Chapter 3 of Apron-Strings is here in full — 297 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Apron-Strings is here in full — 297 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Dear Miss Crosby, I'm so glad to see you again!" Mrs. Milo came hurrying across the drawing-room to greet the soloist. Miss Crosby shook hands heartily. She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats. Her wide hat was tipped to a rakish angle.
Chapter 3 of Apron-Strings is here in full — 297 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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.
United States singer and film actor (1903-1977)
From this reading “"Dear Miss Crosby, I'm so glad to see you again!"”
small drought-resistant sorghums having large yellow or whitish grains
From this reading “Mrs. Milo came hurrying across the drawing-room to greet the soloist.”
marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
From this reading “Her wide hat was tipped to a rakish angle.”
in a clever manner
From this reading “She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.”
a musician who performs a solo
From this reading “Mrs. Milo came hurrying across the drawing-room to greet the soloist.”
plural of “spat” — a quarrel about petty points
From this reading “She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.”
having a tip; or having a tip as specified (used in combination)
From this reading “Her wide hat was tipped to a rakish angle.”
a usually cotton fabric with a short pile imitating velvet
From this reading “She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.”
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 She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Mrs. Milo came hurrying across the drawing-room to greet the soloist.
anew
From this reading "Dear Miss Crosby, I'm so glad to see you again!"
the space between two lines or planes that intersect; the inclination of one line to another; measured in degrees or radians
From this reading Her wide hat was tipped to a rakish angle.
only a very short time before
From this reading She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Mrs. Milo came hurrying across the drawing-room to greet the soloist.
United States singer and film actor (1903-1977)
From this reading "Dear Miss Crosby, I'm so glad to see you again!"
dearly loved
From this reading "Dear Miss Crosby, I'm so glad to see you again!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Milo came hurrying across the drawing-room to greet the soloist.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.
very recently
From this reading She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading "Dear Miss Crosby, I'm so glad to see you again!"
express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading Mrs. Milo came hurrying across the drawing-room to greet the soloist.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Miss Crosby shook hands heartily.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading Her wide hat was tipped to a rakish angle.
with gusto and without reservation
From this reading Miss Crosby shook hands heartily.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.
moving with great haste
From this reading Mrs. Milo came hurrying across the drawing-room to greet the soloist.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Dear Miss Crosby, I'm so glad to see you again!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.
small drought-resistant sorghums having large yellow or whitish grains
From this reading Mrs. Milo came hurrying across the drawing-room to greet the soloist.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Dear Miss Crosby, I'm so glad to see you again!"
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Milo came hurrying across the drawing-room to greet the soloist.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.
marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
From this reading Her wide hat was tipped to a rakish angle.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Dear Miss Crosby, I'm so glad to see you again!"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Miss Crosby shook hands heartily.
cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist
From this reading She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.
in a clever manner
From this reading She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Dear Miss Crosby, I'm so glad to see you again!"
a musician who performs a solo
From this reading Mrs. Milo came hurrying across the drawing-room to greet the soloist.
plural of “spat” — a quarrel about petty points
From this reading She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mrs. Milo came hurrying across the drawing-room to greet the soloist.
having a tip; or having a tip as specified (used in combination)
From this reading Her wide hat was tipped to a rakish angle.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Dear Miss Crosby, I'm so glad to see you again!"
of the highest quality
From this reading She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.
a usually cotton fabric with a short pile imitating velvet
From this reading She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.
(of hair) having lost its color
From this reading She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Her wide hat was tipped to a rakish angle.
a red as dark as red wine
From this reading She was smartly dressed in a wine-colored velveteen, the over-short skirt of which barely reached to the tops of her freshly whitened spats.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Dear Miss Crosby, I'm so glad to see you again!"
Chapter 3 of Apron-Strings by Eleanor Gates holds 297 sentences, grouped into 60 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 3 holds 297 sentences of Apron-Strings, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Apron-Strings by Eleanor Gates exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 297 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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 3 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 Apron-Strings by Eleanor Gates on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5745 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22804 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22804, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 478 minutes of reading across 1149 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Apron-Strings section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Apron-Strings 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 Apron-Strings, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
