Chapter 12 of Yiddish Tales is here in full — 391 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Yiddish Tales is here in full — 391 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
They came a little nearer. "Come here, to me!" and he pointed to the bed. They came up to the bed. "Well, what are you all about?" he asked with a smile. The workmen were silent.
Chapter 12 of Yiddish Tales is here in full — 391 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “"Well, what are you all about?" he asked with a smile.”
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading “"Come here, to me!" and he pointed to the bed.”
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “"Come here, to me!" and he pointed to the bed.”
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading “They came a little nearer.”
having a point
From this reading “"Come here, to me!" and he pointed to the bed.”
marked by absence of sound
From this reading “The workmen were silent.”
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “"Well, what are you all about?" he asked with a smile.”
plural of “workman” — an employee who performs manual or industrial labor
From this reading “The workmen were silent.”
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 “"Come here, to me!" and he pointed to the bed.”
bring forth, usually something desirable
In this reading “They came up to the bed.”
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 They came a little nearer.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Well, what are you all about?" he asked with a smile.
(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 "Well, what are you all about?" he asked with a smile.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Come here, to me!" and he pointed to the bed.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Well, what are you all about?" he asked with a smile.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Well, what are you all about?" he asked with a smile.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading "Come here, to me!" and he pointed to the bed.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading They came a little nearer.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come here, to me!" and he pointed to the bed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Come here, to me!" and he pointed to the bed.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Come here, to me!" and he pointed to the bed.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They came a little nearer.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Come here, to me!" and he pointed to the bed.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading They came a little nearer.
having a point
From this reading "Come here, to me!" and he pointed to the bed.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading The workmen were silent.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading "Well, what are you all about?" he asked with a smile.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Come here, to me!" and he pointed to the bed.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They came a little nearer.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Come here, to me!" and he pointed to the bed.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They came up to the bed.
(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, what are you all about?" he asked with a smile.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The workmen were silent.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Well, what are you all about?" he asked with a smile.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Well, what are you all about?" he asked with a smile.
plural of “workman” — an employee who performs manual or industrial labor
From this reading The workmen were silent.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, what are you all about?" he asked with a smile.
Chapter 12 of Yiddish Tales by Helena [Translator] Frank holds 391 sentences, grouped into 79 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 391 sentences of Yiddish Tales, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Yiddish Tales by Helena [Translator] Frank exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 391 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Yiddish Tales by Helena [Translator] Frank on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7688 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33707 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33707, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1538 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Yiddish Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Yiddish Tales 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 Yiddish Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
