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What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2
What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2 is here in full — 250 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2
Context Illustration Reading 1/50 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
NATURE.
The girls had every liberty; their mother seldom interfered.
Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.
Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.
Almost unknown to herself, however, a change for the better had begun in Mercy.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2 is here in full — 250 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/50 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
NATURE.
/ˈneɪtʃər/
Line 2
The girls had every liberty; their mother seldom interfered.
/ðə ɡɜːrlz hæd ˈevəri ˈlɪb.ər.ti ðer ˈmʌðər ˈseldəm ˌɪntərˈfɪrd/
Line 3
Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.
Line 4
Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.
/hens æn əˈmaʊnt ʌv ˈɪntərkɔːrs wɑːz ˈpɑːsəbəl bɪˈtwiːn ðem ənd ðə jʌŋ men wɪtʃ mʌst hæv ˈspiːdəli ɡroʊn tuː ə ˈdʒenjəwən ˈɪntəməsi hæd ðeɪ ˌɪnˈhæbətəd ˈiːvɪn ə ˈneɪbərɪŋ sfɪr ʌv ˈkɑːnʃəs laɪf/
Line 5
Almost unknown to herself, however, a change for the better had begun in Mercy.
/ˈɔːlmoʊst ənˈnoʊn tuː hərˈself ˌhaʊˈevər ə tʃeɪndʒ fɔːr ðə ˈbetər hæd bɪˈɡʌn ɪn ˈmɜːrsi/

Learner Dictionary

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.

discretion noun US /dɪˈskreʃən/

freedom to act or judge on one's own

From this reading “Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.”

inhabited adjective US /ˌɪnˈhæbətəd/

having inhabitants; lived in

From this reading “Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.”

intercourse noun US /ˈɪntərkɔːrs/

communication between individuals

From this reading “Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.”

interfered verb US /ˌɪntərˈfɪrd/

past form of “interfere” — come between so as to be hindrance or obstacle

From this reading “The girls had every liberty; their mother seldom interfered.”

intimacy noun US /ˈɪntəməsi/

close or warm friendship

From this reading “Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.”

neighbouring verb US /ˈneɪbərɪŋ/

-ing form of “neighbour” — live or be located as a neighbor

From this reading “Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.”

speedily adverb US /ˈspiːdəli/

with speed

From this reading “Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.”

sphere noun US /sfɪr/

a particular environment or walk of life

From this reading “Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.”

All words in this reading · 61

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

AlmostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading Almost unknown to herself, however, a change for the better had begun in Mercy.

amountnounUS /əˈmaʊnt/

a quantity of money

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.

begunverbUS /bɪˈɡʌn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading Almost unknown to herself, however, a change for the better had begun in Mercy.

betteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading Almost unknown to herself, however, a change for the better had begun in Mercy.

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

changeverbUS /tʃeɪndʒ/

cause to change; make different; cause a transformation

From this reading Almost unknown to herself, however, a change for the better had begun in Mercy.

confidencenounUS /ˈkɑːnfədəns/

freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities

From this reading Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.

consciousadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːnʃəs/

intentionally conceived

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

daughtersnounUS /ˈdɔːtərz/

plural of “daughter” — a female human offspring

From this reading Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.

dimadjectiveUS /dɪm/

lacking in light; not bright or harsh

From this reading Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.

discretionnounUS /dɪˈskreʃən/

freedom to act or judge on one's own

From this reading Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading The girls had every liberty; their mother seldom interfered.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.

genuineadjectiveUS /ˈdʒenjəwən/

not fake or counterfeit

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

girlsnounUS /ɡɜːrlz/

plural of “girl” — a young female

From this reading The girls had every liberty; their mother seldom interfered.

grownadjectiveUS /ɡroʊn/

(of animals) fully developed

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The girls had every liberty; their mother seldom interfered.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

HenceadverbUS /hens/

for this reason

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.

HerselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.

horn-lantern

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.

howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading Almost unknown to herself, however, a change for the better had begun in Mercy.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.

inhabitedadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈhæbətəd/

having inhabitants; lived in

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

intercoursenounUS /ˈɪntərkɔːrs/

communication between individuals

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

interferedverbUS /ˌɪntərˈfɪrd/

past form of “interfere” — come between so as to be hindrance or obstacle

From this reading The girls had every liberty; their mother seldom interfered.

intimacynounUS /ˈɪntəməsi/

close or warm friendship

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

libertynounUS /ˈlɪb.ər.ti/

The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions on one's way of life.

From this reading The girls had every liberty; their mother seldom interfered.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

MercynounUS /ˈmɜːrsi/

leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice

From this reading Almost unknown to herself, however, a change for the better had begun in Mercy.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading The girls had every liberty; their mother seldom interfered.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

NATUREnounUS /ˈneɪtʃər/

the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized

From this reading NATURE.

neighbouringverbUS /ˈneɪbərɪŋ/

-ing form of “neighbour” — live or be located as a neighbor

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.

possibleadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːsəbəl/

capable of happening or existing

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

seldomadverbUS /ˈseldəm/

not often

From this reading The girls had every liberty; their mother seldom interfered.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.

speedilyadverbUS /ˈspiːdəli/

with speed

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

spherenounUS /sfɪr/

a particular environment or walk of life

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The girls had every liberty; their mother seldom interfered.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The girls had every liberty; their mother seldom interfered.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.

trueadjectiveUS /truː/

consistent with fact or reality; not false

From this reading Herself true to her own dim horn-lantern, she had confidence in the discretion of her daughters, and looked for no more than discretion.

unknownadjectiveUS /ənˈnoʊn/

not known

From this reading Almost unknown to herself, however, a change for the better had begun in Mercy.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading Hence an amount of intercourse was possible between them and the young men, which must have speedily grown to a genuine intimacy had they inhabited even a neighbouring sphere of conscious life.

Chapter 12 of What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2 by George MacDonald holds 250 sentences, grouped into 50 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.

What does chapter 12 of What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2 contain?

Chapter 12 holds 250 sentences of What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2 by George MacDonald exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 250 sentences, grouped into 50 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.

How do I study chapter 12 of What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2?

Work through the 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 50 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.

Can chapter 12 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2

Common questions about reading What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2 by George MacDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2?

Yes. All 2809 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5967 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #5967, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2 take to read?

About 234 minutes of reading across 562 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2 section by section

How to work through What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2

Words and structures a reader meets early in What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Story
A word that appears in the opening chapter of What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Woman
A word that appears in the opening chapter of What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Whose
A word that appears in the opening chapter of What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Husband
A word that appears in the opening chapter of What's Mine's Mine — Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.