Chapter 13 of A Bevy of Girls is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of A Bevy of Girls is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"And my mother is the strongest," retorted Flossie. "Oh, there, don't let us quarrel," said Nesta. "If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world. To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever. It does seem odd, doesn't it?"
Chapter 13 of A Bevy of Girls is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
a soft loosely twisted thread used in embroidery
From this reading “"If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world.”
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading “"If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world.”
not divisible by two
From this reading “It does seem odd, doesn't it?"”
an angry dispute
From this reading “"Oh, there, don't let us quarrel," said Nesta.”
past form of “retort” — answer back
From this reading “"And my mother is the strongest," retorted Flossie.”
superlative of “strong” — having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading “"And my mother is the strongest," retorted Flossie.”
thrown into a state of intense fear or desperation
From this reading “To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.”
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading “To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.”
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 “"If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world.”
In this reading “To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.”
In this reading “It does seem odd, doesn't it?"”
In this reading “"If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world.”
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 To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And my mother is the strongest," retorted Flossie.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It does seem odd, doesn't it?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It does seem odd, doesn't it?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, there, don't let us quarrel," said Nesta.
a soft loosely twisted thread used in embroidery
From this reading "If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And my mother is the strongest," retorted Flossie.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading "If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world.
a young female
From this reading "If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "And my mother is the strongest," retorted Flossie.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It does seem odd, doesn't it?"
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Oh, there, don't let us quarrel," said Nesta.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading "If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world.
used to form the superlative
From this reading "If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "And my mother is the strongest," retorted Flossie.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "And my mother is the strongest," retorted Flossie.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, there, don't let us quarrel," said Nesta.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world.
not divisible by two
From this reading It does seem odd, doesn't it?"
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, there, don't let us quarrel," said Nesta.
an angry dispute
From this reading "Oh, there, don't let us quarrel," said Nesta.
on the contrary
From this reading To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.
past form of “retort” — answer back
From this reading "And my mother is the strongest," retorted Flossie.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Oh, there, don't let us quarrel," said Nesta.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It does seem odd, doesn't it?"
superlative of “strong” — having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading "And my mother is the strongest," retorted Flossie.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.
express in words
From this reading To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.
thrown into a state of intense fear or desperation
From this reading To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "And my mother is the strongest," retorted Flossie.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Oh, there, don't let us quarrel," said Nesta.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Oh, there, don't let us quarrel," said Nesta.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading To tell the truth, I'm rather terrified at the way they're taking things at home--not a word-- not a line, nothing whatever.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "If I hadn't you for my friend now, Floss, I'd be the most miserable girl in the world.
Chapter 13 of A Bevy of Girls by L. T. Meade holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 13 holds 406 sentences of A Bevy of Girls, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of A Bevy of Girls by L. T. Meade exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 13 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 A Bevy of Girls by L. T. Meade on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6042 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43118 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43118, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 503 minutes of reading across 1209 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Bevy of Girls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of A Bevy of Girls 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 A Bevy of Girls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
