Chapter 18 of Elsie and Her Namesakes is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of Elsie and Her Namesakes is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace. Young Elsie presently drew near and asked what they were making. "Guess," laughed her mother. "What does it look like?" "As if it might be going to be a baby afghan," ventured the little girl.
Chapter 18 of Elsie and Her Namesakes is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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 blanket knitted or crocheted in strips or squares; sometimes used as a shawl
From this reading “"As if it might be going to be a baby afghan," ventured the little girl.”
plural of “bow” — a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading “Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.”
spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading “Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.”
any long object resembling a thin line
From this reading “Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.”
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading “Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.”
the act of adding decoration
From this reading “Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.”
any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading “Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.”
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 “Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.”
In this reading “Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.”
a youthful female person
In this reading “"As if it might be going to be a baby afghan," ventured the little girl.”
In this reading “Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.”
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 "As if it might be going to be a baby afghan," ventured the little girl.
a blanket knitted or crocheted in strips or squares; sometimes used as a shawl
From this reading "As if it might be going to be a baby afghan," ventured the little girl.
(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 Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "As if it might be going to be a baby afghan," ventured the little girl.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Young Elsie presently drew near and asked what they were making.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading "As if it might be going to be a baby afghan," ventured the little girl.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "As if it might be going to be a baby afghan," ventured the little girl.
plural of “bow” — a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What does it look like?"
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Young Elsie presently drew near and asked what they were making.
the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
a young female
From this reading "As if it might be going to be a baby afghan," ventured the little girl.
the act of departing
From this reading "As if it might be going to be a baby afghan," ventured the little girl.
(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "Guess," laughed her mother.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Guess," laughed her mother.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "As if it might be going to be a baby afghan," ventured the little girl.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading "Guess," laughed her mother.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "What does it look like?"
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "As if it might be going to be a baby afghan," ventured the little girl.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "What does it look like?"
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading Young Elsie presently drew near and asked what they were making.
concerned with worldly rather than spiritual interests
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "As if it might be going to be a baby afghan," ventured the little girl.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "Guess," laughed her mother.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Young Elsie presently drew near and asked what they were making.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
a light shade of red
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
in the near future
From this reading Young Elsie presently drew near and asked what they were making.
any long object resembling a thin line
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
Identical; not different.
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Young Elsie presently drew near and asked what they were making.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "As if it might be going to be a baby afghan," ventured the little girl.
the act of adding decoration
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading "As if it might be going to be a baby afghan," ventured the little girl.
any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Young Elsie presently drew near and asked what they were making.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Grandma Elsie, Violet and Grace were all sewing on some delicate pink silk material, trimming it with bows of ribbon of the same color and duchess lace.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Young Elsie presently drew near and asked what they were making.
Chapter 18 of Elsie and Her Namesakes by Martha Finley holds 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 18 holds 132 sentences of Elsie and Her Namesakes, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Elsie and Her Namesakes by Martha Finley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 18 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 Elsie and Her Namesakes by Martha Finley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2253 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45804 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45804, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 187 minutes of reading across 451 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Elsie and Her Namesakes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Elsie and Her Namesakes 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 Elsie and Her Namesakes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
