Chapter 3 of Modern daughters is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Modern daughters is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Then what on earth did they do?” I asked. “Happily there appeared a sinister little dwarf. I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened. ‘See here,’ said the dwarf, ‘she will be perfectly insufferable if you act in this way.
Chapter 3 of Modern daughters is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading “‘See here,’ said the dwarf, ‘she will be perfectly insufferable if you act in this way.”
a person who is markedly small
From this reading ““Happily there appeared a sinister little dwarf.”
in a joyous manner
From this reading ““Happily there appeared a sinister little dwarf.”
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading “I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.”
unbearably arrogant or conceited
From this reading “‘See here,’ said the dwarf, ‘she will be perfectly insufferable if you act in this way.”
cut slightly, with a razor
From this reading “I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.”
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “‘See here,’ said the dwarf, ‘she will be perfectly insufferable if you act in this way.”
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading ““Happily there appeared a sinister little dwarf.”
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.
used with question words to convey surprise
In this reading ““Then what on earth did they do?””
In this reading ““Happily there appeared a sinister little dwarf.”
In this reading “I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.”
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 “Happily there appeared a sinister little dwarf.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading ‘See here,’ said the dwarf, ‘she will be perfectly insufferable if you act in this way.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “Happily there appeared a sinister little dwarf.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading ‘See here,’ said the dwarf, ‘she will be perfectly insufferable if you act in this way.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Then what on earth did they do?”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Then what on earth did they do?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
a person who is markedly small
From this reading “Happily there appeared a sinister little dwarf.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading “Then what on earth did they do?”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
in a joyous manner
From this reading “Happily there appeared a sinister little dwarf.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading ‘See here,’ said the dwarf, ‘she will be perfectly insufferable if you act in this way.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I asked.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading ‘See here,’ said the dwarf, ‘she will be perfectly insufferable if you act in this way.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
unbearably arrogant or conceited
From this reading ‘See here,’ said the dwarf, ‘she will be perfectly insufferable if you act in this way.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Happily there appeared a sinister little dwarf.
cut slightly, with a razor
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Then what on earth did they do?”
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading ‘See here,’ said the dwarf, ‘she will be perfectly insufferable if you act in this way.
To recall to mind.
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘See here,’ said the dwarf, ‘she will be perfectly insufferable if you act in this way.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading ‘See here,’ said the dwarf, ‘she will be perfectly insufferable if you act in this way.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ‘See here,’ said the dwarf, ‘she will be perfectly insufferable if you act in this way.
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading “Happily there appeared a sinister little dwarf.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Then what on earth did they do?”
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Happily there appeared a sinister little dwarf.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Then what on earth did they do?”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading ‘See here,’ said the dwarf, ‘she will be perfectly insufferable if you act in this way.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading ‘See here,’ said the dwarf, ‘she will be perfectly insufferable if you act in this way.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Then what on earth did they do?”
in or at the place that
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading ‘See here,’ said the dwarf, ‘she will be perfectly insufferable if you act in this way.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I don’t remember where he came from, but he was U. C. in the nick of time or heaven knows what _would_ have happened.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘See here,’ said the dwarf, ‘she will be perfectly insufferable if you act in this way.
Chapter 3 of Modern daughters by Alexander Black holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of Modern daughters, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Modern daughters by Alexander Black exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in Modern daughters, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
