Chapter 17 of Fernley House is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Fernley House is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN THE GARDEN "But, Grace--" "But-ter, Margaret!" "My dear, please don't be absurd!" "My angel, I am not half so absurd as you are. Why, in the name of all that is incongruous, should I take this lady's money? Is thy servant a dog, that she should do this thing?"
Chapter 17 of Fernley House is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
From this reading “"My dear, please don't be absurd!"”
spiritual being attendant upon God
From this reading “"My angel, I am not half so absurd as you are.”
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading “Is thy servant a dog, that she should do this thing?"”
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading “IN THE GARDEN "But, Grace--" "But-ter, Margaret!"”
(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence
From this reading “IN THE GARDEN "But, Grace--" "But-ter, Margaret!"”
lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness
From this reading “Why, in the name of all that is incongruous, should I take this lady's money?”
possessive form of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading “Why, in the name of all that is incongruous, should I take this lady's money?”
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading “Is thy servant a dog, that she should do this thing?"”
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 Is thy servant a dog, that she should do this thing?"
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
From this reading "My dear, please don't be absurd!"
(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 Why, in the name of all that is incongruous, should I take this lady's money?
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "My angel, I am not half so absurd as you are.
spiritual being attendant upon God
From this reading "My angel, I am not half so absurd as you are.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "My angel, I am not half so absurd as you are.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "My angel, I am not half so absurd as you are.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "My dear, please don't be absurd!"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading IN THE GARDEN "But, Grace--" "But-ter, Margaret!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IN THE GARDEN "But, Grace--" "But-ter, Margaret!"
dearly loved
From this reading "My dear, please don't be absurd!"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Is thy servant a dog, that she should do this thing?"
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading Is thy servant a dog, that she should do this thing?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "My dear, please don't be absurd!"
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading IN THE GARDEN "But, Grace--" "But-ter, Margaret!"
(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence
From this reading IN THE GARDEN "But, Grace--" "But-ter, Margaret!"
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading "My angel, I am not half so absurd as you are.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "My angel, I am not half so absurd as you are.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE GARDEN "But, Grace--" "But-ter, Margaret!"
lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness
From this reading Why, in the name of all that is incongruous, should I take this lady's money?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Why, in the name of all that is incongruous, should I take this lady's money?
possessive form of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading Why, in the name of all that is incongruous, should I take this lady's money?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IN THE GARDEN "But, Grace--" "But-ter, Margaret!"
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading Why, in the name of all that is incongruous, should I take this lady's money?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My dear, please don't be absurd!"
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Why, in the name of all that is incongruous, should I take this lady's money?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "My angel, I am not half so absurd as you are.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Why, in the name of all that is incongruous, should I take this lady's money?
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading "My dear, please don't be absurd!"
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading Is thy servant a dog, that she should do this thing?"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Is thy servant a dog, that she should do this thing?"
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Why, in the name of all that is incongruous, should I take this lady's money?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "My angel, I am not half so absurd as you are.
carry out
From this reading Why, in the name of all that is incongruous, should I take this lady's money?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Why, in the name of all that is incongruous, should I take this lady's money?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE GARDEN "But, Grace--" "But-ter, Margaret!"
a special situation
From this reading Is thy servant a dog, that she should do this thing?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Why, in the name of all that is incongruous, should I take this lady's money?
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading Is thy servant a dog, that she should do this thing?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, in the name of all that is incongruous, should I take this lady's money?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "My angel, I am not half so absurd as you are.
Chapter 17 of Fernley House by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards holds 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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 17 holds 94 sentences of Fernley House, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Fernley House by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 17 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 Fernley House by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3064 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25446 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25446, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 255 minutes of reading across 613 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Fernley House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Fernley House 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 Fernley House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
