Chapter 32 of My Little Sister is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXII
Chapter 32 of My Little Sister is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DARKNESS But when the morning came I could not be sure that Betty was dead. They brought me a telegram. In wrenching the envelope off I tore the message twice. My fingers could hardly piece the signature together. I realised, at last, the Duncombe housemaid's name.
Chapter 32 of My Little Sister is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading “In wrenching the envelope off I tore the message twice.”
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading “In wrenching the envelope off I tore the message twice.”
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading “I realised, at last, the Duncombe housemaid's name.”
your name written in your own handwriting
From this reading “My fingers could hardly piece the signature together.”
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading “They brought me a telegram.”
commonly the lowest molding at the base of a column
From this reading “In wrenching the envelope off I tore the message twice.”
two times
From this reading “In wrenching the envelope off I tore the message twice.”
causing great physical or mental suffering
From this reading “In wrenching the envelope off I tore the message twice.”
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 They brought me a telegram.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I realised, at last, the Duncombe housemaid's name.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading DARKNESS But when the morning came I could not be sure that Betty was dead.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DARKNESS But when the morning came I could not be sure that Betty was dead.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading They brought me a telegram.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading DARKNESS But when the morning came I could not be sure that Betty was dead.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading DARKNESS But when the morning came I could not be sure that Betty was dead.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading DARKNESS But when the morning came I could not be sure that Betty was dead.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading DARKNESS But when the morning came I could not be sure that Betty was dead.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading DARKNESS But when the morning came I could not be sure that Betty was dead.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I realised, at last, the Duncombe housemaid's name.
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading In wrenching the envelope off I tore the message twice.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading My fingers could hardly piece the signature together.
only a very short time before
From this reading My fingers could hardly piece the signature together.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I realised, at last, the Duncombe housemaid's name.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading DARKNESS But when the morning came I could not be sure that Betty was dead.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In wrenching the envelope off I tore the message twice.
immediately past
From this reading I realised, at last, the Duncombe housemaid's name.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They brought me a telegram.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading In wrenching the envelope off I tore the message twice.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading DARKNESS But when the morning came I could not be sure that Betty was dead.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My fingers could hardly piece the signature together.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading I realised, at last, the Duncombe housemaid's name.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading DARKNESS But when the morning came I could not be sure that Betty was dead.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading In wrenching the envelope off I tore the message twice.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading My fingers could hardly piece the signature together.
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading I realised, at last, the Duncombe housemaid's name.
your name written in your own handwriting
From this reading My fingers could hardly piece the signature together.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading DARKNESS But when the morning came I could not be sure that Betty was dead.
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading They brought me a telegram.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading DARKNESS But when the morning came I could not be sure that Betty was dead.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DARKNESS But when the morning came I could not be sure that Betty was dead.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They brought me a telegram.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading My fingers could hardly piece the signature together.
commonly the lowest molding at the base of a column
From this reading In wrenching the envelope off I tore the message twice.
two times
From this reading In wrenching the envelope off I tore the message twice.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading DARKNESS But when the morning came I could not be sure that Betty was dead.
at the time that
From this reading DARKNESS But when the morning came I could not be sure that Betty was dead.
causing great physical or mental suffering
From this reading In wrenching the envelope off I tore the message twice.
Chapter 32 of My Little Sister by Elizabeth Robins holds 91 sentences, grouped into 19 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 32 holds 91 sentences of My Little Sister, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 32 of My Little Sister by Elizabeth Robins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 91 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 32 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 My Little Sister by Elizabeth Robins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5145 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36220 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36220, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 428 minutes of reading across 1029 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through My Little Sister section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of My Little Sister 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 My Little Sister, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
