 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 To the Highest Bidder, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
