Chapter 12 of Lavender and Old Lace is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Lavender and Old Lace is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Poor James,” said Winfield, in a low tone, as they ascended the stairs. “Do I have to wash dishes, Ruth?” “It wouldn't surprise me. You said you wanted to work for me, and I despise dishes.” “Then we'll get an orphan to do 'em.
Chapter 12 of Lavender and Old Lace is here in full — 213 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.
past form of “ascend” — travel up
From this reading ““Poor James,” said Winfield, in a low tone, as they ascended the stairs.”
look down on with disdain
From this reading “You said you wanted to work for me, and I despise dishes.””
plural of “dish” — a piece of dishware normally used as a container for holding or serving food
From this reading ““Do I have to wash dishes, Ruth?””
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading ““Poor James,” said Winfield, in a low tone, as they ascended the stairs.”
a child who has lost both parents
From this reading ““Then we'll get an orphan to do 'em.”
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading ““Do I have to wash dishes, Ruth?””
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading ““Poor James,” said Winfield, in a low tone, as they ascended the stairs.”
clean with some chemical process
From this reading ““Do I have to wash dishes, Ruth?””
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 “Poor James,” said Winfield, in a low tone, as they ascended the stairs.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Then we'll get an orphan to do 'em.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You said you wanted to work for me, and I despise dishes.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Poor James,” said Winfield, in a low tone, as they ascended the stairs.
past form of “ascend” — travel up
From this reading “Poor James,” said Winfield, in a low tone, as they ascended the stairs.
look down on with disdain
From this reading You said you wanted to work for me, and I despise dishes.”
plural of “dish” — a piece of dishware normally used as a container for holding or serving food
From this reading “Do I have to wash dishes, Ruth?”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Do I have to wash dishes, Ruth?”
a quad with a square body
From this reading “Then we'll get an orphan to do 'em.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading You said you wanted to work for me, and I despise dishes.”
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “Then we'll get an orphan to do 'em.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Do I have to wash dishes, Ruth?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Do I have to wash dishes, Ruth?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Poor James,” said Winfield, in a low tone, as they ascended the stairs.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It wouldn't surprise me.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading “Poor James,” said Winfield, in a low tone, as they ascended the stairs.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading “Poor James,” said Winfield, in a low tone, as they ascended the stairs.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “It wouldn't surprise me.
a child who has lost both parents
From this reading “Then we'll get an orphan to do 'em.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “Poor James,” said Winfield, in a low tone, as they ascended the stairs.
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading “Do I have to wash dishes, Ruth?”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Poor James,” said Winfield, in a low tone, as they ascended the stairs.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “Poor James,” said Winfield, in a low tone, as they ascended the stairs.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “It wouldn't surprise me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Poor James,” said Winfield, in a low tone, as they ascended the stairs.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Then we'll get an orphan to do 'em.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Poor James,” said Winfield, in a low tone, as they ascended the stairs.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Do I have to wash dishes, Ruth?”
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “Poor James,” said Winfield, in a low tone, as they ascended the stairs.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading You said you wanted to work for me, and I despise dishes.”
clean with some chemical process
From this reading “Do I have to wash dishes, Ruth?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Then we'll get an orphan to do 'em.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Poor James,” said Winfield, in a low tone, as they ascended the stairs.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading You said you wanted to work for me, and I despise dishes.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It wouldn't surprise me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You said you wanted to work for me, and I despise dishes.”
Chapter 12 of Lavender and Old Lace by Myrtle Reed holds 213 sentences, grouped into 43 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 12 holds 213 sentences of Lavender and Old Lace, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Lavender and Old Lace by Myrtle Reed exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 213 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 12 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 Lavender and Old Lace by Myrtle Reed on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3183 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1266 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1266, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 265 minutes of reading across 637 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Lavender and Old Lace section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Lavender and Old Lace 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 Lavender and Old Lace, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
