Chapter 17 of An Alabaster Box is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of An Alabaster Box is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Ellen did not at once return home. She walked on reflecting. So the old man was Lydia Orr’s father! And she was the first to know it! The girl had never spoken of her father, Ellen was sure.
Chapter 17 of An Alabaster Box is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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 young female
From this reading “The girl had never spoken of her father, Ellen was sure.”
where you live at a particular time
From this reading “Ellen did not at once return home.”
an ancient region on the coast of western Asia Minor; a powerful kingdom until conquered by the Persians in 546 BC
From this reading “So the old man was Lydia Orr’s father!”
causing reflection or having a device that reflects
From this reading “She walked on reflecting.”
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “Ellen did not at once return home.”
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “The girl had never spoken of her father, Ellen was sure.”
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “The girl had never spoken of her father, Ellen was sure.”
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading “She walked on reflecting.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And she was the first to know it!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Ellen did not at once return home.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Ellen did not at once return home.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ellen did not at once return home.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading So the old man was Lydia Orr’s father!
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading And she was the first to know it!
a young female
From this reading The girl had never spoken of her father, Ellen was sure.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The girl had never spoken of her father, Ellen was sure.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The girl had never spoken of her father, Ellen was sure.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Ellen did not at once return home.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And she was the first to know it!
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading And she was the first to know it!
an ancient region on the coast of western Asia Minor; a powerful kingdom until conquered by the Persians in 546 BC
From this reading So the old man was Lydia Orr’s father!
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading So the old man was Lydia Orr’s father!
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading The girl had never spoken of her father, Ellen was sure.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Ellen did not at once return home.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The girl had never spoken of her father, Ellen was sure.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading So the old man was Lydia Orr’s father!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She walked on reflecting.
on one occasion
From this reading Ellen did not at once return home.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So the old man was Lydia Orr’s father!
causing reflection or having a device that reflects
From this reading She walked on reflecting.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Ellen did not at once return home.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She walked on reflecting.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So the old man was Lydia Orr’s father!
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading The girl had never spoken of her father, Ellen was sure.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading The girl had never spoken of her father, Ellen was sure.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading So the old man was Lydia Orr’s father!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And she was the first to know it!
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading She walked on reflecting.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading So the old man was Lydia Orr’s father!
Chapter 17 of An Alabaster Box by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman holds 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 17 holds 147 sentences of An Alabaster Box, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of An Alabaster Box by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 17 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 An Alabaster Box by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5058 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18140 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18140, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 421 minutes of reading across 1012 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through An Alabaster Box section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of An Alabaster Box 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 An Alabaster Box, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
