Chapter 12 of Vanderdecken is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Vanderdecken is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OUT Candon handed the wheel over to Hank. “Well, we’re out,” said he. “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.” He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land. George stood beside him.
Chapter 12 of Vanderdecken is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/10 · 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.
possessive form of “coast” — the shore of a sea or ocean
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading “OUT Candon handed the wheel over to Hank.”
a coil of rope or wool or yarn
From this reading “OUT Candon handed the wheel over to Hank.”
provided with artificial light
From this reading “He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.”
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading “He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.”
a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country
From this reading “He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.”
a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading “He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.”
change directions as if revolving on a pivot
From this reading “OUT Candon handed the wheel over to Hank.”
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 ““Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.””
a line traced by a point traveling in a constant direction; a line of zero curvature
In this reading ““Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.””
In this reading “George stood beside him.”
In this reading “He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.”
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 “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.
next to; at the side of
From this reading George stood beside him.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading OUT Candon handed the wheel over to Hank.
rid of obstructions
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
possessive form of “coast” — the shore of a sea or ocean
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading George stood beside him.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading OUT Candon handed the wheel over to Hank.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.
a coil of rope or wool or yarn
From this reading OUT Candon handed the wheel over to Hank.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Well, we’re out,” said he.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading George stood beside him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
provided with artificial light
From this reading He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading OUT Candon handed the wheel over to Hank.
above and across; more than
From this reading OUT Candon handed the wheel over to Hank.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country
From this reading He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.
a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Well, we’re out,” said he.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.
successive (without a break)
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading OUT Candon handed the wheel over to Hank.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading OUT Candon handed the wheel over to Hank.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “Keep her as she goes, the coast’s a straight line down to Point San Pedro, and I don’t want to clear it by more than ten miles.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, we’re out,” said he.
(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, we’re out,” said he.
change directions as if revolving on a pivot
From this reading OUT Candon handed the wheel over to Hank.
in or at the place that
From this reading He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He lit a pipe and walked to the port rail, where he stood with the pipe in his mouth and his hands on the rail looking at the land.
Chapter 12 of Vanderdecken by H. De Vere (Henry De Vere) Stacpoole holds 51 sentences, grouped into 11 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 51 sentences of Vanderdecken, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Vanderdecken by H. De Vere (Henry De Vere) Stacpoole exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 51 sentences, grouped into 11 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 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 11 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 Vanderdecken by H. De Vere (Henry De Vere) Stacpoole on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4194 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54473 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54473, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 349 minutes of reading across 839 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Vanderdecken section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Vanderdecken 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 Vanderdecken, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
