Chapter 3 of Coquette is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Coquette is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...." "Oh, _mother_," cried Sally, beside herself. "Do shut up about your head. It gives me the hump." Then, as she became aware of what she had said, she defensively proceeded.
Chapter 3 of Coquette is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading “Then, as she became aware of what she had said, she defensively proceeded.”
in an apologetic and defensive manner
From this reading “Then, as she became aware of what she had said, she defensively proceeded.”
a slick spokesperson who can turn any criticism to the advantage of their employer
From this reading “"... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."”
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading “It gives me the hump."”
round one's back by bending forward and drawing the shoulders forward
From this reading “It gives me the hump."”
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading “Then, as she became aware of what she had said, she defensively proceeded.”
witty remark
From this reading “"Oh, _mother_," cried Sally, beside herself.”
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading “"Do shut up about your head.”
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 “Then, as she became aware of what she had said, she defensively proceeded.”
refuse to talk or stop talking; fall silent
In this reading “"Do shut up about your head.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Do shut up about your head.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Then, as she became aware of what she had said, she defensively proceeded.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading Then, as she became aware of what she had said, she defensively proceeded.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Then, as she became aware of what she had said, she defensively proceeded.
next to; at the side of
From this reading "Oh, _mother_," cried Sally, beside herself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Oh, _mother_," cried Sally, beside herself.
in an apologetic and defensive manner
From this reading Then, as she became aware of what she had said, she defensively proceeded.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do shut up about your head.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
at any time
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
a slick spokesperson who can turn any criticism to the advantage of their employer
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading It gives me the hump."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading "Oh, _mother_," cried Sally, beside herself.
round one's back by bending forward and drawing the shoulders forward
From this reading It gives me the hump."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "Oh, _mother_," cried Sally, beside herself.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
not any; not one
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then, as she became aware of what she had said, she defensively proceeded.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, _mother_," cried Sally, beside herself.
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading Then, as she became aware of what she had said, she defensively proceeded.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
witty remark
From this reading "Oh, _mother_," cried Sally, beside herself.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then, as she became aware of what she had said, she defensively proceeded.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading "Do shut up about your head.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, as she became aware of what she had said, she defensively proceeded.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
make an effort or attempt
From this reading "... so I asked Mr. Flack if they'd ever kep' it, and he said no, they never had, and told me to try at Boots's, down by the Nag's Head...."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Do shut up about your head.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Then, as she became aware of what she had said, she defensively proceeded.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do shut up about your head.
Chapter 3 of Coquette by Frank Swinnerton holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 430 sentences of Coquette, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Coquette by Frank Swinnerton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Coquette by Frank Swinnerton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7924 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31005 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31005, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1585 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Coquette section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Coquette 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 Coquette, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
