Chapter 3 of Elsie's children is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Elsie's children is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes. You must go to an oculist." "The expense would be far beyond our means." "You must let me assume that. No, don't shake your head.
Chapter 3 of Elsie's children is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading “"You must let me assume that.”
plural of “cure” — a medicine or therapy that cures disease or relieve pain
From this reading “"My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.”
caused by or altered by or manifesting disease or pathology
From this reading “"My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.”
amounts paid for goods and services that may be currently tax deductible (as opposed to capital expenditures)
From this reading “"The expense would be far beyond our means."”
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading “"My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.”
the production of eggs (especially in birds)
From this reading “"My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.”
a person skilled in testing for defects of vision in order to prescribe corrective glasses
From this reading “You must go to an oculist."”
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading “No, don't shake 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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading You must go to an oculist."
take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading "You must let me assume that.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "The expense would be far beyond our means."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading "The expense would be far beyond our means."
a young person of either sex
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
plural of “cure” — a medicine or therapy that cures disease or relieve pain
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
caused by or altered by or manifesting disease or pathology
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No, don't shake your head.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
amounts paid for goods and services that may be currently tax deductible (as opposed to capital expenditures)
From this reading "The expense would be far beyond our means."
opinion or judgment
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading "The expense would be far beyond our means."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading You must go to an oculist."
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading No, don't shake your head.
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
the production of eggs (especially in birds)
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "You must let me assume that.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You must let me assume that.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading "The expense would be far beyond our means."
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading You must go to an oculist."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
not any; not one
From this reading No, don't shake your head.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
a person skilled in testing for defects of vision in order to prescribe corrective glasses
From this reading You must go to an oculist."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "The expense would be far beyond our means."
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading No, don't shake your head.
with low volume
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "You must let me assume that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The expense would be far beyond our means."
in or at that place or location
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You must go to an oculist."
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading "My poor child, I hope not," Elsie said, laying a hand softly on hers; "there have been wonderful cures of diseased eyes.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "The expense would be far beyond our means."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You must go to an oculist."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading No, don't shake your head.
Chapter 3 of Elsie's children by Martha Finley holds 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 436 sentences of Elsie's children, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Elsie's children by Martha Finley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Elsie's children by Martha Finley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3504 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14875 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14875, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 292 minutes of reading across 701 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Elsie's children section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Elsie's children 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's children, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
