Chapter 3 of Helen of the Old House is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Helen of the Old House is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?" The deep voice of the Interpreter answered, "Helen! Here I am, child--on the porch. Come!" As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.
Chapter 3 of Helen of the Old House is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading “THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"”
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading “THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"”
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading “As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.”
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading “The deep voice of the Interpreter answered, "Helen!”
temporary military shelter
From this reading “THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"”
someone who mediates between speakers of different languages
From this reading “THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"”
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading “Here I am, child--on the porch.”
in a swift manner
From this reading “As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.”
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 she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Here I am, child--on the porch.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading The deep voice of the Interpreter answered, "Helen!
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"
showing who or what does the action
From this reading THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"
a young person of either sex
From this reading Here I am, child--on the porch.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Come!"
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading The deep voice of the Interpreter answered, "Helen!
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading The deep voice of the Interpreter answered, "Helen!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here I am, child--on the porch.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.
temporary military shelter
From this reading THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Here I am, child--on the porch.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.
someone who mediates between speakers of different languages
From this reading THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Here I am, child--on the porch.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading Here I am, child--on the porch.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.
in a swift manner
From this reading As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"
in or at that place or location
From this reading THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading As she passed swiftly through the house and appeared in the porch doorway, he added, "This is a happy surprise, indeed.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The deep voice of the Interpreter answered, "Helen!
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading THE INTERPRETER The young woman announced her presence at the open door of the hut by calling, "Are you there?"
Chapter 3 of Helen of the Old House by Harold Bell Wright holds 212 sentences, grouped into 43 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 212 sentences of Helen of the Old House, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Helen of the Old House by Harold Bell Wright exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 212 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 Helen of the Old House by Harold Bell Wright on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5285 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9410 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9410, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 440 minutes of reading across 1057 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Helen of the Old House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Helen of the Old 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 Helen of the Old House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
