Chapter 3 of Bessie and Her Friends is here in full — 460 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Bessie and Her Friends is here in full — 460 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"And shall you call the book 'The Happy Family'?" asked Bessie. "No; I think we will call it 'The Complete Family,'" said Maggie. "That sounds nicer and more booky; don't you think so?" "Yes," said Bessie, looking at her sister with great admiration. "And when are you going to begin it?"
Chapter 3 of Bessie and Her Friends is here in full — 460 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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 feeling of delighted approval and liking
From this reading “"Yes," said Bessie, looking at her sister with great admiration.”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “"And when are you going to begin it?"”
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading “"And shall you call the book 'The Happy Family'?" asked Bessie.”
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading “"No; I think we will call it 'The Complete Family,'" said Maggie.”
a social unit living together
From this reading “"And shall you call the book 'The Happy Family'?" asked Bessie.”
comparative of “nice” — pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “"That sounds nicer and more booky; don't you think so?"”
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading “"Yes," said Bessie, looking at her sister with great admiration.”
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading “"That sounds nicer and more booky; don't you think so?"”
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 “"Yes," said Bessie, looking at her sister with great admiration.”
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.
a feeling of delighted approval and liking
From this reading "Yes," said Bessie, looking at her sister with great admiration.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And shall you call the book 'The Happy Family'?" asked Bessie.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "And when are you going to begin it?"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "And shall you call the book 'The Happy Family'?" asked Bessie.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Yes," said Bessie, looking at her sister with great admiration.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "And when are you going to begin it?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And shall you call the book 'The Happy Family'?" asked Bessie.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading "And shall you call the book 'The Happy Family'?" asked Bessie.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That sounds nicer and more booky; don't you think so?"
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "And shall you call the book 'The Happy Family'?" asked Bessie.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading "No; I think we will call it 'The Complete Family,'" said Maggie.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That sounds nicer and more booky; don't you think so?"
a social unit living together
From this reading "And shall you call the book 'The Happy Family'?" asked Bessie.
the act of departing
From this reading "And when are you going to begin it?"
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading "Yes," said Bessie, looking at her sister with great admiration.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading "And shall you call the book 'The Happy Family'?" asked Bessie.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Yes," said Bessie, looking at her sister with great admiration.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "No; I think we will call it 'The Complete Family,'" said Maggie.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "No; I think we will call it 'The Complete Family,'" said Maggie.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "Yes," said Bessie, looking at her sister with great admiration.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No; I think we will call it 'The Complete Family,'" said Maggie.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "That sounds nicer and more booky; don't you think so?"
comparative of “nice” — pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading "That sounds nicer and more booky; don't you think so?"
not any; not one
From this reading "No; I think we will call it 'The Complete Family,'" said Maggie.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "No; I think we will call it 'The Complete Family,'" said Maggie.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "And shall you call the book 'The Happy Family'?" asked Bessie.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading "Yes," said Bessie, looking at her sister with great admiration.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "That sounds nicer and more booky; don't you think so?"
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading "That sounds nicer and more booky; don't you think so?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That sounds nicer and more booky; don't you think so?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "And shall you call the book 'The Happy Family'?" asked Bessie.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "No; I think we will call it 'The Complete Family,'" said Maggie.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "And when are you going to begin it?"
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "No; I think we will call it 'The Complete Family,'" said Maggie.
at the time that
From this reading "And when are you going to begin it?"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "No; I think we will call it 'The Complete Family,'" said Maggie.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Yes," said Bessie, looking at her sister with great admiration.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," said Bessie, looking at her sister with great admiration.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "And shall you call the book 'The Happy Family'?" asked Bessie.
Chapter 3 of Bessie and Her Friends by Joanna H. (Joanna Hooe) Mathews holds 460 sentences, grouped into 92 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 460 sentences of Bessie and Her Friends, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Bessie and Her Friends by Joanna H. (Joanna Hooe) Mathews exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 460 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 Bessie and Her Friends by Joanna H. (Joanna Hooe) Mathews on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2729 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46762 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46762, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 227 minutes of reading across 546 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bessie and Her Friends section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Bessie and Her Friends 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 Bessie and Her Friends, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
