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A Drake by George!
A Drake by George!

Chapter XIII

Chapter 13 of A Drake by George! is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for A Drake by George!
Context Illustration Reading 1/57 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
WASPS AND OTHER WORRIES "Have you any idea what we are doing here?"
Miss Yard inquired one morning, while Nellie was assisting her to dress.
"We came to live with your sister," replied the girl.
"I suppose there's some truth in that.
But what's the good of staying now Maria has gone to the seaside?
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Drake by George!

Chapter XIII

Chapter 13 of A Drake by George! is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/57 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
WASPS AND OTHER WORRIES "Have you any idea what we are doing here?"
/wɑːsps ənd ˈʌðər ˈwɜːriz hæv juː ˈeni aɪˈdiːə wʌt wiː ɑːr ˈduːɪŋ hiːr/
Line 2
Miss Yard inquired one morning, while Nellie was assisting her to dress.
Line 3
"We came to live with your sister," replied the girl.
/wiː keɪm tuː laɪv wɪð jɔːr ˈsɪstər rɪˈplaɪd ðə ɡɜːrl/
Line 4
"I suppose there's some truth in that.
Line 5
But what's the good of staying now Maria has gone to the seaside?

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.

assisting verb US /əˈsɪstɪŋ/

-ing form of “assist” — give help or assistance; be of service

From this reading “Miss Yard inquired one morning, while Nellie was assisting her to dress.”

inquired verb US /ˌɪnˈkwaɪərd/

past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from

From this reading “Miss Yard inquired one morning, while Nellie was assisting her to dress.”

Maria noun US /mərˈiːə/

a dark region of considerable extent on the surface of the moon

From this reading “But what's the good of staying now Maria has gone to the seaside?”

seaside noun US /ˈsiːsaɪd/

the shore of a sea or ocean regarded as a resort

From this reading “But what's the good of staying now Maria has gone to the seaside?”

staying verb US /ˈsteɪɪŋ/

-ing form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading “But what's the good of staying now Maria has gone to the seaside?”

wasps noun US /wɑːsps/

plural of “wasp” — a white person of Anglo-Saxon ancestry who belongs to a Protestant denomination

From this reading “WASPS AND OTHER WORRIES "Have you any idea what we are doing here?"”

worries noun US /ˈwɜːriz/

plural of “worry” — something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness

From this reading “WASPS AND OTHER WORRIES "Have you any idea what we are doing here?"”

Yard noun US /jɑːrd/

a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride

From this reading “Miss Yard inquired one morning, while Nellie was assisting her to dress.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

any idea adjective + noun

In this reading “WASPS AND OTHER WORRIES "Have you any idea what we are doing here?"”

live with verb + particle

tolerate or accommodate oneself to

In this reading “"We came to live with your sister," replied the girl.”

All words in this reading · 50

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.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading WASPS AND OTHER WORRIES "Have you any idea what we are doing here?"

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading WASPS AND OTHER WORRIES "Have you any idea what we are doing here?"

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading WASPS AND OTHER WORRIES "Have you any idea what we are doing here?"

assistingverbUS /əˈsɪstɪŋ/

-ing form of “assist” — give help or assistance; be of service

From this reading Miss Yard inquired one morning, while Nellie was assisting her to dress.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But what's the good of staying now Maria has gone to the seaside?

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading "We came to live with your sister," replied the girl.

doingverbUS /ˈduːɪŋ/

-ing form of “do” — engage in

From this reading WASPS AND OTHER WORRIES "Have you any idea what we are doing here?"

dressverbUS /dres/

put on clothes

From this reading Miss Yard inquired one morning, while Nellie was assisting her to dress.

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading "We came to live with your sister," replied the girl.

goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading But what's the good of staying now Maria has gone to the seaside?

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading But what's the good of staying now Maria has gone to the seaside?

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading But what's the good of staying now Maria has gone to the seaside?

Haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading WASPS AND OTHER WORRIES "Have you any idea what we are doing here?"

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Miss Yard inquired one morning, while Nellie was assisting her to dress.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading WASPS AND OTHER WORRIES "Have you any idea what we are doing here?"

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "I suppose there's some truth in that.

ideanounUS /aɪˈdiːə/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading WASPS AND OTHER WORRIES "Have you any idea what we are doing here?"

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading "I suppose there's some truth in that.

inquiredverbUS /ˌɪnˈkwaɪərd/

past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from

From this reading Miss Yard inquired one morning, while Nellie was assisting her to dress.

liveverbUS /laɪv/

be an inhabitant of or reside in

From this reading "We came to live with your sister," replied the girl.

MarianounUS /mərˈiːə/

a dark region of considerable extent on the surface of the moon

From this reading But what's the good of staying now Maria has gone to the seaside?

MissverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading Miss Yard inquired one morning, while Nellie was assisting her to dress.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading Miss Yard inquired one morning, while Nellie was assisting her to dress.

Nellie

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

From this reading Miss Yard inquired one morning, while Nellie was assisting her to dress.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading But what's the good of staying now Maria has gone to the seaside?

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading But what's the good of staying now Maria has gone to the seaside?

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Miss Yard inquired one morning, while Nellie was assisting her to dress.

OTHERadjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading WASPS AND OTHER WORRIES "Have you any idea what we are doing here?"

repliedverbUS /rɪˈplaɪd/

inflected form of “reply” — react verbally

From this reading "We came to live with your sister," replied the girl.

seasidenounUS /ˈsiːsaɪd/

the shore of a sea or ocean regarded as a resort

From this reading But what's the good of staying now Maria has gone to the seaside?

sisternounUS /ˈsɪstər/

a female person who has the same parents as another person

From this reading "We came to live with your sister," replied the girl.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading "I suppose there's some truth in that.

stayingverbUS /ˈsteɪɪŋ/

-ing form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading But what's the good of staying now Maria has gone to the seaside?

supposeverbUS /səˈpoʊz/

express a supposition

From this reading "I suppose there's some truth in that.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "I suppose there's some truth in that.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "We came to live with your sister," replied the girl.

there's

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

From this reading "I suppose there's some truth in that.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Miss Yard inquired one morning, while Nellie was assisting her to dress.

truthnounUS /truːθ/

a fact that has been verified

From this reading "I suppose there's some truth in that.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Miss Yard inquired one morning, while Nellie was assisting her to dress.

WASPSnounUS /wɑːsps/

plural of “wasp” — a white person of Anglo-Saxon ancestry who belongs to a Protestant denomination

From this reading WASPS AND OTHER WORRIES "Have you any idea what we are doing here?"

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading WASPS AND OTHER WORRIES "Have you any idea what we are doing here?"

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading WASPS AND OTHER WORRIES "Have you any idea what we are doing here?"

what's

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

From this reading But what's the good of staying now Maria has gone to the seaside?

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading Miss Yard inquired one morning, while Nellie was assisting her to dress.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading "We came to live with your sister," replied the girl.

WORRIESnounUS /ˈwɜːriz/

plural of “worry” — something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness

From this reading WASPS AND OTHER WORRIES "Have you any idea what we are doing here?"

YardnounUS /jɑːrd/

a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride

From this reading Miss Yard inquired one morning, while Nellie was assisting her to dress.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading WASPS AND OTHER WORRIES "Have you any idea what we are doing here?"

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "We came to live with your sister," replied the girl.

Chapter 13 of A Drake by George! by John Trevena holds 289 sentences, grouped into 58 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 13 of A Drake by George! contain?

Chapter 13 holds 289 sentences of A Drake by George!, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 13 of A Drake by George! by John Trevena exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 289 sentences, grouped into 58 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 13 of A Drake by George!?

Work through the 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 58 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 13 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading A Drake by George!

Common questions about reading A Drake by George! by John Trevena on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Drake by George!?

Yes. All 4746 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38521 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Drake by George! is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #38521, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Drake by George! take to read?

About 395 minutes of reading across 950 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Drake by George! section by section

How to work through A Drake by George! section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 20 chapters of A Drake by George! 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 A Drake by George!

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Drake by George!, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Drake
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Drake by George!; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
George
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Drake by George!; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Rumour
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Drake by George!; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Introducing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Drake by George!; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.