Chapter 17 of Miss Primrose is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Miss Primrose is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_A STRANGE DIFFICULTY._ HARVEY'S wonder grew as Mr. Detroit explained his difficulty. The state of things seemed unusual. "Your nearest relatives?" he suggested. "I have no relatives—none at least that I care to acknowledge as such. There are, perhaps, a few who might wish to put in a claim to distant cousinship.
Chapter 17 of Miss Primrose is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading “"I have no relatives—none at least that I care to acknowledge as such.”
an assertion of a right (as to money or property)
From this reading “There are, perhaps, a few who might wish to put in a claim to distant cousinship.”
the largest city in Michigan and a major Great Lakes port; center of the United States automobile industry; located in southeastern Michigan on the Detroit river across from Windsor
From this reading “_A STRANGE DIFFICULTY._ HARVEY'S wonder grew as Mr. Detroit explained his difficulty.”
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading “There are, perhaps, a few who might wish to put in a claim to distant cousinship.”
possessive form of “harvey” — English physician and scientist who described the circulation of the blood; he later proposed that all animals originate from an ovum produced by the female of the species (1578-1657)
From this reading “_A STRANGE DIFFICULTY._ HARVEY'S wonder grew as Mr. Detroit explained his difficulty.”
(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance
From this reading “"Your nearest relatives?" he suggested.”
plural of “relative” — a person related by blood or marriage
From this reading “"Your nearest relatives?" he suggested.”
not usual or common or ordinary
From this reading “The state of things seemed unusual.”
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.
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 STRANGE DIFFICULTY._ HARVEY'S wonder grew as Mr. Detroit explained his difficulty.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading "I have no relatives—none at least that I care to acknowledge as such.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There are, perhaps, a few who might wish to put in a claim to distant cousinship.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading _A STRANGE DIFFICULTY._ HARVEY'S wonder grew as Mr. Detroit explained his difficulty.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I have no relatives—none at least that I care to acknowledge as such.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading "I have no relatives—none at least that I care to acknowledge as such.
an assertion of a right (as to money or property)
From this reading There are, perhaps, a few who might wish to put in a claim to distant cousinship.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There are, perhaps, a few who might wish to put in a claim to distant cousinship.
the largest city in Michigan and a major Great Lakes port; center of the United States automobile industry; located in southeastern Michigan on the Detroit river across from Windsor
From this reading _A STRANGE DIFFICULTY._ HARVEY'S wonder grew as Mr. Detroit explained his difficulty.
an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading _A STRANGE DIFFICULTY._ HARVEY'S wonder grew as Mr. Detroit explained his difficulty.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading There are, perhaps, a few who might wish to put in a claim to distant cousinship.
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading _A STRANGE DIFFICULTY._ HARVEY'S wonder grew as Mr. Detroit explained his difficulty.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading There are, perhaps, a few who might wish to put in a claim to distant cousinship.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading _A STRANGE DIFFICULTY._ HARVEY'S wonder grew as Mr. Detroit explained his difficulty.
possessive form of “harvey” — English physician and scientist who described the circulation of the blood; he later proposed that all animals originate from an ovum produced by the female of the species (1578-1657)
From this reading _A STRANGE DIFFICULTY._ HARVEY'S wonder grew as Mr. Detroit explained his difficulty.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have no relatives—none at least that I care to acknowledge as such.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Your nearest relatives?" he suggested.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading _A STRANGE DIFFICULTY._ HARVEY'S wonder grew as Mr. Detroit explained his difficulty.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I have no relatives—none at least that I care to acknowledge as such.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There are, perhaps, a few who might wish to put in a claim to distant cousinship.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading "I have no relatives—none at least that I care to acknowledge as such.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading There are, perhaps, a few who might wish to put in a claim to distant cousinship.
a form of address for a man
From this reading _A STRANGE DIFFICULTY._ HARVEY'S wonder grew as Mr. Detroit explained his difficulty.
(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance
From this reading "Your nearest relatives?" he suggested.
not any; not one
From this reading "I have no relatives—none at least that I care to acknowledge as such.
not one, and not any
From this reading "I have no relatives—none at least that I care to acknowledge as such.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The state of things seemed unusual.
by chance
From this reading There are, perhaps, a few who might wish to put in a claim to distant cousinship.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading There are, perhaps, a few who might wish to put in a claim to distant cousinship.
plural of “relative” — a person related by blood or marriage
From this reading "Your nearest relatives?" he suggested.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The state of things seemed unusual.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading The state of things seemed unusual.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading _A STRANGE DIFFICULTY._ HARVEY'S wonder grew as Mr. Detroit explained his difficulty.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "I have no relatives—none at least that I care to acknowledge as such.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading "Your nearest relatives?" he suggested.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I have no relatives—none at least that I care to acknowledge as such.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The state of things seemed unusual.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There are, perhaps, a few who might wish to put in a claim to distant cousinship.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading The state of things seemed unusual.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I have no relatives—none at least that I care to acknowledge as such.
not usual or common or ordinary
From this reading The state of things seemed unusual.
which person or people
From this reading There are, perhaps, a few who might wish to put in a claim to distant cousinship.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading There are, perhaps, a few who might wish to put in a claim to distant cousinship.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading _A STRANGE DIFFICULTY._ HARVEY'S wonder grew as Mr. Detroit explained his difficulty.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Your nearest relatives?" he suggested.
Chapter 17 of Miss Primrose by Agnes Giberne holds 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 116 sentences of Miss Primrose, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Miss Primrose by Agnes Giberne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 Miss Primrose by Agnes Giberne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2553 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76528 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76528, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 212 minutes of reading across 511 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Miss Primrose section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Miss Primrose 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 Miss Primrose, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
