Chapter 5 of Twelve Men is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Twelve Men is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"No," I replied, rather shamefacedly, "not in a week or two--maybe more." He clicked his tongue. He himself had not been near her in a month or more. His face fell, and he looked very depressed. "It's too bad--a shame really.
Chapter 5 of Twelve Men is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “"It's too bad--a shame really.”
past form of “click” — move or strike with a noise
From this reading “He clicked his tongue.”
lower than previously
From this reading “His face fell, and he looked very depressed.”
by chance
From this reading “"No," I replied, rather shamefacedly, "not in a week or two--maybe more."”
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading “He himself had not been near her in a month or more.”
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading “"It's too bad--a shame really.”
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading “He clicked his tongue.”
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “"No," I replied, rather shamefacedly, "not in a week or two--maybe more."”
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 "No," I replied, rather shamefacedly, "not in a week or two--maybe more."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His face fell, and he looked very depressed.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "It's too bad--a shame really.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He himself had not been near her in a month or more.
past form of “click” — move or strike with a noise
From this reading He clicked his tongue.
lower than previously
From this reading His face fell, and he looked very depressed.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His face fell, and he looked very depressed.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading His face fell, and he looked very depressed.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He himself had not been near her in a month or more.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He clicked his tongue.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He himself had not been near her in a month or more.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He himself had not been near her in a month or more.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He clicked his tongue.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "No," I replied, rather shamefacedly, "not in a week or two--maybe more."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "No," I replied, rather shamefacedly, "not in a week or two--maybe more."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's too bad--a shame really.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading His face fell, and he looked very depressed.
by chance
From this reading "No," I replied, rather shamefacedly, "not in a week or two--maybe more."
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading He himself had not been near her in a month or more.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "No," I replied, rather shamefacedly, "not in a week or two--maybe more."
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading He himself had not been near her in a month or more.
not any; not one
From this reading "No," I replied, rather shamefacedly, "not in a week or two--maybe more."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "No," I replied, rather shamefacedly, "not in a week or two--maybe more."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "No," I replied, rather shamefacedly, "not in a week or two--maybe more."
on the contrary
From this reading "No," I replied, rather shamefacedly, "not in a week or two--maybe more."
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "It's too bad--a shame really.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "No," I replied, rather shamefacedly, "not in a week or two--maybe more."
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading "It's too bad--a shame really.
in a shamefaced manner
From this reading "No," I replied, rather shamefacedly, "not in a week or two--maybe more."
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading He clicked his tongue.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "It's too bad--a shame really.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "No," I replied, rather shamefacedly, "not in a week or two--maybe more."
precisely as stated
From this reading His face fell, and he looked very depressed.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading "No," I replied, rather shamefacedly, "not in a week or two--maybe more."
Chapter 5 of Twelve Men by Theodore Dreiser holds 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 5 holds 432 sentences of Twelve Men, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Twelve Men by Theodore Dreiser exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 5 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 Twelve Men by Theodore Dreiser on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6352 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14717 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14717, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 529 minutes of reading across 1271 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Twelve Men section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Twelve Men 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 Twelve Men, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
