Chapter 7 of Elsie's children is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Elsie's children is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Pretty girls, both of them. Won't you introduce me?" "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?" "Don't I look like it?" laughed the captain. "Would you take me for a rogue?"
Chapter 7 of Elsie's children is here in full — 438 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.
personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading “"Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"”
marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws
From this reading “"Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"”
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading “"Pretty girls, both of them.”
cause to come to know personally
From this reading “Won't you introduce me?"”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading “"Don't I look like it?" laughed the captain.”
absolutely essential
From this reading “"Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"”
a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
From this reading “"Would you take me for a rogue?"”
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading “"Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"”
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 "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
the two together, not just one
From this reading "Pretty girls, both of them.
a youthful male person
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading "Don't I look like it?" laughed the captain.
marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't I look like it?" laughed the captain.
in a doubtful manner
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Would you take me for a rogue?"
a man of refinement
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading "Pretty girls, both of them.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
cause to come to know personally
From this reading Won't you introduce me?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Don't I look like it?" laughed the captain.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading "Don't I look like it?" laughed the captain.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Don't I look like it?" laughed the captain.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Don't I look like it?" laughed the captain.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Won't you introduce me?"
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
absolutely essential
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Pretty girls, both of them.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading "Pretty girls, both of them.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
From this reading "Would you take me for a rogue?"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
express a supposition
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
carry out
From this reading "Would you take me for a rogue?"
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Pretty girls, both of them.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Won't you introduce me?"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Would you take me for a rogue?"
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Won't you introduce me?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, I suppose so," returned the boy a little doubtfully, and taking a more critical survey of his new acquaintance than he had thought necessary before; "you--you're a gentleman and a good man, aren't you?"
Chapter 7 of Elsie's children by Martha Finley holds 438 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 7 holds 438 sentences of Elsie's children, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Elsie's children by Martha Finley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 438 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 7 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.
