Chapter 12 of To The West is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of To The West is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I can't make them understand, my lad," he said at last. "But I think they do understand," I said. "Let's shoulder our packs, and see if they will lead the way." "Must be going our way," said Esau, "because they overtook us." "Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.
Chapter 12 of To The West is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading “"Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.”
(Old Testament) the eldest son of Isaac who would have inherited the covenant that God made with Abraham and that Abraham passed on to Isaac; he traded his birthright to his twin brother Jacob for a mess of pottage
From this reading “"Must be going our way," said Esau, "because they overtook us."”
overeat or eat immodestly; make a pig of oneself
From this reading “"Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.”
a boy or man
From this reading “"I can't make them understand, my lad," he said at last.”
filled with a great quantity
From this reading “"Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.”
inflected form of “overtake” — catch up with and possibly overtake
From this reading “"Must be going our way," said Esau, "because they overtook us."”
plural of “pack” — a large indefinite number
From this reading “"Let's shoulder our packs, and see if they will lead the way."”
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading “"Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.”
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 "Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Let's shoulder our packs, and see if they will lead the way."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I can't make them understand, my lad," he said at last.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Must be going our way," said Esau, "because they overtook us."
for the reason that
From this reading "Must be going our way," said Esau, "because they overtook us."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But I think they do understand," I said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I can't make them understand, my lad," he said at last.
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading "Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "But I think they do understand," I said.
(Old Testament) the eldest son of Isaac who would have inherited the covenant that God made with Abraham and that Abraham passed on to Isaac; he traded his birthright to his twin brother Jacob for a mess of pottage
From this reading "Must be going our way," said Esau, "because they overtook us."
the act of departing
From this reading "Must be going our way," said Esau, "because they overtook us."
overeat or eat immodestly; make a pig of oneself
From this reading "Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I can't make them understand, my lad," he said at last.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I can't make them understand, my lad," he said at last.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Let's shoulder our packs, and see if they will lead the way."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.
a boy or man
From this reading "I can't make them understand, my lad," he said at last.
immediately past
From this reading "I can't make them understand, my lad," he said at last.
take somebody somewhere
From this reading "Let's shoulder our packs, and see if they will lead the way."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Let's shoulder our packs, and see if they will lead the way."
filled with a great quantity
From this reading "Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.
engage in
From this reading "I can't make them understand, my lad," he said at last.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading "Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "Must be going our way," said Esau, "because they overtook us."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I can't make them understand, my lad," he said at last.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "Let's shoulder our packs, and see if they will lead the way."
inflected form of “overtake” — catch up with and possibly overtake
From this reading "Must be going our way," said Esau, "because they overtook us."
plural of “pack” — a large indefinite number
From this reading "Let's shoulder our packs, and see if they will lead the way."
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading "Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I can't make them understand, my lad," he said at last.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Let's shoulder our packs, and see if they will lead the way."
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading "Let's shoulder our packs, and see if they will lead the way."
having a supporting base
From this reading "Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Let's shoulder our packs, and see if they will lead the way."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "I can't make them understand, my lad," he said at last.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "But I think they do understand," I said.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "But I think they do understand," I said.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading "Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading "I can't make them understand, my lad," he said at last.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Must be going our way," said Esau, "because they overtook us."
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Let's shoulder our packs, and see if they will lead the way."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Well, let's try," said Gunson; and in a couple of minutes we were standing loaded, Gunson pointing up the gorge.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Let's shoulder our packs, and see if they will lead the way."
Chapter 12 of To The West by George Manville Fenn holds 420 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 420 sentences of To The West, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of To The West by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 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 To The West by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9550 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21495 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21495, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1910 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through To The West section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of To The West 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 West, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
