Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Cover of Elsie Venner
Project Gutenberg Library B1C1

Elsie Venner

Elsie Venner by Oliver Wendell Holmes is available here as the complete public-domain text, split into 1128 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.

Elsie Venner by Oliver Wendell Holmes. Complete public-domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #2696.

32 chaptersComplete chronicle
Five linesIn each reading
US EnglishNarration and vocabulary

Academic course · 32 chapters

Course Syllabus

This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.

Elsie Venner

Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.

0 of 1113 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.

  1. Chapter I Chapter 1 9 readings five lines each Open chapter
  2. Chapter II Chapter 2 27 readings five lines each Open chapter
  3. Chapter III Chapter 3 44 readings five lines each Open chapter
  4. Chapter IV Chapter 4 19 readings five lines each Open chapter
  5. Chapter V Chapter 5 24 readings five lines each Open chapter
  6. Chapter VI Chapter 6 31 readings five lines each Open chapter
  7. Chapter VII Chapter 7 94 readings five lines each Open chapter
  8. Chapter VIII Chapter 8 45 readings five lines each Open chapter
  9. Chapter IX Chapter 9 11 readings five lines each Open chapter
  10. Chapter X Chapter 10 19 readings five lines each Open chapter
  11. Chapter XI Chapter 11 28 readings five lines each Open chapter
  12. Chapter XII Chapter 12 25 readings five lines each Open chapter
  13. Chapter XIII Chapter 13 37 readings five lines each Open chapter
  14. Chapter XIV Chapter 14 27 readings five lines each Open chapter
  15. Chapter XV Chapter 15 37 readings five lines each Open chapter
  16. Chapter XVI Chapter 16 30 readings five lines each Open chapter
  17. Chapter XVII Chapter 17 36 readings five lines each Open chapter
  18. Chapter XVIII Chapter 18 22 readings five lines each Open chapter
  19. Chapter XIX Chapter 19 29 readings five lines each Open chapter
  20. Chapter XX Chapter 20 25 readings five lines each Open chapter
  21. Chapter XXI Chapter 21 53 readings five lines each Open chapter
  22. Chapter XXII Chapter 22 40 readings five lines each Open chapter
  23. Chapter XXIII Chapter 23 31 readings five lines each Open chapter
  24. Chapter XXIV Chapter 24 36 readings five lines each Open chapter
  25. Chapter XXV Chapter 25 74 readings five lines each Open chapter
  26. Chapter XXVI Chapter 26 46 readings five lines each Open chapter
  27. Chapter XXVII Chapter 27 27 readings five lines each Open chapter
  28. Chapter XXVIII Chapter 28 67 readings five lines each Open chapter
  29. Chapter XXIX Chapter 29 24 readings five lines each Open chapter
  30. Chapter XXX Chapter 30 37 readings five lines each Open chapter
  31. Chapter XXXI Chapter 31 42 readings five lines each Open chapter
  32. Chapter XXXII Chapter 32 17 readings five lines each Open chapter

This edition of Elsie Venner by Oliver Wendell Holmes carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #2696, divided into 32 chapters and 1128 reading sections of 5 sentences each. Every sentence of the source is kept, and each chapter records which sentences cover which part of the story. Any word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry, and each section carries a contextual illustration generated from the passage itself.

Where can I read Elsie Venner in full?

The complete text of Elsie Venner is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #2696 and divided into 1128 sections.

This page carries the whole of Elsie Venner by Oliver Wendell Holmes, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #2696, a public-domain edition, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 5637 sentences across 32 chapters. Each chapter stores a record of which sentences cover which part of the work, so nothing is quietly dropped between the source edition and the page you read.

How is Elsie Venner divided for reading?

Elsie Venner is presented in 32 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.

Rather than presenting Elsie Venner as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 1128 sections of 5 sentences each. A section is short enough to hold in mind at once, which suits a reader working in a second language or returning to a long work in short sittings. The 32 chapters follow the divisions of the source edition, and each section carries a contextual illustration drawn from the passage it accompanies rather than a stock image.

Can I hear Elsie Venner read aloud?

Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of Elsie Venner can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.

Every sentence of Elsie Venner can be played aloud, and so can any single word within it. Tapping a word plays it on its own and opens its dictionary entry, with the pronunciation shown in IPA alongside the part of speech and meaning. The reading voice uses United States English. This matters most for a work of this period, where a reader meets vocabulary and turns of phrase that are no longer in daily use and cannot be guessed reliably from spelling alone.

Questions about reading Elsie Venner

Common questions about reading Elsie Venner by Oliver Wendell Holmes on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Elsie Venner?

Yes. All 5637 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2696 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Elsie Venner is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2696, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Elsie Venner take to read?

About 469 minutes of reading across 1128 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Elsie Venner section by section

How to work through Elsie Venner section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 32 chapters of Elsie Venner to begin.

  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 Elsie Venner

Words and structures a reader meets early in Elsie Venner, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Nothing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Elsie Venner; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
England
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Elsie Venner; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Corresponding
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Elsie Venner; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Feudal
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Elsie Venner; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.