Chapter 12 of Tommy is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Tommy is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was nearly midday when Tom awoke. The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed. The Town Hall clock chimed a quarter to twelve, but all else seemed strangely silent. Tom rose in his bed, and rubbed his eyes. "Where am I?" he gasped; "this is--this is--ay, where am I?
Chapter 12 of Tommy is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading “The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.”
past form of “chime” — emit a sound
From this reading “The Town Hall clock chimed a quarter to twelve, but all else seemed strangely silent.”
plural of “church” — one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading “The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.”
plural of “congregation” — a group of people who adhere to a common faith and habitually attend a given church
From this reading “The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.”
having lost your job
From this reading “The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.”
the middle of the day
From this reading “It was nearly midday when Tom awoke.”
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading “The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.”
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading “Tom rose in his bed, and rubbed his eyes.”
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 The Town Hall clock chimed a quarter to twelve, but all else seemed strangely silent.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Where am I?" he gasped; "this is--this is--ay, where am I?
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Tom rose in his bed, and rubbed his eyes.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading It was nearly midday when Tom awoke.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Where am I?" he gasped; "this is--this is--ay, where am I?
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Tom rose in his bed, and rubbed his eyes.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The Town Hall clock chimed a quarter to twelve, but all else seemed strangely silent.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.
past form of “chime” — emit a sound
From this reading The Town Hall clock chimed a quarter to twelve, but all else seemed strangely silent.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.
plural of “church” — one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading The Town Hall clock chimed a quarter to twelve, but all else seemed strangely silent.
plural of “congregation” — a group of people who adhere to a common faith and habitually attend a given church
From this reading The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.
having lost your job
From this reading The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Town Hall clock chimed a quarter to twelve, but all else seemed strangely silent.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Tom rose in his bed, and rubbed his eyes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading "Where am I?" he gasped; "this is--this is--ay, where am I?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading The Town Hall clock chimed a quarter to twelve, but all else seemed strangely silent.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Where am I?" he gasped; "this is--this is--ay, where am I?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Tom rose in his bed, and rubbed his eyes.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Where am I?" he gasped; "this is--this is--ay, where am I?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Tom rose in his bed, and rubbed his eyes.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Where am I?" he gasped; "this is--this is--ay, where am I?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was nearly midday when Tom awoke.
the middle of the day
From this reading It was nearly midday when Tom awoke.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It was nearly midday when Tom awoke.
one of four equal parts
From this reading The Town Hall clock chimed a quarter to twelve, but all else seemed strangely silent.
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Tom rose in his bed, and rubbed his eyes.
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading Tom rose in his bed, and rubbed his eyes.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The Town Hall clock chimed a quarter to twelve, but all else seemed strangely silent.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading The Town Hall clock chimed a quarter to twelve, but all else seemed strangely silent.
in a strange manner
From this reading The Town Hall clock chimed a quarter to twelve, but all else seemed strangely silent.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Where am I?" he gasped; "this is--this is--ay, where am I?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Town Hall clock chimed a quarter to twelve, but all else seemed strangely silent.
male cat
From this reading It was nearly midday when Tom awoke.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading The Town Hall clock chimed a quarter to twelve, but all else seemed strangely silent.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading The Town Hall clock chimed a quarter to twelve, but all else seemed strangely silent.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was nearly midday when Tom awoke.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The church bells had ceased ringing for nearly an hour, indeed at nearly all the churches the congregations were being dismissed.
at the time that
From this reading It was nearly midday when Tom awoke.
in or at the place that
From this reading "Where am I?" he gasped; "this is--this is--ay, where am I?
Chapter 12 of Tommy by Joseph Hocking holds 141 sentences, grouped into 29 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 141 sentences of Tommy, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Tommy by Joseph Hocking exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 141 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 Tommy by Joseph Hocking on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2400 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24986 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24986, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 200 minutes of reading across 480 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tommy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Tommy 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 Tommy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
