Chapter 3 of Indian Summer is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Indian Summer is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"He must have been twenty-three or four, and she was twenty." "My age! Do you call that being a girl?" "She was old enough to know what she was about," said Mrs. Bowen justly. Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
Chapter 3 of Indian Summer is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading “Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.”
with honesty
From this reading “"She was old enough to know what she was about," said Mrs. Bowen justly.”
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading “Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.”
property that is leased or rented out or let
From this reading “Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.”
the leaf of a conifer
From this reading “Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.”
to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course
From this reading “Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading “"He must have been twenty-three or four, and she was twenty."”
the cardinal number that is the sum of twenty-two and one
From this reading “"He must have been twenty-three or four, and she was twenty."”
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 Do you call that being a girl?"
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "She was old enough to know what she was about," said Mrs. Bowen justly.
how long something has existed
From this reading "My age!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "He must have been twenty-three or four, and she was twenty."
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "He must have been twenty-three or four, and she was twenty."
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Do you call that being a girl?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She was old enough to know what she was about," said Mrs. Bowen justly.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Do you call that being a girl?"
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do you call that being a girl?"
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading "She was old enough to know what she was about," said Mrs. Bowen justly.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading "He must have been twenty-three or four, and she was twenty."
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
a young female
From this reading Do you call that being a girl?"
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "He must have been twenty-three or four, and she was twenty."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He must have been twenty-three or four, and she was twenty."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
with honesty
From this reading "She was old enough to know what she was about," said Mrs. Bowen justly.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "She was old enough to know what she was about," said Mrs. Bowen justly.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
property that is leased or rented out or let
From this reading Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "She was old enough to know what she was about," said Mrs. Bowen justly.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "He must have been twenty-three or four, and she was twenty."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My age!
the leaf of a conifer
From this reading Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "She was old enough to know what she was about," said Mrs. Bowen justly.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "He must have been twenty-three or four, and she was twenty."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "She was old enough to know what she was about," said Mrs. Bowen justly.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He must have been twenty-three or four, and she was twenty."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Do you call that being a girl?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course
From this reading Imogene fell back in her chair, drawing out her needle the full length of its thread, and then letting her hand fall.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "She was old enough to know what she was about," said Mrs. Bowen justly.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading "He must have been twenty-three or four, and she was twenty."
the cardinal number that is the sum of twenty-two and one
From this reading "He must have been twenty-three or four, and she was twenty."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "He must have been twenty-three or four, and she was twenty."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "She was old enough to know what she was about," said Mrs. Bowen justly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Do you call that being a girl?"
Chapter 3 of Indian Summer by William Dean Howells holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 400 sentences of Indian Summer, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Indian Summer by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Indian Summer by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6078 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7359 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7359, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 506 minutes of reading across 1216 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Indian Summer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Indian Summer 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 Indian Summer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
