Chapter 2 of Cobwebs to catch flies is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Cobwebs to catch flies is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_First Girl._ What gown does she put on? _Second Girl._ Her white one. I will take it out, whilst you lace her stays. _First Girl._ What is her best cloak? _Second Girl._ White; with a neat blond-lace round it.
Chapter 2 of Cobwebs to catch flies is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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 supreme effort one can make
From this reading “_First Girl._ What is her best cloak?”
anything that covers or conceals
From this reading “_First Girl._ What is her best cloak?”
a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions
From this reading “_First Girl._ What gown does she put on?”
spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading “I will take it out, whilst you lace her stays.”
clean or organized
From this reading “_Second Girl._ White; with a neat blond-lace round it.”
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
a woman's close-fitting foundation garment
From this reading “I will take it out, whilst you lace her stays.”
an old and formal word for “while”
From this reading “I will take it out, whilst you lace her stays.”
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.
put clothing on one's body
In this reading “_First Girl._ What gown does she put on?”
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 _Second Girl._ White; with a neat blond-lace round it.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading _First Girl._ What is her best cloak?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Second Girl._ White; with a neat blond-lace round it.
anything that covers or conceals
From this reading _First Girl._ What is her best cloak?
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _First Girl._ What gown does she put on?
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading _First Girl._ What gown does she put on?
a young female
From this reading _First Girl._ What gown does she put on?
a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions
From this reading _First Girl._ What gown does she put on?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading _Second Girl._ Her white one.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I will take it out, whilst you lace her stays.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _First Girl._ What is her best cloak?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I will take it out, whilst you lace her stays.
spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading I will take it out, whilst you lace her stays.
clean or organized
From this reading _Second Girl._ White; with a neat blond-lace round it.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading _First Girl._ What gown does she put on?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading _Second Girl._ Her white one.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I will take it out, whilst you lace her stays.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading _First Girl._ What gown does she put on?
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading _Second Girl._ White; with a neat blond-lace round it.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading _Second Girl._ Her white one.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _First Girl._ What gown does she put on?
a woman's close-fitting foundation garment
From this reading I will take it out, whilst you lace her stays.
carry out
From this reading I will take it out, whilst you lace her stays.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading _First Girl._ What gown does she put on?
an old and formal word for “while”
From this reading I will take it out, whilst you lace her stays.
a Caucasian
From this reading _Second Girl._ Her white one.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I will take it out, whilst you lace her stays.
in the company of; together with
From this reading _Second Girl._ White; with a neat blond-lace round it.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I will take it out, whilst you lace her stays.
Chapter 2 of Cobwebs to catch flies by Mrs. Lovechild holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 2 holds 413 sentences of Cobwebs to catch flies, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Cobwebs to catch flies by Mrs. Lovechild exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 2 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 Cobwebs to catch flies by Mrs. Lovechild on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 815 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71792 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #71792, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 67 minutes of reading across 163 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cobwebs to catch flies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Cobwebs to catch flies 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 Cobwebs to catch flies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
