Chapter 2 of Prudy Keeping House is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Prudy Keeping House is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PRIDE AND ORANGES. While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions. The children watched her with some curiosity. "Are you afraid of _burgalers_, auntie?" asked Dotty. "Because, if you are, we shan't dare stay here."
Chapter 2 of Prudy Keeping House is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading “"Are you afraid of _burgalers_, auntie?" asked Dotty.”
informal or slang terms for mentally irregular
From this reading “"Are you afraid of _burgalers_, auntie?" asked Dotty.”
plural of “dress” — a one-piece garment for a woman; has skirt and bodice
From this reading “While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.”
plural of “housekeeper” — a servant who is employed to perform domestic task in a household
From this reading “While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.”
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading “While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.”
plural of “orange” — round yellow to orange fruit of any of several citrus trees
From this reading “PRIDE AND ORANGES.”
plural of “possession” — the act of having and controlling property
From this reading “While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.”
having great material or monetary value especially for use or exchange
From this reading “While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.”
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.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading "Are you afraid of _burgalers_, auntie?" asked Dotty.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading PRIDE AND ORANGES.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are you afraid of _burgalers_, auntie?" asked Dotty.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Are you afraid of _burgalers_, auntie?" asked Dotty.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading "Are you afraid of _burgalers_, auntie?" asked Dotty.
for the reason that
From this reading "Because, if you are, we shan't dare stay here."
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Are you afraid of _burgalers_, auntie?" asked Dotty.
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading The children watched her with some curiosity.
a state in which you want to learn more about something
From this reading The children watched her with some curiosity.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading "Because, if you are, we shan't dare stay here."
informal or slang terms for mentally irregular
From this reading "Are you afraid of _burgalers_, auntie?" asked Dotty.
plural of “dress” — a one-piece garment for a woman; has skirt and bodice
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Because, if you are, we shan't dare stay here."
plural of “housekeeper” — a servant who is employed to perform domestic task in a household
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Because, if you are, we shan't dare stay here."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
used to form the superlative
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Are you afraid of _burgalers_, auntie?" asked Dotty.
plural of “orange” — round yellow to orange fruit of any of several citrus trees
From this reading PRIDE AND ORANGES.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
plural of “possession” — the act of having and controlling property
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
a feeling of self-respect and personal worth
From this reading PRIDE AND ORANGES.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Because, if you are, we shan't dare stay here."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The children watched her with some curiosity.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading "Because, if you are, we shan't dare stay here."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
having great material or monetary value especially for use or exchange
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading The children watched her with some curiosity.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Because, if you are, we shan't dare stay here."
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
during the time that
From this reading While Mrs. Fixfax was making her room ready for the little housekeepers, Aunt Madge went to her own chamber, and locked up her best dresses, and most valuable possessions.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The children watched her with some curiosity.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Are you afraid of _burgalers_, auntie?" asked Dotty.
Chapter 2 of Prudy Keeping House by Sophie May holds 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 2 holds 132 sentences of Prudy Keeping House, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Prudy Keeping House by Sophie May exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 2 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 Prudy Keeping House by Sophie May on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1881 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20984 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20984, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 156 minutes of reading across 377 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Prudy Keeping House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Prudy Keeping House 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 Prudy Keeping House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
