Chapter 18 of A Little Girl in Old Chicago is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of A Little Girl in Old Chicago is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DAN I was all alone that August afternoon. It was hot out on the porch and I took my sewing inside. I liked to sew when anything perplexed me. There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all. Father had gone down to the warehouse to see about loading one of the boats.
Chapter 18 of A Little Girl in Old Chicago is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading “DAN I was all alone that August afternoon.”
an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates
From this reading “There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all.”
weight to be borne or conveyed
From this reading “Father had gone down to the warehouse to see about loading one of the boats.”
full of difficulty or confusion or bewilderment
From this reading “I liked to sew when anything perplexed me.”
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading “It was hot out on the porch and I took my sewing inside.”
fasten by sewing; do needlework
From this reading “I liked to sew when anything perplexed me.”
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading “It was hot out on the porch and I took my sewing inside.”
a storehouse for goods and merchandise
From this reading “Father had gone down to the warehouse to see about loading one of the boats.”
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 “It was hot out on the porch and I took my sewing inside.”
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 There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Father had gone down to the warehouse to see about loading one of the boats.
later than; following
From this reading There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading DAN I was all alone that August afternoon.
(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 DAN I was all alone that August afternoon.
Having no one else present.
From this reading DAN I was all alone that August afternoon.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was hot out on the porch and I took my sewing inside.
any thing at all
From this reading I liked to sew when anything perplexed me.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading DAN I was all alone that August afternoon.
plural of “boat” — a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading Father had gone down to the warehouse to see about loading one of the boats.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DAN I was all alone that August afternoon.
an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates
From this reading There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Father had gone down to the warehouse to see about loading one of the boats.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Father had gone down to the warehouse to see about loading one of the boats.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Father had gone down to the warehouse to see about loading one of the boats.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Father had gone down to the warehouse to see about loading one of the boats.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading It was hot out on the porch and I took my sewing inside.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading DAN I was all alone that August afternoon.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading It was hot out on the porch and I took my sewing inside.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was hot out on the porch and I took my sewing inside.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all.
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading I liked to sew when anything perplexed me.
weight to be borne or conveyed
From this reading Father had gone down to the warehouse to see about loading one of the boats.
engage in
From this reading There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I liked to sew when anything perplexed me.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading It was hot out on the porch and I took my sewing inside.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was hot out on the porch and I took my sewing inside.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It was hot out on the porch and I took my sewing inside.
full of difficulty or confusion or bewilderment
From this reading I liked to sew when anything perplexed me.
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading It was hot out on the porch and I took my sewing inside.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Father had gone down to the warehouse to see about loading one of the boats.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all.
fasten by sewing; do needlework
From this reading I liked to sew when anything perplexed me.
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading It was hot out on the porch and I took my sewing inside.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading DAN I was all alone that August afternoon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was hot out on the porch and I took my sewing inside.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I liked to sew when anything perplexed me.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading It was hot out on the porch and I took my sewing inside.
a storehouse for goods and merchandise
From this reading Father had gone down to the warehouse to see about loading one of the boats.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading DAN I was all alone that August afternoon.
at the time that
From this reading I liked to sew when anything perplexed me.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There seems a quiet kind of diversion in the effort one has to make, which is not much of an effort, after all.
Chapter 18 of A Little Girl in Old Chicago by Amanda M. Douglas holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 18 holds 402 sentences of A Little Girl in Old Chicago, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of A Little Girl in Old Chicago by Amanda M. Douglas exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 18 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 Little Girl in Old Chicago by Amanda M. Douglas on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6157 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58410 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58410, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 513 minutes of reading across 1232 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Little Girl in Old Chicago section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of A Little Girl in Old Chicago 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 Little Girl in Old Chicago, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
