Chapter 15 of Elizabeth Ann's Houseboat is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Elizabeth Ann's Houseboat is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration. “That’s a fine costume!” said the ghost in Elizabeth Ann’s ear. “I’m glad he gets the prize. Roger Calendar is a mighty nice fellow.” But Catherine was talking in a low tone to her aunt and her face was an angry red.
Chapter 15 of Elizabeth Ann's Houseboat is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
From this reading “WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.”
a system of timekeeping that defines the beginning and length and divisions of the year
From this reading “Roger Calendar is a mighty nice fellow.””
first wife of Henry VIII; Henry VIII's divorce from her was the initial step of the Reformation in England (1485-1536)
From this reading “But Catherine was talking in a low tone to her aunt and her face was an angry red.”
the attire worn in a play or at a fancy dress ball
From this reading ““That’s a fine costume!” said the ghost in Elizabeth Ann’s ear.”
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading “WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.”
the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest
From this reading “WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.”
something given for victory or superiority in a contest or competition or for winning a lottery
From this reading ““I’m glad he gets the prize.”
plural of “witch” — a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading “WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.”
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 “But Catherine was talking in a low tone to her aunt and her face was an angry red.”
In this reading “Roger Calendar is a mighty nice fellow.””
hold a review (of troops)
In this reading “WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like 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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.
a feeling of delighted approval and liking
From this reading WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading But Catherine was talking in a low tone to her aunt and her face was an angry red.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.
feeling or showing anger
From this reading But Catherine was talking in a low tone to her aunt and her face was an angry red.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s a fine costume!” said the ghost in Elizabeth Ann’s ear.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading But Catherine was talking in a low tone to her aunt and her face was an angry red.
an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
From this reading WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.
a system of timekeeping that defines the beginning and length and divisions of the year
From this reading Roger Calendar is a mighty nice fellow.”
first wife of Henry VIII; Henry VIII's divorce from her was the initial step of the Reformation in England (1485-1536)
From this reading But Catherine was talking in a low tone to her aunt and her face was an angry red.
the attire worn in a play or at a fancy dress ball
From this reading “That’s a fine costume!” said the ghost in Elizabeth Ann’s ear.
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading “That’s a fine costume!” said the ghost in Elizabeth Ann’s ear.
daughter of George VI who became the Queen of England and Northern Ireland in 1952 on the death of her father (1926-)
From this reading “That’s a fine costume!” said the ghost in Elizabeth Ann’s ear.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading But Catherine was talking in a low tone to her aunt and her face was an angry red.
a boy or man
From this reading Roger Calendar is a mighty nice fellow.”
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading “That’s a fine costume!” said the ghost in Elizabeth Ann’s ear.
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading “I’m glad he gets the prize.
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading “That’s a fine costume!” said the ghost in Elizabeth Ann’s ear.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading “I’m glad he gets the prize.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I’m glad he gets the prize.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading But Catherine was talking in a low tone to her aunt and her face was an angry red.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’m glad he gets the prize.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “That’s a fine costume!” said the ghost in Elizabeth Ann’s ear.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Roger Calendar is a mighty nice fellow.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading But Catherine was talking in a low tone to her aunt and her face was an angry red.
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading Roger Calendar is a mighty nice fellow.”
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading Roger Calendar is a mighty nice fellow.”
the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest
From this reading WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.
above and across; more than
From this reading WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.
something given for victory or superiority in a contest or competition or for winning a lottery
From this reading “I’m glad he gets the prize.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading But Catherine was talking in a low tone to her aunt and her face was an angry red.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Roger Calendar is a mighty nice fellow.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “That’s a fine costume!” said the ghost in Elizabeth Ann’s ear.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading But Catherine was talking in a low tone to her aunt and her face was an angry red.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s a fine costume!” said the ghost in Elizabeth Ann’s ear.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But Catherine was talking in a low tone to her aunt and her face was an angry red.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading But Catherine was talking in a low tone to her aunt and her face was an angry red.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But Catherine was talking in a low tone to her aunt and her face was an angry red.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.
plural of “witch” — a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading WITCHES AND ALL A murmur went over the barn, but it wasn’t a murmur of objection; it sounded more like admiration.
Chapter 15 of Elizabeth Ann's Houseboat by Josephine Lawrence holds 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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 15 holds 99 sentences of Elizabeth Ann's Houseboat, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Elizabeth Ann's Houseboat by Josephine Lawrence exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 15 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 Elizabeth Ann's Houseboat by Josephine Lawrence on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2218 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53815 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53815, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 184 minutes of reading across 444 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Elizabeth Ann's Houseboat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Elizabeth Ann's Houseboat 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 Elizabeth Ann's Houseboat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
