Chapter 12 of Virgin Soil is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Virgin Soil is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Splendid! Splendid! We are gathering forces! Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!” It seemed to Nejdanov that Golushkin was shy and embarrassed—and indeed it really was so.
Chapter 12 of Virgin Soil is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
the activities of educating or instructing; activities that impart knowledge or skill
From this reading “Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!””
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading “It seemed to Nejdanov that Golushkin was shy and embarrassed—and indeed it really was so.”
plural of “force” — a powerful effect or influence
From this reading “We are gathering forces!”
a group of persons together in one place
From this reading “We are gathering forces!”
the lack of knowledge or education
From this reading “Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!””
the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge
From this reading “Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!””
start suddenly, as from fright
From this reading “It seemed to Nejdanov that Golushkin was shy and embarrassed—and indeed it really was so.”
of very poor quality or condition
From this reading “Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!””
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 Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It seemed to Nejdanov that Golushkin was shy and embarrassed—and indeed it really was so.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We are gathering forces!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!”
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!”
the activities of educating or instructing; activities that impart knowledge or skill
From this reading Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!”
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading It seemed to Nejdanov that Golushkin was shy and embarrassed—and indeed it really was so.
plural of “force” — a powerful effect or influence
From this reading We are gathering forces!
a group of persons together in one place
From this reading We are gathering forces!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to Nejdanov that Golushkin was shy and embarrassed—and indeed it really was so.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!”
the lack of knowledge or education
From this reading Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!”
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading It seemed to Nejdanov that Golushkin was shy and embarrassed—and indeed it really was so.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed to Nejdanov that Golushkin was shy and embarrassed—and indeed it really was so.
the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge
From this reading Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!”
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!”
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to Nejdanov that Golushkin was shy and embarrassed—and indeed it really was so.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading It seemed to Nejdanov that Golushkin was shy and embarrassed—and indeed it really was so.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed to Nejdanov that Golushkin was shy and embarrassed—and indeed it really was so.
start suddenly, as from fright
From this reading It seemed to Nejdanov that Golushkin was shy and embarrassed—and indeed it really was so.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It seemed to Nejdanov that Golushkin was shy and embarrassed—and indeed it really was so.
having great beauty and splendor
From this reading “Splendid!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It seemed to Nejdanov that Golushkin was shy and embarrassed—and indeed it really was so.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!”
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It seemed to Nejdanov that Golushkin was shy and embarrassed—and indeed it really was so.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It seemed to Nejdanov that Golushkin was shy and embarrassed—and indeed it really was so.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We are gathering forces!
of very poor quality or condition
From this reading Learning is light, ignorance is darkness—I had a wretched education myself, but I understand things; that’s how I’ve got on!”
Chapter 12 of Virgin Soil by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev holds 200 sentences, grouped into 40 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 200 sentences of Virgin Soil, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Virgin Soil by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Virgin Soil by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6780 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2466 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2466, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 565 minutes of reading across 1356 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Virgin Soil section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Virgin Soil 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 Virgin Soil, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
