Chapter 3 of Materfamilias is here in full — 260 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Materfamilias is here in full — 260 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A PAGE OF LIFE. Does love fly out of the window when poverty walks in at the door? No, no--of course not! Only when love is an imitation love, selfish and cowardly, as true love can never be. I am sure ours stayed with us always, no matter how cramped and starved.
Chapter 3 of Materfamilias is here in full — 260 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/52 · 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.
lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted
From this reading “Only when love is an imitation love, selfish and cowardly, as true love can never be.”
constricted in size
From this reading “I am sure ours stayed with us always, no matter how cramped and starved.”
the doctrine that representations of nature or human behavior should be accurate imitations
From this reading “Only when love is an imitation love, selfish and cowardly, as true love can never be.”
the one or ones belonging to us
From this reading “I am sure ours stayed with us always, no matter how cramped and starved.”
the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions
From this reading “Does love fly out of the window when poverty walks in at the door?”
concerned chiefly or only with yourself and your advantage to the exclusion of others
From this reading “Only when love is an imitation love, selfish and cowardly, as true love can never be.”
suffering from lack of food
From this reading “I am sure ours stayed with us always, no matter how cramped and starved.”
plural of “walk” — the act of traveling by foot
From this reading “Does love fly out of the window when poverty walks in at the door?”
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 “Only when love is an imitation love, selfish and cowardly, as true love can never be.”
In this reading “Does love fly out of the window when poverty walks in at the door?”
In this reading “Does love fly out of the window when poverty walks in at the door?”
In this reading “I am sure ours stayed with us always, no matter how cramped and starved.”
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 A PAGE OF LIFE.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading I am sure ours stayed with us always, no matter how cramped and starved.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am sure ours stayed with us always, no matter how cramped and starved.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Only when love is an imitation love, selfish and cowardly, as true love can never be.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Only when love is an imitation love, selfish and cowardly, as true love can never be.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Only when love is an imitation love, selfish and cowardly, as true love can never be.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Does love fly out of the window when poverty walks in at the door?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Only when love is an imitation love, selfish and cowardly, as true love can never be.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Only when love is an imitation love, selfish and cowardly, as true love can never be.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading No, no--of course not!
lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted
From this reading Only when love is an imitation love, selfish and cowardly, as true love can never be.
constricted in size
From this reading I am sure ours stayed with us always, no matter how cramped and starved.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Does love fly out of the window when poverty walks in at the door?
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Does love fly out of the window when poverty walks in at the door?
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading Does love fly out of the window when poverty walks in at the door?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I am sure ours stayed with us always, no matter how cramped and starved.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I am sure ours stayed with us always, no matter how cramped and starved.
the doctrine that representations of nature or human behavior should be accurate imitations
From this reading Only when love is an imitation love, selfish and cowardly, as true love can never be.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Does love fly out of the window when poverty walks in at the door?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Only when love is an imitation love, selfish and cowardly, as true love can never be.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading A PAGE OF LIFE.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading Does love fly out of the window when poverty walks in at the door?
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading I am sure ours stayed with us always, no matter how cramped and starved.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Only when love is an imitation love, selfish and cowardly, as true love can never be.
not any; not one
From this reading No, no--of course not!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading No, no--of course not!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A PAGE OF LIFE.
and nothing more
From this reading Only when love is an imitation love, selfish and cowardly, as true love can never be.
the one or ones belonging to us
From this reading I am sure ours stayed with us always, no matter how cramped and starved.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Does love fly out of the window when poverty walks in at the door?
one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading A PAGE OF LIFE.
the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions
From this reading Does love fly out of the window when poverty walks in at the door?
concerned chiefly or only with yourself and your advantage to the exclusion of others
From this reading Only when love is an imitation love, selfish and cowardly, as true love can never be.
suffering from lack of food
From this reading I am sure ours stayed with us always, no matter how cramped and starved.
past form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading I am sure ours stayed with us always, no matter how cramped and starved.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading I am sure ours stayed with us always, no matter how cramped and starved.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Does love fly out of the window when poverty walks in at the door?
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading Only when love is an imitation love, selfish and cowardly, as true love can never be.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I am sure ours stayed with us always, no matter how cramped and starved.
plural of “walk” — the act of traveling by foot
From this reading Does love fly out of the window when poverty walks in at the door?
at the time that
From this reading Does love fly out of the window when poverty walks in at the door?
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Does love fly out of the window when poverty walks in at the door?
in the company of; together with
From this reading I am sure ours stayed with us always, no matter how cramped and starved.
Chapter 3 of Materfamilias by Ada Cambridge holds 260 sentences, grouped into 52 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 260 sentences of Materfamilias, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Materfamilias by Ada Cambridge exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 260 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 Materfamilias by Ada Cambridge on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3219 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40659 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40659, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 268 minutes of reading across 644 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Materfamilias section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Materfamilias 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 Materfamilias, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
