Chapter 17 of Lancaster's Choice is here in full — 55 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Lancaster's Choice is here in full — 55 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But," said Mrs. West, in perplexity, "the letter said a little girl." "Yes, I know," said Leonora. "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same. And he forgot that you could not possibly know how old I was. I'm sorry you are disappointed, Aunt West, but I am eighteen years old.
Chapter 17 of Lancaster's Choice is here in full — 55 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/11 · 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.
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading “I'm sorry you are disappointed, Aunt West, but I am eighteen years old.”
being one more than seventeen
From this reading “I'm sorry you are disappointed, Aunt West, but I am eighteen years old.”
inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading “And he forgot that you could not possibly know how old I was.”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “"Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.”
trouble or confusion resulting from complexity
From this reading “"But," said Mrs. West, in perplexity, "the letter said a little girl."”
by chance
From this reading “And he forgot that you could not possibly know how old I was.”
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading “I'm sorry you are disappointed, Aunt West, but I am eighteen years old.”
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading “"But," said Mrs. West, in perplexity, "the letter said a little girl."”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “I'm sorry you are disappointed, Aunt West, but I am eighteen years old.”
a woman who is old
In this reading “"Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.”
a youthful female person
In this reading “"But," said Mrs. West, in perplexity, "the letter said a little girl."”
In this reading “"Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.”
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 "But," said Mrs. West, in perplexity, "the letter said a little girl."
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I'm sorry you are disappointed, Aunt West, but I am eighteen years old.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I'm sorry you are disappointed, Aunt West, but I am eighteen years old.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading I'm sorry you are disappointed, Aunt West, but I am eighteen years old.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But," said Mrs. West, in perplexity, "the letter said a little girl."
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading And he forgot that you could not possibly know how old I was.
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading I'm sorry you are disappointed, Aunt West, but I am eighteen years old.
being one more than seventeen
From this reading I'm sorry you are disappointed, Aunt West, but I am eighteen years old.
inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading And he forgot that you could not possibly know how old I was.
a young female
From this reading "But," said Mrs. West, in perplexity, "the letter said a little girl."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And he forgot that you could not possibly know how old I was.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Yes, I know," said Leonora.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm sorry you are disappointed, Aunt West, but I am eighteen years old.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "But," said Mrs. West, in perplexity, "the letter said a little girl."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Yes, I know," said Leonora.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, I know," said Leonora.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading "But," said Mrs. West, in perplexity, "the letter said a little girl."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "But," said Mrs. West, in perplexity, "the letter said a little girl."
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "But," said Mrs. West, in perplexity, "the letter said a little girl."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading And he forgot that you could not possibly know how old I was.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
trouble or confusion resulting from complexity
From this reading "But," said Mrs. West, in perplexity, "the letter said a little girl."
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
by chance
From this reading And he forgot that you could not possibly know how old I was.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "But," said Mrs. West, in perplexity, "the letter said a little girl."
Identical; not different.
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading I'm sorry you are disappointed, Aunt West, but I am eighteen years old.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And he forgot that you could not possibly know how old I was.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "But," said Mrs. West, in perplexity, "the letter said a little girl."
up to a particular time
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading "But," said Mrs. West, in perplexity, "the letter said a little girl."
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Poor papa always called me his little girl, and if he had lived until I was an old woman it would have been the same.
a late time of life
From this reading I'm sorry you are disappointed, Aunt West, but I am eighteen years old.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, I know," said Leonora.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And he forgot that you could not possibly know how old I was.
Chapter 17 of Lancaster's Choice by Alex. McVeigh, Mrs. Miller holds 55 sentences, grouped into 11 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 55 sentences of Lancaster's Choice, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Lancaster's Choice by Alex. McVeigh, Mrs. Miller exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 55 sentences, grouped into 11 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 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 11 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 Lancaster's Choice by Alex. McVeigh, Mrs. Miller on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3413 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47685 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #47685, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 284 minutes of reading across 683 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Lancaster's Choice section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Lancaster's Choice 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 Lancaster's Choice, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
